Describe the best gift you (as a mom) ever received or gave to your mother:
Last year my family gave our Gram a "memory and thanks book" in which each member wrote down several of our best memories of Gram (the good, the bad, and the funny!) and the reasons she's so special to us. We made each entry anonymous, too, just for fun. We wanted to try to document for her in a little book how much she's influenced us, how much we love her, and of course, so she knows how precious she is to us all.

What made this gift extra-special?
It's a unique gift that doesn't cost much, just the price of a journal or small blank book, and a little time and planning. But it's a gift that will last forever and be cherished for at least as long. Gram still reads it every day!

Other comments or suggestions:
If you've got family members with less than perfect penmanship, you might get a book with detachable sheets so that you can just type up all the family sentiments on your computer and put them in a book. If your family is spread out all over the country like ours, the convenience of email makes it easy to get everyone in on the gift.