Thursday, March 5, 2015

A Transatlantic Holiday PSA

Being in an interfaith transatlantic marriage means that Jon and I and our families get to celebrate twice as many holidays.  We do Hanukkah and Christmas, Thanksgiving and Guy Fawkes Day - the list goes on.  It's a lot of fun, and I love introducing Jon's family to my family's traditions (and vise versa, I think)!  But one of the hardest holidays to celebrate from the wrong side of the pond doesn't commemorating any national or religious occasion; it's personal.  It's Mother's Day.

This year, Mother's Day in the UK is March 15 - in the US, it's May 10.  Mother's Day sneaks up on you when you're in a different country than your mom.  You don't have all the Hallmark advertising around to remind you which Sunday it is, and it's almost impossible to find an appropriate card for such a specific holiday out of season.  And, if you forget to send a card on time, it's a lot more complicated to call because of the time difference and dropping by with flowers or bagels for a surprise visit isn't an option.

Jon, of course, planned ahead when he moved to America* and packed a Mother's Day card that he'll send to his mum back in Suffolk tomorrow  And now, thanks to the internet, you can find relevant cards from the US to post to the UK in time.  So consider this your heads up in case you forgot, British expats in the United States - it's time to get your Mother's Day card in the mail!

NaughtyLittleCards on Etsy
*That's one way to explain the British Mothering Sunday card in Jon's desk drawer.  Is it also a possibility that Jon just threw the contents of his desk in London into his suitcase when he moved over and this card is, in fact, a card that should have been sent in 2014.  But let's give him the benefit of the doubt, shall we?

5 comments:

  1. Haha, this is great. Holiday's can either be the greatest thing in the world, or the worst (if you forget about them and let them sneak up on you!). I absolutely love the card.

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  2. Swedish ones are different too but the one that always gets me is the different Daylight Savings Time days!

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  3. I can't imagine how difficult it would be to keep track of this! I love that card. So cutesy!

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