Moms are all different and unique. Therefore, Mother’s Day should be celebrated in just as many different ways.  There are the double mom families and the single mom families. There are the grandma families and the “missing mom” families.  Finding the right gift or outing doesn’t have to be difficult.  Flowers are appreciated by some and not others.  Brunch is a must for some families and a nightmare for others. The key is to know what is going to be best not just in theory but in practice.  If that means you, the mom, plan it all out and tell the rest of the family the plan then just do that.  I think the easy trap we fall into with holidays is the comparison trap.  Maybe your neighbours went out to a glamorous brunch and you stayed home in your pjs and watched cartoons with the kids.  The truth is hanging out on the couch was probably a lot more relaxing.  So stop looking at everyone else’s grass and enjoy the dandelion bouquet your children picked from your own lawn.

Here is a Mother’s Day spread the Go Local Boston crew pulled together. It can be enjoyed with friends or as a perfect little family unit. Brunch at home can be a great way to enjoy the day, but on the other hand if everyone is expecting pancakes and waffles that can be a lot of work.  An easy cocktail hour at home with friends might be more relaxing.  Here is how to pull together a “no work” cocktail hour:

• Pick up a cheese plate from somewhere like Formaggio Kitchen or Brothers Marketplace, whatever is close to home.
•  Chill some bottles of rosé and Champagne.
• Pick out some flowers at the store or snip some buds from your garden.
• Buy some bread, olives, grapes, clementines, and an assortment of pickled vegetables from the store to lay out.
• Buy some crackers, tea cakes or other biscuits.  There are so many delicious options all locally made that you can pick up at Brothers Marketplace, Wilson Farms, Pemberton Farms, Olives & Grace, Formaggio Kitchen and other little local shops.
• Make or buy a soup, quiche or something that can be heated or served at room temperature.
• Buy some tarts and or pretty confections to serve for dessert.

Pictured above is a simple spread.  With Effies oat cakes, sour cherry spread, some candied pecans and New England cheeses from Brothers Marketplace.  We also roasted some asparagus and proscuitto for something seasonal and fresh.  I love this recipe from Ina Garten and Wilson Farms has their own asparagus at the farm stand these days.  We filled this adorable elephant planter (Greentail Table) with some chocolate covered oreos and grabbed a few bottles of bubbly from the shelves at Brothers Marketplace.  I love this kind of spread where you just purchase and put it on a platter.

Thank you to Brothers Marketplace, Greentail Table and Sense and Humor for providing some of the props for this photo shoot.