I've got no real problem with the spirit of the day. I love my mother as much as you love yours, and it's nice that we set aside a day just for our moms.

But when exactly did Mom's Day become Christmas in May? If you don't believe me, just check out the ads, because they're everywhere. Ads on television and radio, in the newspapers, even on the Internet—advertisers encouraging us to get out there and spend our money on their products so that Mom will know that "you were thinking about her on that special day."

Now, is that a guilt trip, or what?!

Of course, they know exactly what they're doing. In fact, they must have moms like yours and mine working on those advertising campaigns—because the slogans seem to hit us right where it hurts the most ... first in the conscience, then in the checkbook!

Like the one that says, "Show Mom how much you appreciate her with a gift of Waterford crystal as lovely as she is"—yeah, to the tune of $200! (If I didn't know better, I'd swear that my mom wrote that one!)

It seems like the spirit of the day is getting buried in an advertising avalanche that plays on our emotions—ads that translate to, "Make up for those 364 days of neglect with an expensive gift for Mom on May 8!"

Now, my mother, saint that she may be, loads me up with enough guilt the rest of the year, so why should it be any different on the second Sunday of May?

"Oh, we don't have to go out to dinner just because it's my birthday," she'll say. "I've had plenty of birthdays ... and besides, I think I still have half of a TV dinner right here in the freezer that I can warm up."

Oh, please!

But it's that sort of guilt that makes us all so vulnerable to the Mother's Day advertising blitz. And the reminders are everywhere.

Turn on the radio and the See's Candies guy says something like, "We'd like you to take a moment to think about ... [dramatic pause] Mother's Day." The guy goes on to give us a bunch of sappy reasons why we should give Mom a big box of chocolates as sweet as she is, because, after all, candy is the most traditional Mother's Day gift of all. To hammer his point home, he wraps it up by saying, "See's old-time candies ... now accepting credit cards!"

And what's more traditional than credit?

Then the guy at the Shane Co. comes on and says that diamonds are the best way to show your appreciation for all Mom's done.

So I'm supposed to buy diamonds for Mother's Day? Yeah, I can hear my wife now: "You bought your mother WHAT?!"

Mother's Day has to be more than just an another excuse for merchants to sell their wares. I wanted to find out how it all started, so I decided to do a little research.

I went straight to the Internet. (And what was there to greet me when I logged on? "Godiva Chocolates for your Mom. The sweetest Mother's Day gift. Click here.")

But I sifted my way through the ads to find it—"The Story of Mother's Day." It went something like this:

"The earliest Mother's Day can be traced back to ancient Greece in honor of Rhea, the Mother of the Gods."

Boy, I sure hope the gods had a friend in the diamond business!

"During the 1600s, England celebrated a day called 'Mothering Sunday.' During this time, many of the England's poor worked as servants for the wealthy. As most jobs were located far from their homes, the servants would live at the houses of their employers. On Mothering Sunday, the servants would have the day off and were encouraged to return home and spend the day with their mothers. A special cake, called the mothering cake, was often brought along to provide a festive touch."

A day off ... with cake? Now we're talkin'!

"In the United States, Mother's Day was first suggested in 1872 by Julia Ward Howe (who wrote the "Battle Hymn of the Republic") as a day dedicated to peace."

Well, glory, glory, hallelujah to her!

"In 1907, Ana Jarvis began a campaign to establish a national Mother's Day. She persuaded her mother's church to celebrate Mother's Day on the anniversary of her mother's death, the second Sunday of May."

And the Hallmark company has been forever grateful!

"Jarvis and her supporters began to write to ministers, businessmen and politicians in their quest to establish a national Mother's Day. It was successful, as by 1911 Mother's Day was celebrated in almost every state. President Woodrow Wilson, in 1914, made the official announcement proclaiming Mother's Day as a national holiday that was to be held each year on the second Sunday of May."

But nowhere in Wilson's proclamation was there a mention of jewelry, chocolates or Waterford crystal!

As I left the Internet site, content with the knowledge that there was more to Mother's Day than just gift giving, a final message flashed on my screen: "Bouquets shipped by FedEx in time for Mother's Day ... just $29.95, plus shipping and handling."

OK! I know when I'm licked! Click.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom.

Want to talk? Give me a call at 408.354.3110, or write to dsparrer@svcn.com.