By Leonardo Blair, Senior Reporter Sunday, May 04, 2025

Come May 11, as the nation celebrates Mother’s Day, most pastors say it will be one of their biggest church attendance days of the year, while retailers expect spending to honor mothers will jump from $33.5 billion last year to $34.1 billion this year.

A study of U.S. Protestant pastors by Lifeway Research shows that since 2011, the three highest-attendance Sundays for pastors have been Easter, Christmas and Mother’s Day. In 2024, 90% of pastors listed Easter as the day their church has its highest, second-highest or third-highest attendance for worship service. Eighty-one percent said the same for Christmas, while 51% said the same for Mother’s Day.

While many people will be thanking God for their mothers at church on Mother’s Day, they will also be opening up their wallets, according to data released by the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics in their annual survey on Mother’s Day spending. The survey involved 7,948 U.S. adult consumers and was conducted March 31-April 7.

“Mother's Day is an important holiday for many consumers, only surpassed by the winter holidays in terms of average spending,” NRF Vice President of Industry and Consumer Insights Katherine Cullen said in a release Monday. “Even in the face of economic uncertainty, consumers continue to celebrate the special women in their lives with gifts and outings.”

Consumers who will celebrate the day, some 84% of U.S. adults, are expected to spend an average of $259.04 on Mother’s Day gifts and celebrations.

The most popular item consumers are expected to spend on is flowers, which are favored by 74% of consumers. Also popular at a close second are greeting cards, 73%, and outings like dinner or brunch.

While consumers are expected to spend about $3.2 billion on flowers, $1.1 billion on greeting cards, and $6.3 billion on special outings, analysts expect the highest expenditure will be on jewelry at $6.8 billion. A significant $3.5 billion will also be spent on gift cards.

As people look for ways to celebrate the special mothers in their lives, researchers said nearly half (48%) of consumers stated that they hoped to find a gift that’s different.

“Alongside traditional gifts like flowers or a card, gifts of experience are a way to create a special memory with mom,” Prosper Executive Vice President of Strategy Phil Rist said. “Whether it’s tickets to a concert or movie, a wine tasting or simply a scenic hike and picnic, there are options to fit any budget.”

Most consumers, 36, said they will be shopping online for their Mother’s Day gift this year. Another 32% said they will be gift hunting at department stores, while 29% will be looking at specialty stores. Some 25% said they will be supporting local or small businesses.

News Source : https://www.christianpost.com/news/mothers-day-will-be-boon-for-church-attendance-and-retailers.html