Mother’s Day 2023: Three local gift ideas for the matriarch in your life

Our editors share their top picks for Mother's Day gifts.

Our editors share their top picks for Mother’s Day gifts

Any excuse we have to promote the buying of local goods is something we will always take. And hey, if it aligns with a chance to give your mom the thoughtfulness she deserves, then we’re double in. Check out a few local gifts that will have your mother impressed.

An Arts Club play

I always like to go for experiences as gifts, because then you ALSO get to take part in the gift. Jokes aside, plays are classy—but not stuffy, like the opera—and, most importantly, they feel like an actual outing, one that you can pair with dinner nicely. The tough part is choosing which of the many excellent offerings from the Arts Club to treat your mom to. You really can’t go wrong and while I’d love to share my pick with you, there’s also a non-zero chance my mom is reading this and I’d like to keep at least some semblance of a surprise to the endeavour.—Nathan Caddell, editor in chief

Cream Puffs from Beta 5

It’s hard to go wrong with an edible gift (not that sort of edible gift—my mom is cool, but not that cool). And the cream puffs from Vancouver-based Beta 5 ($36 for 6) are non-traditional in the best way. The flavour pictured above is blackberry mojito, for example, and they also have flavours like strawberry rhubarb and mango milk tea. Plus, they’re beautiful: she’ll love posting them on Instagram for her 36 followers. —Alyssa Hirose, contributing editor

A Delicious Twist on the Bouquet

Every year I get my mother flowers for Mother’s Day. She genuinely loves them and is not the type to buy them for herself (so not Parisian), but it might be time to change it up this year. This Strawberry Vanilla Cake ($45 6″, $70 8″) from Mon Paris Patisserie is a sweet nod to a classic gift with all the sentiment of a floral bouquet and none of the ennui of slowly watching them die—plus I’ll probably get a slice because my mom is the best.—Kerri Donaldson, contributing editor