Mother’s Day is one of my favorite holidays of the year.  It gives me the opportunity to celebrate the most amazing woman in my life whom I have the pleasure of calling mom.

It looks as though I’m not alone in my admiration for mom. Approximately 84% of U.S. adults are expected to celebrate in honor of their mothers and other women in their lives.

“Mother’s day is now the third largest retail holiday in the U.S. following Christmas and the back-to-school season.  Mother’s Day spending has been growing consistently over the past several years, and this year’s spending is expected to be the highest in the 16-year history of our survey.  Consumers are excited to celebrate all the moms in their lives, and retailers are ready to inspire consumers with unique gift options” says National Retail Federation President & CEO Mathew Shay.

The NRF survey numbers speak for themselves:

• $25 billion – the total amount of money that will be spent on Mother’s day, up from $23.1 billion last year.
• $1.9 billion – the total amount spent on flowers
• $671 million – the total amount of money spent on Mother’s Day cards
• 55% of shoppers will plan to spend on a special outing with mom totaling $4.6 billion
• $5.2 billion will be spent on jewelry

According to the NRF survey, many of those celebrating believe that finding something unique is the most important factor when picking out a Mother’s Day gift, followed by a gift that creates a special memory.

More than 8 in 10 (81%) indicate that they will look to retailers for gifting inspiration.

To all the amazing moms who make our world a better place – Happy Mother’s Day!  And to all of you Mother’s Day shoppers, good luck in finding that special gift that makes mom smile.