By Sree Sreenivasan
DNAinfo Contributing Editor
Are you still in the market for a Mother’s Day gift? Don't despair. Here are some last-minute gift ideas that will make her happy and make you look good. I’ve also thrown in some ideas for graduation gifts. After all, 'tis the season.
Many of these rely on the fact that you can easily send an emailable gift certificate that can be renewed online. A word of caution: people are rightly skeptical of money coming in via email, so be sure to follow up via phone or email to make sure the recipient didn’t trash the certificate. Better still, send the certificate to yourself and then forward it directly with a new subject line ("A Mother's Day gift for you" will work fine).
Have a mom or grandma who isn't on email? If you are seeing her on Sunday, just bring the printed certificate and your laptop with you and shop together. If you aren’t seeing her, email the certificate to someone who is.
1. Amazon Gift Cards: Amazon, which pioneered emailable gift certificates, continues to be a great option. They have a separate Mother’s Day section and even a way to send certificates via Facebook. Lots of gift ideas for graduates, too, including teenagers.
2. iTunes Gift Certificates: These are different from the iTunes Gift Cards, which are physical cards. Here’s the description: An iTunes gift certificate from the iTunes Store is just the thing for last-minute gifts. Choose from a wide range of denominations. Email your gift certificate immediately, or print the gift certificate on your own printer and deliver it to the lucky recipient in person.
3. GiftCertificates.com: This site, which has been around for years, lets you choose from hundreds of merchants — Macy's to Bloomingdale's to Borders — or a "SuperCertificate," which lets her choose later. There’s also a separate section of grad gift ideas.
And, of course, if your mom is here in Manhattan, be sure to check out DNAinfo's Mother's Day Spa Deals.
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Every week, DNAinfo contributing editor Sree Sreenivasan, a Columbia journalism professor, shares his observations about the changing media landscape.
