I’ve written a lot in the past about holidays and how I dislike the commercialization many of them have suffered lately.

Generally speaking, I’m not a huge fan of all the trappings and trinkets associated with holidays like Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Halloween and Easter (with the sole exception of Cadbury Crème eggs, because those things are ridiculously tasty).

I feel like so many holidays have become bogged down with stuff, so much so that we’ve lost what they really mean.

To some extent, I feel the same way about Mother’s Day. In a lot of ways, Mother’s Day for a lot of families, judging by the ads that interrupt my Law and Order SVU marathons, is about “show Mom how much you love her by giving her a better gift than last year.”

Now maybe I’m biased, because Mother’s Day was never a big deal in my house growing up. Or maybe I’m biased because my mom is the most amazing woman I’ve ever met. Or maybe I’m biased because she and I are practically identical in both looks and personality. Whatever the case may be, the thought that I need to show my love for my mother by buying her lots of presents seems insufficient at best.

Because love can’t, or at the very least, shouldn’t be shown through material goods. How can a necklace say “thank you for giving birth to me and putting up with everything I’ve pulled over the last two decades?” How can a gift certificate to a spa say “thank you for helping me through a really rough time?”

And how does a new food processor tell the woman that brought you into this world that she means more to you than anyone else?

Yes, gifts are great to receive and are especially nice when they make the incredibly hard job of being a mother a little easier. But gifts cannot replace the sentiments they were meant to express.

Mothers so often go unnoticed and unthanked. I know this is a bit late to change how your Mother’s Day went this year, but I’m not sure that matters. Mother’s Day is not the only day of the year when you can tell your mom how much she means to you. Let your mom know why you love her – that’s the best gift you can give anyone.