A masked person looking at bouquets of flowers on a city street.
Mother's Day is a yearly reminder to cherish and honour mothers for the incredible contributions they make to our lives and broader society. Although spa days and full-on family brunches are still on hold due to COVID-19, we've had some time since last year to master the art of the distanced celebration.
Toronto Public Health's vaccination campaign continues to accelerate, with thousands of Torontonians receiving the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine every day. Despite these exciting developments in the expansion of access, many of us will still be unable to celebrate Mother's Day indoors with our mums in 2021. Here are some ideas for ensuring Mother's Day is extra special this year, even from afar.
Deliver Brunch To Her Doorstep
Preparing breakfast is a classic Mother's Day ritual, serving as both a symbolic and literal giving back to the people who raised us. If you aren't residing in the same household as your mother, and therefore are unable to be physically together on Sunday morning, consider organizing the delivery of a spread of take-out breakfast, dinner, and anything in-between from one of the many Toronto establishments offering Mother's Day food specials. You can even skip the main course and go straight to ordering dessert — whatever you choose, your mum will be grateful. Be sure to keep in mind current public health guidelines which limit curbside pickup from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. and delivery from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., when scheduling your order.
Take Things Outdoors
After a lengthy winter, going on a nice long walk is a wonderful safe way to get the whole family active. As of now, parks, beaches, benches in public recreational areas, and community gardens are all open to the public, permitting the use of masks and social distancing. Be sure to keep a physical distance of at least 2 metres from people who are not members of your household if you choose to go on a Mother's Day walk. If you're sick of your usual routine and don't know where to stroll, try out one of the routes on our list of the five best trail walks in the Toronto area. If you feel like keeping things closer to home, you can still get a taste of nature by blocking the day off for gardening with your family or organizing a plant delivery to your mum's home to celebrate the beginning of spring.
Make The Most of Virtual Gatherings
If you and your mother live in separate households, the best way to celebrate and honour her is simply to give her a call and express your appreciation and admiration. Perhaps orchestrate a family video call to communally share your favourite memories and express love for the matriarchs of your family.
If you're feeling a bit of zoom fatigue and don't feel like doing a good old-fashioned family call, you can always opt for a different virtual activity to share with your loved one(s). Pick one of their favourite movies and set a time to watch it together while physically apart, using one of the many services available online that sync up separate movie streams to play at the same time. You can also prepay for an online cooking class, cocktail-making lesson, or even a virtual wine-tasting for you and your mother to engage in together.
Dream For The Future
Just because Mother's Day happens to fall on May 9th, doesn't mean you need to restrict your celebration to just this Sunday. Use this occasion as an opportunity to dream up things for you and your family to do in the future when you can gather safely. Talk to your mum about the things she misses about pre-COVID life or the dreams she has for the future, and put together a plan for turning these fantasies into reality. When exactly Canadians will be able to gather and travel safely again is still up in the air; however, figuring out where your mum's ideal vacation is, which restaurant she wishes she could go to again, or what spa treatment she's dreaming about will help you plan out the perfect post-COVID surprise.
Be Aware of COVID protocol
Every day, we get a little bit closer to the end of the pandemic. In order to ensure the health and safety of our community and continue progressing towards a return to normalcy, it's imperative to persist in practicing safe COVID-19 protocol with your family. The current stay-at-home order means that you must restrict indoor contact to only members of your household, even if you have received the first dose of a vaccine. Be sure to stay up-to-date on the evolving state of Ontario's COVID-19 public health mandates, as well as schedule and properly prepare for your COVID-19 vaccine.