Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Some local moms list their best gifts ever

Mothers Day gifts are as varied as those who give and receive them. And shopping for the perfect gift is probably a difficult task for many who want to show their moms just how important they are. A few area moms shared their idea of a perfect gift, along with memories of what theyd bought and received over the years.

Elsie Vanhook is 97, though her humor makes her appear much younger. Asked for her age, she jokingly replies that shes 16.

Vanhook was born April 20, 1909, in Hempstead County. So what is it that stands out in Vanhooks mind as being an excellent Mothers Day gift?

All of them, she said. Every one.

Vanhook, mother of four boys, said that the sheer joy of being a mother, along with spending time with her children, makes every Mothers Day special in its own way.

Ive had so many things that I just forgot what they are, she said. Ive just been blessed by the Lord.

Audrey Jackson, 94, also exhibits that sense of humor.

My children used to buy me clothes, Jackson said. But now they just send me money.

Asked which shed rather have, Jackson said the answer is very simple.

Just send me the money and Ill get what I want, she said.

Jody Smith said one of her most memorable Mothers Day happened a couple of days before Mothers Day.

I wasnt accustomed to getting flowers and my oldest son sent flowers to my work place, she said. I was so excited, I showed them to everybody.

Smith said that another year her son sent her a dress through the mail. She said the fact that hed gone to the trouble to buy the dress, and that the dress fit, made that a memorable gift.

Annette Johnson, site director for the Hamilton Blakely Senior Center, said her best Mothers Day gift came from her husband in 1966.

He was floating around on the USS Essex, she recalled.

Somehow, Johnsons husband managed to get to a phone and called home. She said that getting the phone call would have been a great gift, but then he fixed the memory in her mind forever.

He said, I meant to order you some flowers, but I forgot.

It seems that the intangibles are often held dear. Phone calls and visits were often listed as the best gifts.

Joyce Gibson, Prescott Nevada County Librarian, said her family is a celebrating family.

We dont wait for birthdays or holidays, she said. She said the family would likely get or give a gift for those occasions, but would also offer up presents at any time.

Her most memorable Mothers Day ever? Gibson said the family was just sitting around, and when we had the blessing I thanked them for letting me be their mother. I thanked my mother for having me and letting me see what true motherhood is. I thanked my son-in-law for letting my daughter be a mother.

We were sitting there and after a few minutes of drying tears, we decided it was time to eat.

Editors Note: This is my own favorite memories of Mothers Day.

Theres no doubt that the perfect gift for Mothers Day will depend entirely on your mother. My mother has been gone more than two years. I look back at our Mothers Days together and the two gifts that she often talked about were both very simple. One was a bouquet of wildflowers, picked on the spur of the moment and delivered with ceremony.

The other was a gift from my brother. A small potted plant with a half dozen screw drivers planted around the edges - the solution to the fact that she could never find a screwdriver around her house.