Family Traditions
Family Traditions
A look at the surprising history, numbers, and global reach of Mother's Day, plus practical ways to make the day meaningful for moms in every stage of life.
Mother's Day is one of those holidays everyone celebrates but few people know much about. Where did it actually come from? How many cards get mailed? Why do florists count down to it all year? This guide pulls together the real history and numbers behind the holiday, from President Woodrow Wilson's 1914 proclamation to the billions of dollars families spend on moms every May. It also looks at how the day has changed as women start families later in life, and how it's celebrated far beyond the United States. For families with a mom in assisted living, memory care, or simply aging at home, we've included practical ideas for making the day feel special no matter where she lives now.
Mother's Day began in 1914 thanks to activist Anna Jarvis and President Wilson. Today it drives a 37% jump in phone calls, a quarter of yearly flower sales, and over $35 billion in spending nationwide.
Mother's Day as we know it in the United States traces back to 1914, when President Woodrow Wilson officially declared the holiday after years of lobbying by activist Anna Jarvis. Wilson framed it as a chance to "publicly express our love and reverence for the mothers of our country," turning a grassroots campaign into a national observance almost overnight.
Jarvis is also responsible for one of the holiday's oldest traditions: wearing a carnation in honor of mom. She designated white carnations specifically to honor mothers who had passed away, a custom that some families still observe today when remembering a mother no longer with them.
Interestingly, Jarvis later became disillusioned with how commercialized the holiday became and spent much of her later life campaigning against the very holiday she helped create, objecting to the greeting-card and floral industries profiting from it.
Of all the days on the calendar, Mother's Day generates more phone calls than any other. Call volume rises by 37% compared to a typical day, as sons, daughters, and grandchildren pause their routines to check in with mom, wherever she lives.
That spike matters for families with a parent in assisted living or a senior living community, where a phone call can mean just as much as an in-person visit, especially for moms who live at a distance from their adult children.
For families who can't be there in person, scheduling a call is a simple, low-effort way to make sure mom doesn't spend the day feeling forgotten, particularly if she has recently moved into a new care setting.
Mother's Day is enormous business for florists. According to the Society of American Florists, the holiday accounts for a full 25% of all flower sales for the entire year, making it the single biggest day on the floral calendar.
Cards matter just as much. Roughly 152 million Mother's Day cards are sent out annually, a volume that rivals nearly every other card-giving holiday. In 2023, total spending on Mother's Day gifts topped $35 billion nationwide.
The National Retail Federation found that shoppers spend an average of $274 per person on Mother's Day gifts. For families budgeting a celebration for a mom in senior living, that figure is a useful benchmark for planning flowers, a card, or a small gift that fits the setting.
| Mother's Day Fact | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Rise in phone calls | 37% increase | National call volume data |
| Share of yearly flower sales | 25% | Society of American Florists |
| Average gift spending | $274 per person | National Retail Federation |
| Cards sent annually | ~152 million | Industry estimates |
The picture of who is becoming a mom is shifting. Pew Research found that the average age for a first-time mother in the United States is now 27, a steady increase over the past decade as women delay starting families.
That shift has ripple effects for families across generations. It means more households today are navigating caregiving for aging parents while still raising young children themselves, a dynamic often called the "sandwich generation."
Understanding this trend helps explain why so many families are juggling Mother's Day celebrations for two generations of moms at once, balancing time between young children's schedules and an aging parent's needs.
While the American version of Mother's Day began in 1914, the impulse to honor mothers is far from a uniquely American tradition. Countries including Canada, Costa Rica, Samoa, Great Britain, Australia, Georgia, and Thailand all set aside a day to celebrate mom.
The dates don't always line up. Some countries celebrate on the same Sunday as the U.S., while others mark the occasion on an entirely different date tied to their own cultural or religious calendar.
For families with a mom who immigrated from another country, or who has relatives abroad, it's worth checking whether her home country observes Mother's Day on a different date, which can open up a second opportunity to celebrate together.
When mom has moved into assisted living or memory care, Mother's Day can feel different, but it doesn't have to feel smaller. Many communities plan special meals, music, or family visiting hours specifically for the holiday, so it's worth calling ahead to ask what's planned.
Bringing a small, familiar touch, like her favorite flowers or a photo from an earlier Mother's Day, can help the day feel personal rather than generic, especially in a communal living setting where celebrations are often shared among many residents.
If mom has memory care needs, keep the visit simple and sensory rather than complicated. A short walk, a favorite song, or holding a familiar object often means more than a large gathering that could feel overwhelming.
Not every Mother's Day looks like it used to, and that's worth acknowledging rather than glossing over. If mom's health has changed since last year, adjusting expectations for the day, shorter visits, quieter settings, familiar routines, can make the occasion more enjoyable for everyone involved.
Coordinating with siblings ahead of time to avoid overwhelming mom with back-to-back visits is a small but meaningful courtesy, particularly in a care community where energy and stamina can be limited later in the day.
Ultimately, the numbers behind Mother's Day, the calls, the cards, the flowers, all point to the same underlying truth: it's a day built around presence and connection, which matters just as much, if not more, once a parent has moved into a care setting.
Mother's Day carries real history and real numbers behind it, from a 1914 presidential proclamation to $35 billion in yearly spending. However you celebrate, a call, a card, or a visit to a care community, presence is what the day is really about.
Mother's Day has grown from a single 1914 proclamation into a holiday that drives more phone calls, more flower sales, and more card-buying than almost any other day of the year. But behind the statistics is a simple idea Anna Jarvis championed from the start: taking a moment to recognize the mothers in our lives. For families navigating a parent's move into assisted living or memory care, that idea doesn't change, it just takes new forms, whether that's a scheduled phone call, a favorite flower brought to a community dining room, or a quiet afternoon visit. The numbers show how much the country invests in this holiday; what matters most is making sure mom feels that investment personally, wherever she calls home.
If a visit or call reveals mom seems more confused, withdrawn, or physically different than expected, don't wait for the next holiday to follow up. Reach out to her care team or physician promptly, and consider whether her current living situation still matches her needs, since holidays often surface changes families hadn't yet noticed.