There’s no doubt about it. This Mother’s Day will be unlike any other thanks to COVID-19.

With cities and communities across the country still under stay at home mandates and many schools and offices closed for the foreseeable future, it’s not surprising that Mother’s Day plans would also be impacted. You will still be able to tell your Mom how much you love and appreciate her, but it might just have to come via a video call.

History of Mother’s Day

According to the History Channel (https://www.history.com/), Mother’s Day is a holiday honoring motherhood that is observed in different forms throughout the world. In the US, it was created by Anna Jarvis in 1908 and became an official U.S. holiday in 1914. Interesting enough, Miss Jarvis never married and was childless her whole life.

Celebrations of mothers and motherhood can be traced back to the ancient Greeks and Romans, who held festivals in honor of the mother goddesses Rhea and Cybele, but the clearest modern precedent for Mother’s Day is the early Christian festival known as “Mothering Sunday.” Over time the Mothering Sunday tradition shifted into a more secular holiday before merging with the American Mother’s Day in the 1930s and 1940s.

While dates and celebrations vary, Mother’s Day traditionally involves presenting moms with flowers, cards and other gifts.

Celebrating Mother’s Day – Tampa Bay Style

Cook a meal together

Many area restaurants sell “meal kits” complete with raw ingredients that you transform into a meal at home. So, why not buy a kit for yourself and for your Mom to cook and eat together on video chat? If the two of you live together, buy one kit and cook up the meal together. Here are a few places offering meal kits.

Il Ritorno at 449 Central Avenue, St. Petersburg: Offers $30 pasta meal kits featuring all the items you need, including fresh spaghetti and a recipe card. Order through Uber Eats or by phone. (727) 897-5900.

Tampa’s Rooster & the Till, 6500 N Florida Avenue: Has launched a weekly Sunday Supper Club, which invites you to pick up a creative dinner package for four ($90) or two ($45) people every Sunday. Order online or by phone Monday through Wednesday. (813) 374-8940. roosterandthetill.com.

If breakfast is more to your liking on Mother’s Day, Tampa’s Datz at 2616 S MacDill Avenue fills $50 breakfast meal kits with ingredients like a pound of butter, a dozen eggs, six buttermilk biscuits, nine sausage links and a gallon of milk. Order online or by phone. (813) 831-7000. datztampa.com.

Our Community Matters – Shop Local

Because of the devastating affects COVID-19 has had on the business community, they need our support more than ever. So before you shop online at big box stores, check out the Keep St. Pete Local website to see what you can buy right here!

Nine good reasons to shop local.

• Keep Money in St. Petersburg. Significantly more money re-circulates locally when purchases are made with locally-owned, independent businesses. This “multiplier” is due in part to locally-owned businesses purchasing more often from other local businesses and service providers; which helps grow other businesses, as well as strengthen St. Petersburg’s economy.
• Keep St. Pete Awesome. Our one-of-a-kind businesses are an integral part of St. Petersburg’s unique character.
  Create More Jobs. Small local businesses are collectively the largest employer nationally and, therefore, provide the most jobs to residents in communities.
• Keep St. Pete Green. Buying local means less packaging, less transportation and a smaller carbon footprint.
• Invest in Our Community. Locally-owned, independent businesses are the first to donate to causes that are close to our hearts and they do so at more than twice the rate of national chains. Local businesses are owned by people who live in this community, raise families here and make St. Petersburg a place where our children can stay to build their dreams. They’re invested in our community’s future.
• Create More Choice. More independently-operated businesses mean more choice and diversity. Local business owners select products based on the needs of their local customers. You’ll usually get better service too, because they have a greater understanding of the products they are selling and take more time to get to know their customers.
• Encourage St. Petersburg’s Prosperity. Community-serving businesses are a training ground for future generations of entrepreneurs. Also, entrepreneurs and skilled workers are more likely to invest and settle in communities that preserve their one-of-a-kind businesses and unique character.
• Make St. Petersburg a Destination. The more interesting and unique we are as a community, the more we attract tourists, shoppers, and others who want to visit St. Petersburg. “When people go on vacation they generally seek out destinations that offer them the sense of being someplace, not just anyplace.” (Richard Moe, President, National Historic Preservation Trust)
• They are our family, friends and neighbors!

(Sources for Reasons: AMIBA and Oakland Grown)

Related Links:
7 Famous Mothers in History
Famous Mothers in History: Ancient Through Modern

St. Petersburg Communities

If you’re interested in any of these of communities or live in one of them and are thinking of selling, call Estelia today!

Allendale Terrace
Bahama Shores
Bayway Isles
Coquina Key
Crescent Heights
Crescent Lake
Downtown
Greater Pinellas Point
Historic Kenwood
Historic Old Northeast
Historic Roser Park
Historic Uptown
Isla del Sol
Old Southeast
Placida Bayou
Snell Isle