Everyone has a mother. On Sunday, moms will be celebrated, and those who have passed on will be remembered.
When my sweet mother-in-law passed away in 2014, our long-time friend Dixie Fairley Wilkerson told my husband, “No one will ever love you like your mama.” Since then, Mark has shared that endearing statement with many others and always gives Mrs. Dixie credit.
How about a few fun facts about Mother’s Day? Here are a dozen things to know:
- Mother’s Day is the third most attended church service following Easter and Christmas, according to Lifeway Research. Families show reverence and focus on faith and family on Mother’s Day.
- It is the busiest restaurant day of the year.
- The actual date changes from year to year, but the day is always celebrated on the second Sunday of May.
- According to Fox Business, 122 million phone calls will be made to moms on Mother’s Day.
- President Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation declaring Mother’s Day an official holiday on May 9, 1914. However, the idea had begun in 1908 when Anna Jarvis started Mother’s Day to honor her own mom who had worked tirelessly serving other moms after the Civil War. Her mother had called for a “Mothers Work Day” for mothers to improve the lives of soldiers on both sides of the war.
- The official flower of Mother’s Day is the carnation because Anna Jarvis sent hundreds of carnations to her West Virginia home church to honor mothers in that congregation when she began the day of honor.
- A red carnation or corsage indicates the mother of person adorning the flower is still living. A white one indicates the wearer’s mother is deceased.
- Mother’s Day quickly became a commercialized opportunity for retailers to sell flowers, chocolates and cards. Anna Jarvis despised what the holiday became. She felt as though the commercialization detracted from her original idea of a personal and intimate celebration of mothers. She boycotted businesses and fought against the commercialization. She was arrested at a 1948 protest and fought against the holiday until her death at age 84.
- From gifts, flowers and dining, Americans spend more than 30 billion dollars on their mothers on this special day, according to the National Retail Federation. In 2024 people are expected to spend $33 billion. The federation also notes that Americans spend considerably more on Mother’s Day than on Father’s Day. In 2023, people spent an average of $196 on fathers and an average of $276 on mothers.
- Greeting cards top the list of Mother’s Day gifts. According to Hallmark, 113 million cards are exchanged each year.
- The average age of first-time mothers is on the rise, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2000 the average age was 24.9; in 2020 it was 27.1 years old.
- Curious about the number one thing moms want for Mother’s Day? It isn’t roses or jewelry. It’s time. According to a recent survey by OnePoll, moms want quality time with their families and free time away from chores to enjoy hobbies like reading or taking a walk. Some even said they’d like time to be able to go to the bathroom by themselves.
All 12 statements are true along with Mrs. Dixie’s declaration that “No one will ever love you like your mama.”
