Mother’s Day is once again around the corner, and, while we all love our mums, it always seems to creep up on us. A nice scented candle or a box of chocolates might be just the ticket for a last-minute Mother’s Day gift – and they are popular, with 41% of people buying chocolates to commemorate the day. But sometimes it’s nice to push the boat out with something a little more special. The following represent just some special ways you can push the boat out for a special mother.

A pampering session

All mums deserve a good pampering – and what you can’t provide yourself in cups of tea and plates of biscuits can instead be provided in the form of an appointment. You could book a joint session with a local beautician and their acrylic nail kit, so you can spend some quality time together and both come away with excellent new nails – a long-term reminder of a day well-spent. Alternatively, a spa day with sauna time and a dedicated masseuse could be just what the doctor ordered.

Afternoon Tea

A quintessential way to spend Mother’s Day is to sit for afternoon tea together – the height of sophistication, and the guaranteed best finger sandwiches you’ll ever eat. Born in the 1800s as a mid-afternoon pick-me-up for the 7^th Duchess of Bedford, but quickly became a social norm. Today it is the perfect way to treat your mum to a posh day out.

Being a traditional affair through and through, any afternoon tea worth its salt should come with a wide range of teas to complement the light foods on offer. However, the ‘tea’ part can quickly become a little redundant after that third glass of prosecco…

A Weekend city break

If just one afternoon doesn’t quite cut the mustard, you could step things up a bit and gift a whole weekend instead. There are many cities across the UK with a lot to offer for a weekend – Manchester has a sprawling retail district and a Northern Quarter full of exciting independent venues, Leeds is a compact city chock-full of fun experiences, and London speaks for itself. You could book yourself and your mum in for a weekend stay at a city hotel in order to make the most of the city’s shopping hours and nightlife all in one.

A trip to the Theatre

The theatre is a popular yet underrated form of entertainment, and a wonderful excuse for an evening out. There’s something for everyone at the theatre, whether pantomime, musical, comedy, drama or comedy-drama. Two tickets to a play your mum would love can make for a great Mother’s Day present, and also give her the freedom to choose who she goes with. Fingers crossed she chooses to take you!