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How people are celebrating this socially distant Mother’s Day

There will be less less close contact and brunches, more electronics, books and creativity.

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Flower shopping with a face mask.
Flower shopping with a face mask.
Daniel Leal-Olivas/AFP via Getty Images

It’s going to be a different sort of Mother’s Day this Sunday. With many businesses still closed and people keeping at least 6 feet apart, the usual brunches and shopping trips aren’t happening. So how are people celebrating Mother’s Day?

You can bet there will be a lot of takeout and video chats.

“A mask for my mom, from a friend of mine who makes them using beautiful vintage fabrics,” said Tina Duryea in Norwalk, Connecticut. She will also be bringing some potted flowers to her mom, who lives nearby, and leaving them on the porch from a safe distance.

The pandemic has shifted how consumers are spending for the holiday, according to Katherine Cullen, senior director of industry and consumer insights for National Retail Federation.

“Consumers might want to give their mom a device to help her stream entertainment and video chat,” Cullen said.

Books, gardening items and housewares are also popular this year. But spending on experiences, like spa treatments or meals out, has dropped off. Still, Mary Starr Hope in Marin, California, will be giving her mom the experience of song. She’s going to sing her the Merle Haggard tune “Mama Tried.”

This year,  a lot of folks are trying to be a little more creative.

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