The short answer: a mom who has everything usually means it. She doesn't want more things. What she rarely gets is time with you, the things she loves made new, and her own story told back to her. Below are ideas grouped by the kind of mom she is. One is ours: we make personalized comic books, so it is marked. The rest we don't sell.
If she says "I don't need anything"
Take her at her word, and give her something that takes nothing away from her space.
- Take a job off her list. The gutters, the car's service, the closet she has meant to clear for a year, done or booked and paid for.
- Restore something she loves. Her mother's ring resized, the sewing machine serviced, the old family photo cleaned up and reprinted.
- Replace the thing she makes do with. The pan that sticks, the robe worn thin, the reading lamp that flickers. Buy the good version.
If family is her favorite thing
- A recipe book from her own kitchen. Collect the dishes everyone asks for, add a note from each person about what that dish means to them, and print it.
- Letters from everyone, one page each, in one folder. Ask the grandchildren to draw if they can't write yet.
- The old albums, saved. Scan the family photos, label them with her help over an afternoon, and give everyone a copy.
- A video from the people she loves, each saying one thing she taught them.
If what she wants is time with you
- A day together, planned by you: a class you take side by side, a show, a long lunch somewhere she has wanted to try.
- A trip back to where she grew up, with time to walk the old streets.
- A standing date. A monthly lunch or call, booked for the year, so the gift keeps arriving.
If she never treats herself
- The premium version of her everyday thing, the coffee, the garden tools, the slippers, the one she would never spend on herself.
- A day off, fully arranged: a spa visit, a meal she doesn't cook, the house tidy when she gets back.
Her story, as a comic (ours)
We make a 26-page comic book about her, written from what the family tells us: where she grew up, the job she did, the sayings everyone repeats, the kitchen at holidays. Her face, drawn from your photos, is on the cover and through the story, and up to three more of the family can join her in it (pets count too), from a photo of each. A person checks every page before it is sent.
- The PDF: $49 USD, typically the same day.
- The printed comic: $89 USD, with the PDF first, shipped to the US, the UK and Canada (except Quebec), shipping included.
One photo is enough for a free preview of her as a comic hero before you pay. Start with a free preview
For Christmas
- Order now and it's expected well before Christmas: your PDF typically arrives the same day, there's time for your free revision, and the printed book arrives in about 3 weeks after you approve. Last day to order for expected delivery before December 25: 4 December (US, UK and Canada).
- After that, choose the PDF. It arrives typically the same day, ready to print at home or give on a screen.
- For print, approve the PDF or ask for changes within 3 days of delivery. For orders placed December 1 to 4, the window is 24 hours. If we do not hear from you, we print it as delivered.
- A letter, a booked day together or a standing date can be decided on Christmas Eve: print the plan and put it in a card.
Quick picks
| If you have | Try |
|---|---|
| A day | A job taken off her list, letters from everyone, a comic about her (the PDF arrives typically the same day) |
| A week or two | A restoration, the premium everyday thing, a booked day together |
| A month or more | A family recipe book, the albums scanned and labeled, a trip to where she grew up |
Questions people ask
What do you get a mom who has everything and wants nothing? Not more things. Give time (a day together, a standing date), something she loves made new, or a keepsake made by the family, like letters or a recipe book from her kitchen.
What is a sentimental gift for mom from a daughter or son? One that shows you remember: a letter about a moment from your childhood, her recipes collected in a book, a trip to where she grew up, or her story told back to her as a book.
Can several of us give one gift together? Yes. A family recipe book, a video, letters, or a comic about her all work as a joint gift. For a comic, one person orders, with the details and photos gathered from everyone.
More ideas: our gift page for mom, our Christmas gift page, and a personalized comic book for Christmas.
