Mother’s Day Gift Roundup

I did a quick survey of the women in my life. As it turns out, most of them are somebody’s mother, and one of them is even my mother. I asked what gift they would like for Mother’s Day—items that B&H sells, anyway. Two of them mentioned items they didn’t realize B&H sold, like guitar picks and solar panels, and I was delighted to let them know they can indeed be gifted these items and a range of musical instruments and survival gear through B&H.

A couple of their wish list items surprised me, but many were what you might expect, if you had wonderful, interesting women in your life like I do. Here’s a sampling of the replies, in no particular order.

1) “Anything Waterproof” My cousin Colette is an avid fisherwoman and boater and was blunt, so I thought a simple waterproof case for her smartphone would be a good place to start. I also suggested she consider underwater photography with said phone and threw in this Aquatech waterproof housing, because she is my favorite cousin.

2) Blue-Light Glasses This request came from my older sister and, like most of us nowadays, she is spending an inordinate amount of time in front of her computer. Blue-light glasses can reduce strain on your eyes by blocking blue and UV light. I thought this pair by GUNNAR would look good on her.

3) Dash Cam My Aunt Jo travels by car a great deal and had a fender-bender last month. She felt this might help in any future incidents on the road. Fortunately, B&H sells a range of dash cams, including one of the best budget-friendly dash cams on the market: the Transcend DrivePro 250. Despite its modest price, the DrivePro 250 offers several premium features, including 1080p video recording at 60 fps, built-in Wi-Fi and GPS, and a 2.4" color LCD screen.

If you're interested in seeing more dash cam recommendations, check out our guide on the best dash cams to keep you safe on the road.

4) “Save My Memories!” This plea came from Grandma, and let's please not forget grandmothers this Mother’s Day. I don’t know if I can help her the way she would like, but I will be sure that the photos of her life will be preserved and passed on to the next generation. I’m going to get her acid-free archival boxes like this one by Lineco and get the grandkids to help organize a lifetime of images with her.

5) “Mark My Words!” Of course, this request came from my own mother and, of course, I rarely marked her words while growing up, but realize now that she offered a lot of good advice. I think a portable audio recorder is something she could use to be sure her good words are not forgotten. And because she is also considering a second career as a podcaster/oral historian, I am going get her this 4-channel model from Tascam to help with that endeavor.

6) “iPad (and a Good One!)” My baby sister has a baby of her own but can still play the brat card when she wants, and she pulled no punches when answering my question. At first, I scoffed, but then figured anyone doing as great a job as she is raising a child deserves what she asks for, so I went all out for a new iPad Pro with plenty of storage.

7) Bluetooth Speakers Aunt Jean was at Woodstock (and she never lets anyone forget it), but I admire that she keeps the spirit alive and part of that is cranking the jams. She’ll play Santana, Richie Havens, and the Grateful Dead all day and she loves gardening, so we're all pitching in to get her a set of Bowers & Wilkins AM-1 Outdoor Speakers, which deliver a crisp, well-defined sound, great balance, and a weatherproof design that is perfect for year-round outdoor use.

8) Harmonica Microphone My cousin Shelly (Jean’s daughter), who had asked about the guitar picks, is a country music connoisseur and part-time musician. I thought the guitar picks were great but needed a little something else. She already has a nice set of harmonicas, so I thought this cool Green Bullet harmonica microphone from Shure would be a fun gift for her.

9) Trail/Wildlife Camera My good friend Nichole is not a hunter but does like keeping an eye on the wildlife on and around her property. Deer are everywhere, but she has told me that since the quarantine began she is seeing more foxes—and even thought a bear spooked her dogs on an evening walk. What could be better for her than a trail camera? B&H sells a wide variety. I went with a popular model from Browning that creates 20MP photos and 900p video with an 80' motion detection range.

10) Bicycle Light Last, but certainly not least, the mother of all mothers, my wife, asked for a simple gift: a light for her bicycle. I certainly support that idea because I hope it means more bike rides for the both of us. I kept it simple, with an affordable LED rechargeable model from Fenix that she can operate and adjust with just one button.

Knowing her sense of humor (or mine), I also added a fun gift from which I hope she (or I) get a lot of use—a pair of Ausounds AU-Lens Audio Sunglasses. Yes, good-looking sunglasses with Bluetooth speakers built into their slim frame offer the gift of portable music without sticking anything in or over your ears.

Let us know in the Comments section, below, what your gift ideas are for this year’s Mother’s Day. Need help deciding? Call us, at 800.606.6969 / 212.444.6615 or contact B&H’s online chat associates.