Mother’s Day is a great time to share meaningful gifts from generations of mothers who came before us with those raising families today. Vintage accessories like purses, scarves, jewelry, and hats are fun to share along with those other special family heirlooms. When considering what to pass on, keep your recipient in mind. What are their particular interests? Can you find items relating to their favorite holidays, books, subjects, teams, or places to visit? Do you have something that features their favorite animal or color?
Want to pass along china, silver, or glassware, but fear that an entire set of 10, 12, or 16 would be too many for one modern mom to use and store? Don’t worry about breaking up a complete set into multiple smaller sets of 2,4, or 6. Just include the pattern information and approximate date in case someday they might like to acquire more. Additional pieces are often readily available for purchase on the internet, and a couple of pieces they’ll love will be a much better gift than dozens of pieces they’ll donate.
Remember, an heirloom gift should be as much about the person receiving it as it is about the individual who first made or owned it. When passing down a vintage treasure, be sure to include a card sharing the gift’s history with the recipient. Who made/owned it? When? Where? Why was it made or purchased? Be as specific as you can, since words like “grandma” and “family home” will mean different things down through the generations. Need an acid-free heirloom box for aging textiles, documents, or photographs? Check out Gaylord Archival for all of the boxes, tissue, and photo sleeves you might need for proper preservation.
Pro Tip: Thoughtfully select a few items, but keep it to just one box, so it’s sure to be joyfully received as a gift, not a burden.
