Anna Jarvis, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, created Mother’s Day in 1908, and it became an official holiday in the United States in 1914. It is customary to give greeting cards, flowers and other gifts to — and spend some time with — mothers on Mother’s Day. Or, if Mom isn’t around anymore, many spend time remembering their mothers on this day.

“The badge to be worn and distributed is the white carnation, the international memory flower,” stated a Mother’s Day story in the May 1, 1914, issue of The County Review in Riverhead, New York.

The special object of Mother’s Day, The County Review stated, “is to honor and uplift motherhood, and to give happiness to ‘the best mother who ever lived.'”

It was tradition in Lake Placid during the early days of this holiday to feature music that celebrated motherhood during church services. At the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1919, Mr. Clark preached a special Mother’s Day sermon, according to the May 9, 1919, issue of the Lake Placid News, which reminded us:

“Let us make our mothers feel on this May day that she is Queen in the hearts of her children.”

In 1916, the pastor of the Baptist Church in Lake Placid spoke to the juniors on “Mother and More to Jesus,” according to the May 12, 1916, issue of the News. The subject of the morning sermon was “Your Mother and You.” In the evening, the subject of the sermon was “Some Bible Mothers and their Reward.” Special Mother’s Day music was offered at the morning and evening services.

What began as an earnest attempt to celebrate motherhood eventually turned into a commercial holiday, much to the chagrin of Anna Jarvis.

“Jarvis would later denounce the holiday’s commercialization and spent the latter part of her life trying to remove it from the calendar,” states the History Channel at www.history.com.

The National Retail Federation reports that Mother’s Day spending in the U.S. will reach an estimated record high of $31.7 billion this year, up $3.6 billion from 2021. The top three categories for spending will be greeting cards (75%), flowers (72%) and special outings (57%). Per person spending continues to increase and is estimated at $246 this year, up from $180 in 2018.

Showering gift on mothers is natural. We love them, and they deserve to be queen for the day — if not for every day of the year. But we share Anna Jarvis’s concerns about the commercialization of this holiday, as we do for other holidays such as Christmas. But we’re also realistic. We live in America, where there’s a buck to be made for every occasion in life — in this case, love for our mothers.

No matter how much money people spend this year to show our love and affection, we encourage people to spend time with their mothers, if possible. On the phone or in person. Take a drive through the mountains. Make a day of it. Spend money if your want to — if you have it during these tough times. Either way, make it a special day. They’ll appreciate it more than you know.