HGTV Hosts Share Favorite Mother's Day Memories

We asked HGTV hosts to share memories of their favorite Mother's Day presents, as well as the best gifts they have given to their own mothers.

Michelle Driscoll Alioto - The Inside Dirt
Alex Anderson - Simply Quilts
Sharon Anderson - Collectible Treasures
Claire Berger - Fantasy Open House
Sandra Betzina - Sew Perfect
Chris Casson Madden - Interiors By Design
Kathi Cardinalli - Our Place
Susie Coelho - Surprise Gardener
Susan Crenshaw - This Small Space
Edye Ellis - The Good Life
Shari Hiller - Room By Room
Joan Kohn - Kitchen Design and Bed & Bath Design
Rebecca Kolls - Rebecca's Garden
Terri Kovel - Flea Market Finds
Lynda Lyday - The Fix
Maty Monfort - Smart Solutions
Mary Ellen Pinkham - TIPical Mary Ellen
Joan Steffend - Decorating Cents
Jan Yanehiro - Appraise It

Michele Driscoll Alioto: The Inside Dirt

"No question, my most memorable Mother's Day was 2000 when my beautiful, oldest daughter Michela was married. I expect this one coming up might even be better since she will be only a month away from being a mother herself."

Alex Anderson: Simply Quilts

"My teenage daughter took me out to the movies and spent the entire day with me with a smile on her face the entire time. That was the best Mother's Day present I've ever had. It was on the level of a miracle."

Sharon Anderson: Collectible Treasures

Sharon Anderson said her favorite gifts are the homemade treasures given to her by her family, and special Mother's Day outings.

"My husband comes up with an activity. We'll go blading or biking or canoeing and that's always fun.

"As for gifts, I love the pillow with the little stick drawings and the rainbow and the date. I think that's so sweet. And we've also had a tradition of making collages with family photos. We take all the pictures of things we've done through each year and make one solid collage with them. When you can give someone a memory of your life together at that point in time, I think that is so special."

Claire Berger: Fantasy Open House

"My favorite gift, as corny as it sounds, is a homemade gift from my kids who are now 10 and 14. When they were little they made me a T-shirt covered in their handprints, which I treasured and wore proudly until it fell apart. I also still use a spoon rest next to my stove made from broken pieces of tile that my daughter made when she was three that is as beautiful as any piece of contemporary art in my home. I have always told my children that a homemade gift is the most heartfelt gift you can give."

Sandra Betzina: Sew Perfect

"The best present I ever gave was a silk blouse I made for my mother. She loved butterflies so I found a silk with a butterfly print and I made her a blouse and she loved it, she was really thrilled.

"The best Mother's Day gift I ever got was a little model car of a (Chrysler) PT Cruiser, last year. I had ordered a real one in March and I didn't get it until December 28, so it was nice to have that little PT Cruiser model that I got from my children to look at while I was waiting the 10 months for my car to come."

Chris Casson Madden: Interiors by Design

"There have been so many thoughtful gifts over the years from Patrick and Nick, but my favorite hangs on my handmade 'memory board' in a place of honor in my personal space. It is a drawing Patrick gave to me when he was 5. It is filled with hearts drawn in an orange crayon, and every time I look at it, I have such wonderful thoughts and am drawn back to precious memories."

Kathi Cardinalli: Our Place

"Because we have not been blessed with 'real' children, our Mother's Day celebrations have been somewhat unique. Last Mother's Day I received a lovely box of doggie-bone-shaped chocolate chip cookies from our favorite 'boy'-a blond cocker spaniel puppy. I suspect he may have had help.

"My very first Mother's Day gift came 19 years ago when our parakeet's eggs hatched and we had three very homely babies! I was so excited that I called my husband, Michael, at school and interrupted his junior high class to say that he had just become a father. That kept the office secretaries curious for several days!"

Susie Coelho: Surprise Gardener

"I am the mom of a 10-year-old son and 1-year-old baby girl. My daughter was born in April last year so she was barely a month old when Mother's Day came around, but that morning I picked her up and her smiling face lit up with joy when she saw me. It was the best present I could have ever received! Just knowing your kids are happy with you is the best present any mom can receive.

"Last year my son's gift to me was a Mother's Day breakfast in bed. He woke up early and made it all himself and what really made it special was that he included my favorite jam, my favorite fruit, just the way I like it, and even styled the breakfast tray with flowers! Another year he gave me a handmade card that said 'I love you, you're the best mom in the world!'

"Sometimes as a mom we can tend to feel taken for granted. To me Mother's Day is not about presents but about acknowledging that fact that I'm a good mom and that I take my job seriously and it's noticed by my kids (and husband)!"

Susan Crenshaw: This Small Space

"The coolest thing about Mother's Day is it's like having a free birthday thrown in every year! This has been hard because I am a huge fan of Mother's Day all together--I just love the day and both of my kids have always gone way out to make it really special.

"However, I think that two things come to mind when I think of favorite gifts. My son, Matthew, who is not a fan of horses, decided that he would quell his lack of enthusiasm and go on a long ride with me a few years ago. My daughter was on her pony, and Matt and I were on my horses. We rode for about three hours all together and it was a blast. If you knew Matt you would know what a sacrifice it was for him and how he did it only because he wanted to do something special for me. It was so sweet and we really did have fun.

"A favorite from my daughter, Katherine, was a painted pot that says Mom...it is still in my kitchen...that had a green plant growing in it. Finally the plant got way too big for the pot and had to go outside, but I will have the pot forever. I love it. You can just tell by looking at it that Kate worked on it forever and really tried to make it as special as it is."

Edye Ellis: The Good Life

Edye Ellis said her fondest memory involved a book of poetry she and her mother wrote together and finished around Mother's Day. They printed up almost 1,000 copies of the book and distributed it to friends and family. Ellis talked about what a joy the project was in the preface of the book.

"These pages were inspired by some poems my mother wrote more than 20 years ago. Finding them after all that time reminded me that in times of trouble, sorrow, or joy, we both tend to turn to poetry. When I suggested to my mother about a year ago that we try to put together a book of our poems, I had no idea that she would take so to the idea.

"Almost every week, I could count on receiving a poem or two from her. When my writing would come to a screeching halt (as it often did), she responded by sending more poems. She has been the driving force behind this project. So, this little volume is a gift from her and to her."

Shari Hiller: Room by Room

"I will say that my favorite gift I've ever received for Mother's Day is an apron that my daughter made for me. It's kind of like one of those chef's aprons, it goes up over your neck and comes down. It was plain canvas, but she decorated it with cutouts of fruit and vegetables and things--and I don't know if they're ironed-on or just glued-on in splotches all over it--and a little bit of fabric paint. And she made a matching one for herself so we can be twins. Although I'll tell you they look as good today as they did when she made them, which was probably 10 years ago, because neither of us cook. So we pull them out and look at them every once in awhile and get all tingly."

Joan Kohn: Kitchen Design and Bed & Bath Design

"My favorite Mother's Day gifts are an Oscar statue from my daughter Elizabeth, and from my daughter Amy a tiny cast-iron pig wearing a jersey with my lucky number, 21. I keep both gifts on my desk, so that I can enjoy them every day."

Rebecca Kolls: Rebecca's Garden

"My husband and kids took me to the local garden center one year and let me shop to my heart's content. Then when we got home they all pitched in and helped me plant everything. Nobody fussed except me, when something was planted upside down."

Terry Kovel: Flea Market Finds with the Kovels

"I got a red cut-leaf maple, which was a plant that had many family memories. I had always loved this tree in my mother's yard, and when I went to college there was one right outside my dorm. It was a family joke for years that we never could find one, and (my daughter) found one about 15 years ago and she sent it to me. It's still growing and it's doing fine."

Lynda Lyday: The Fix

"I'm the mother of an adorable blond cocker spaniel named Sophie, and the best Mother's Day present I've gotten from her is a lick on the nose and then she shows me her belly (to be rubbed!). That's about as good as it gets!"

Maty Monfort: Smart Solutions

"The best Mother's Day gift that I received was the birth of my son, who was born three weeks before Mother's Day. And I think the best Mother's Day gift that I've probably ever given is the one that's coming up because I'm going to take my mom to Rome to see the Vatican, which she's always wanted to do as a faithful Catholic. This is a very, very big deal so we're going to Italy to spend a couple of weeks in the month of May. I'm very excited to be able to do this and spend that time with her."

Mary Ellen Pinkham: TIPical Mary Ellen

"The best Mothers' Day present I ever received was when my son graduated from college."

Joan Steffend: Decorating Cents

"I am a mom of two girls, 17-year old Blair and 11-year old Jordan. As for my favorite Mother's Day gifts, none were ever purchased in a store. The most memorable gifts are always those that warm the heart, and over the years those have come from tiny trusting hands and big messy hugs...crayons put to paper or sweet sentiment on stationery. I don't mean to get too flowery here, but the bottom line is the best gift on Mother's Day is a feeling that you've done all right so far and your kids are willing to tell you so. I love you, Blair and Jordan!"

Jan Yanehiro: Appraise It

"I love Mother's Day! I am the mother of five children...three of my own and two stepchildren I adore! Since I had my children late (I was 40 when I had my third child), I consider them my greatest 'productions!' They are gifts though not without rough edges and challenging moments. My favorite gifts in the past were when my kids were little: the handmade cards and the breakfast in bed served with burnt toast and the flattest of pancakes. They would all jump into bed with me and help me eat! Now I love the special messages inside the store-bought cards. I keep all the cards and they refresh my spirit as a mother."