One of our most important holidays is just days away! As it approaches, we began to question how this momentous day got started. We discovered that Mother’s Day is a holiday honoring motherhood that is observed in a variety of forms throughout the world. With early tributes dating back to the annual spring festival the Greeks dedicated to Rhea, the mother of many deities, Mother’s Day has an interesting history in the United States.
In the U. S., Mother's Day started in 1908, when Anna Jarvis, an Appalachian homemaker, organized a day to raise awareness of poor health conditions in her community, a cause she believed would be best advocated by mothers, thus the concept was born and called "Mother's Work Day." Following the success of her first Mother’s Day, Jarvis—who remained unmarried and childless her whole life—lobbied with prominent businessmen and politicians to campaign to add her holiday to the national calendar arguing that American holidays were biased toward male achievements. Her persistence paid off and by 1912 many states, towns and churches had adopted Mother’s Day as an annual holiday, and Jarvis had established the Mother’s Day International Association to help promote her cause. In 1914 President Woodrow Wilson signed a measure officially establishing the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day
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Heather Moore Personalized Charm
It is interesting that it was Jarvis who would later denounce the holiday’s commercialization and spend the latter part of her life trying to remove it from the calendar. While she had initially worked with the floral industry to help raise Mother’s Day’s profile, by 1920 she had become disgusted with how the holiday had been commercialized and outwardly denounced the transformation, urging people to stop buying Mother’s Day flowers, cards and candies. Jarvis eventually resorted to an open campaign against those that profited financially from Mother’s Day, speaking out against confectioners, florists and even charities. Countless lawsuits were launched by Jarvis against groups that had used the name “Mother’s Day,” eventually spending most of her personal wealth in legal fees. It is sad to say that by the time of her death in 1948 Jarvis had disowned the holiday altogether, and even actively lobbied the government to see it removed from the American calendar.
Shinola Watch - 36mm Gomelsky
Fortunately Mother’s Day withstood the attack and has continued as such a special holiday to commemorate and recognize all moms. Although jewelry is always nice, it is often the simple gestures and thoughtfulness that make the day so memorable. McCaskill & Company has a wide variety of gifts that would delight any mother from personalized charms from Heather Moore, fashion watches by Shinola, interchangeable earrings by Jude Frances and other designer jewerly.
Mother's Day Gift Ideas
Happy Mother’s Day to all of you incredible moms!!!
