Patch Picks: Last Minute Mother's Day Gift Ideas

Modern mothers will no doubt be pleased to know that celebrations of motherhood as goddesses (whose mother is not one?) preceded our modern holiday. According Jone Johnson Lewis, a theologian and teacher, the ancients Greeks honored Rhea the mother of the gods; while the Romans celebrated Cybele; and among the Celtic populations in Europe and the British Isles, the goddess Brigid, and her successor St. Brigid, were honored with in the spring, celebrating the first milk of the ewes.

Julia Ward Howe, who penned the lyrics to the Battle Hymn of the Republic proposed a day, in 1872, to celebrate peace and motherhood (Was Elvis Costello sending a secret mother’s day message when he wrote: “What’s so funny about a peace, love and understanding?") The first official Mother’s Day (May 10, 1908) celebrated in the U.S., according to the West Virginia Division of Archives & Culture, was arranged through the efforts of Anna Jarvis in memory of her mother, Ann Maria Reeves Jarvis. The elder Jarvis had organized Mothers' Day Work Clubs who tended to soldiers on both sides of the American Civil War. Mother’s Day was declared a national holiday by President Woodrow Wilson in 1914.

If your mom has a green thumb, take advantage of an abundance of perennials, annuals, herbs and hanging plants at the Pleasantville Garden Club or Briarcliff Manor Garden Club plant sales on Saturday, May 7. PGC’s annual fundraiser for beautification projects in the Town of Mount Pleasant, as well as scholarships for graduating seniors at , Westlake and Valhalla High Schools who plan to pursue an environmental-related course of study. The sale takes place from 8 a.m. to 11:30 am. at Memorial Plaza. In Briarcliff Manor, the sale will take place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Wells Fargo Bank parking lot on Pleasantville Road (across from Village Hall).

If cut flowers and potted plants are more your mom’s style, several local florists will be open until 6 p.m. on Saturday and will have a rare open Sunday as well. The folks at —who also operated Chilmark Florists in Briarcliff Manor—will open at 9 a.m. and will stay open until around 4 p.m. The earlier you call the better the selection, so don’t be tardy.   plans to open from 9 a.m. until “things slow down,” so please call ahead on Sunday. Rubrum’s Florist Ltd. at 154 S. Highland Ave. in Ossining, voted Best of Westchester  2010 in Westchester Magazine, will be open on Sunday from 8  a.m. until 2 p.m.. Call now for details about deliveries on Mother's Day at all three of these shops.

Jodi Mercedes, owner of , said, "For moms, a massage would make every part of their body feel relaxed, and they would probably say, 'Why didn't I do this sooner?'"

Here is your perfect opportunity to prove her right and make mom feel really good. Mother's Day specials include a Relaxation massage w/ touch a haven facial  ($100) or Pure Bliss: relaxation massage, relaxation facial w/ peppermint foot & leg treatment ($180). Click here to purchase an online gift certificate that can be sent via email or printed out and hand-delivered  by you.

Yvonne Von Cort and Roy Solomon, owners of the in Pleasantville, have hand-picked reads for moms including One Hundred Names for Love: A Stroke, a Marriage and The Language of Healing by Diane Ackerman; Planting Dandelions: Field Notes From a Semi-Domesticated Life by Kyran Pittman; the paperback edition of The Help by Kathryn Stockett and Kid Savvy Westchester A Parent's Guide of Information and Inspiration by Betsy Cadel. If you choose not to make a choice,  gift certificates are available.

And Von Cort reminds gift givers, "Most of all, remember to find a way to give your mom the time to read."

Matt Jaros of always has a bounty of hand-crafted, one of- a-kind and beautifully crafted ceramics, woodworks, jewelry, hangings and more. He recently brought in a new selection of Maruca emroidered bags, Holly Yashi earrings and blown glass candle snuffers that change color as they age. A highlight of The Glass Onion's Mother's Day offerings are bronze sculptures created through artistic blacksmithing by Dave Rizzo, whose studio is just outside of Niagra Falls, NY. These limited edition pieces feature family themes.