Celebrating the mother figure as a tribute to motherhood and social influence on children, husbands, grandparents and grandchildren. This is the essence of Mother’s Day, an anniversary spread worldwide at different times and in different ways, united by gratitude towards the symbol that has the power to generate life. We have to reach the present day to trace the origin of the festivity. A debated event, at least as far as the date is concerned, because it falls on different days comparing different countries.
At our latitude, Mother’s Day is a movable feast, as the day changes every year, although there is one rule for setting the date: it is always celebrated on a Sunday, without exception. Looking at the calendar, almost 60% of countries celebrate Mother’s Day in the second week of May, while a quarter have chosen March.
With the advent of consumer technology, Mother’s Day has also become an opportunity to gift a useful and exciting hi-tech device for mum, her leisure time and the home. Here are some ideas for finding the right gift for every kind of mother.
Health on the wrist
Taking care of one’s body is a priority for every person, mothers included, so keeping an eye on one’s health is a good and necessary starting point. The tech market offers many alternatives among smartwatches and other wearables, and among these emerges the Galaxy Watch 5 (online, you can find it for €199), Samsung’s smartwatch that recently added to its already extensive list of functionalities the possibility of monitoring the menstrual cycle in relation to body temperature. Having said that, the technological ones are not professional medical instruments; it is still a valuable ally that, in the event of abnormalities, can set off alarms to play in advance by turning to specialists to deal with any problems.
For mothers with iPhones, however, the right remedy is the Apple Watch Series 8 (from €509), which in terms of health, offers an electrocardiogram and blood oxygen measurement, as well as basal temperature analysis to provide greater clarity on a woman’s most fertile period. A set of features worth the price of the watch.
Moments to remember
Whether with the family with the kids, at the office with colleagues or on holiday with friends, capturing the day’s highlights is fun for all mums. Aside from the higher-end cameras that require a hefty outlay, the latest Instax Mini 12 (€89,99) is a nice thought for combining surprise effect and good value. As the instant camera is a way to take a dip into the past, it is easy to use and allows photos to be touched with film (to be purchased separately).
The alternative to the analogue camera is a mini printer such as the Kodak Mini 3 Retro (€131.90 with 68 sheets included), which uses a lamination process to print waterproof photographs that can withstand the passage of time for many years. An important detail is that the pocket printer lets you choose the format with or without a frame. At the same time, with the Kodak Photo Printer app, you can add augmented reality functions, decorative effects, borders and filters in different colours and shapes.
Relax by reading
Reading, in many cases, is synonymous with pleasure and relaxation, so for mothers who love to lose themselves in the words of writers by imagining new worlds, the e-reader is a welcome gift. Here is the usual dichotomy between the multiple Kindle versions and Kobo models.
In the first case, the latest arrival is the most ambitious and expensive of the lot because Kindle Scribe (€369.99) goes beyond reading and becomes a diary that simplifies and speeds up the digitisation of documents. With the latest update, Amazon has added a fountain pen, highlighter pen and pen for taking notes on the 10.2-inch display of the e-ink tablet, which has a battery life of 8-12 weeks.
The Kobo Elipsa 2E (€399.99) is Rakuten’s answer aimed at the same conquering ground, as the 10.3-inch touchscreen, which reduces blue light to alleviate eye fatigue, allows you to read in excellent condition but also to add notes directly onto eBooks via the Stylus 2 included in the price.
Self-care and home care
Can a hair dryer make a woman happy? The answer is yes, and confirmation comes from the reviews of the Dyson Supersonic (€479), the hair dryer that measures the air temperature more than 40 times per second, regulating the heat and thus preventing damage to the scalp from extreme heat. Equipped with a 1600 W motor integrated into the handle and three-speed levels, it does not overheat during use and keeps the hair’s surface even. In addition to the case, the highlight is the accessories contained in the kit, with a comb and diffuser being some of the additions that allow you to create the desired styling every time.
Tidying up the house is tiring but necessary. An aid that every mum will welcome is the Rowenta X-Force 14.60 (€449.99), a cordless electric broom with a maximum suction power of 200 AirWatts, a brush with Flex technology to reach into corners and under furniture, a removable 0.9-litre tank to collect dirt and a range of 70 minutes. To avoid nasty surprises during cleaning, the display provides real-time information on the time left, which depends on the choice of the five available speeds, while the mini-turbo brush is ideal for removing pet hair.
