12 Ways to Celebrate Mother's Day After Your Mom Has Passed Away

Try these thoughtful ideas to honor a deceased mom on Mother's Day.

When you've lost your mom, Mother's Day is tough—and scrolling through the brunch-filled posts and heartfelt homages on social media can make you feel worse. Whether it's your first Mother's Day without Mom or it's been a few years, it can be a challenging day. While feeling sad is perfectly normal, author Allison Gilbert offers a more empowering approach for coping with Mother's Day after your mom passed away.

For Gilbert, embracing social media was helpful: A favorite tribute for Gilbert is posting photos of Mom on Facebook, which tends to spark a heartfelt discussion from friends and family. For anyone feeling the pain of losing a mother, Gilbert shares several other thoughtful ways to honor and celebrate Mother's Day after your mom passed away.

Meet Our Expert

Allison Gilbert is an Emmy award-winning journalist and the author of Passed and Present: Keeping Memories of Loved Ones Alive, full of concrete tools for preserving memories of those who have passed.

Memorialize Recipes

If the thought of Mom's famed banana bread recipe card getting tattered, faded, or covered in gunk breaks your heart, there's a way you can make it last for the next generation. Transfer the recipe—handwriting and all—onto a beautiful serving dish at places like Prairie Hills Pottery.

Alternatively, you can create a custom recipe book with images of each recipe card. There are various online retailers with templates to help you get started. You'll not only preserve the recipes for years, but your mom's handwriting and notes will also be memorialized.

Recapture a Moment in Time

Retrace the steps of your mother's favorite hike or replicate a life-changing trip to Paris, recreating the photographs Mom took along the way. If you can track down the same backdrops in the pictures, you'll have a poignant now-and-then to look back on. What a wonderful way to see life through your mom's eyes.

Start a Remembrance Chain

This idea is a great way to connect with loved ones near and far in memory of your mom. Ask those closest to your mother to write down a special anecdote or funny story about Mom. Then, send a blank journal to the first person on the list along with mailing labels with the other participants' addresses pre-written on them.

Each person records their memory, signs it, and then passes it along to the next participant. In the end, you'll get an especially meaningful memento—and you'll get to celebrate Mother's Day by reading new stories or memories that give you a fuller picture of your mother.

""Taking steps to proactively remember loved ones is essential to healing. Individuals who find appropriate ways to stay connected almost always fare better than those who don't.""

Allison Gilbert

Perform a Random Act of Kindness

Mother's Day is the perfect time to do something lovely for someone else in honor of your mother. Leave home baked cookies for a sick neighbor. Add coins to someone's parking meter. Or pay it forward at the coffee shop.

"The Kindness Project," sponsored by the MISS Foundation, a national organization supporting families who have lost children, invites people to do good for a stranger in the memory of a loved one. On their website, you can download preprinted cards stating, "This random act of kindness...done in loving memory of _____________" to leave behind for the recipient.

Preserve Mom's Words

Write down all of Mom's favorite sayings—from the wise pearls of wisdom ("Courtesy and compassion cost nothing") to the ridiculous exclamations ("Fiddlesticks!")—in a journal. Invite siblings and other close relatives to add their favorite Mom-isms. Reading back over your mother's words later can be a great source of comfort when you need guidance or a familiar voice.

Create a Gallery of Mom's Beautiful Life

When you frame and matte official documents, like Mom's birth certificate, diploma, passport, and marriage certificate, it begins to tell a story. Add photos of milestone moments for a grander effect. Group documents and photos together on a wall in matching frames for a beautifully illustrated history of Mom's life.

Embrace Mom's Favorites

Think about some of your mom's favorite activities—gardening, dancing, antique shopping—and spend Mother's Day doing just that. Honor your mom's memory by doing an activity you used to do together or that Mom enjoyed. If you have children, involve them in the activity to keep the traditions going.

Write Mom a Note

Sometimes, a heartfelt note, card, or letter can help you process your grief. Make a Mother's Day card or write your mom a special letter or thank you note expressing some of your favorite memories. Consider leaving your message on Mom's grave or keep it as a keepsake for future years.

Donate to a Special Cause

Mother's Day is a great time to honor your mother's memory by making a donation in their name. If your mom supported a specific charity or was passionate about a certain cause, consider donating time or money to the organization. It's a small but powerful way to keep Mom's memory alive.

Cook Mom's Favorite Meal

A wonderful way to remember your mom and share good memories is to cook Mom's favorite meal. If not a favorite meal, it could also be a special dish your mom made. Share the meal with your children, close family, friends, or neighbors. Invite others to make a dish they remember from Mom and have a potluck-style gathering.

Fill the House With Mom's Mementos

You can honor your mother on Mother's Day by exhibiting a few beloved keepsakes. Perhaps there was a memorable piece of jewelry Mom wore—display it along with a photo of your mom. Place Mom's favorite flowers in a vase next to the frame. Anything special to your mom can be arranged to create a beautiful homage.

Gather With Family

If you have siblings, another parent, or other family that was close with your mother, plan to spend the day together. Talk about Mom and share memories—especially funny stories. You'll honor Mom's memory and find support in each other.

Related: 30 Mother's Day Brunch Recipes That Celebrate Spring

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