Is your Mother’s Day tacky? From bright bouquets to breakfast in bed mistakes – etiquette guru reveals things to avoid

MOTHER’S Day is nearly upon us, and you may want to think twice before sharing your celebrations on social media.

Etiquette expert William Hanson has revealed the top things that can make your day look common – and it’s bad news if you’ve bought a ‘World’s Best Mum’ mug.

GettyMother’s Day is nearly upon us, and your celebrations – such as no tray in bed with food – could be a sign you are common[/caption]

williamhansonetiquette/InstagramWilliam Hanson has given his top Mother’s Day things to avoid[/caption]

Speaking to Fabulous, William said of the big day: “You get away with a lot more ‘tat’ when you are under the age of 18, particularly when you are 10 and under.

“If you are still giving slightly infantile gifts to your mother when you are 42, it can look a little bit bad.”

Thankfully, William has revealed the top gifts to avoid on Mother’s Day, and what you should do instead…

‘World’s Best Mum’ items

William said that buying a mug – or indeed anything – with ‘World’s Best Mum’ is so “trite”.

He explained: “From a scientific point of view – unless you have tried out more than one mother – your sample size is one.

“It’s a ridiculous claim to make and usually in my limited experience, the people that had ‘world’s best mum’ items usually weren’t great.”

He also said it “brash” to take a ‘World’s Best Mum’ mug into work as it says “look what my child got me”.

William added: “A) it is showing off, which is never a good idea, and b) it is quite mean to everyone else.”

Funky Pigeon cards

William said that using a card printing site like Moonpig or Funky Pigeon is “fine” as long as you leave the card blank instead and write a personal, handwritten message.

He explained: “Unless you are unable to personally write in a card, it’s very impersonal.

“You might as well not bother and do a half an hour phone call to the person, rather than something you’ve done on your phone while you are on the loo or picking your nose on the bus.”

Bright flowers

William said that flowers are a good choice – unless they are an “incredibly bright or synthetic and unnatural colour.”

He said: “Dyed blue flowers or hot pink gerberas are probably the most down-market of flowers.

“Daisy-like flowers are technically weeds, so effectively is giving your mum weeds.”

Fake flowers in silk boxes

A massive no-no for William is giving fake flowers. 

He said: “They are just going to collect dust, you are giving someone a breathing problem.

“Would most people not prefer the real deal over something fake?”

And crystals inside the fake flowers are the “height of tackiness and downmarket” and should be avoided at all costs.

Necklace or T-shirt with ‘mum’ on it

Any item with “mum” on should be avoided, and William said he simply “wouldn’t wear” something with a parent title on it.

He said: “It’s very un2020 for women to walk around with a label on spelling out that they are a mother. 

“It may make other non-mothers do a slight eye roll because there is probably more to them than being a mother.

“If your child is five and has picked it out at a funfair or at the shops with their father or grandparents it is lovely and sweet, but when you get to 16 or 18 plus, not so much.”

Large cards

The etiquette expert said that large cards should be banned for all occasions, but especially Mother’s Day.

He said: “The bigger the card, the more downmarket the card. A normal-sized card is absolutely fine, you don’t need a huge, great thing.

“Usually the slightly tackier care bear ones are huge and slightly ostentatious.”

Dated photo canvas

William said that canvases typically look “dated” and the ones he has seen haven’t been put together “artistically.”

He advised: “If you are going down that route I would have it professionally designed or get a website with a template design.”

Eating in bed without a tray

There is nothing wrong with breakfast in bed, according to William – and the tradition even harks back to when married women in the times of Downton Abbey would do it each morning.

However, it is tacky if you just consume your food off a tiny plate.

He said: “How most people eat in bed now is probably with a plate, maybe a small little tray.

“If you are going to do it, do it nicely on a tray, a tray with the feet rolled down to sort of straddle the person, almost like a table, to avoid the crumbs.”

Making your mum face the wall in restaurants

William said that regardless of what price bracket your restaurant is there are nice things you can be doing to make your mum feel special.

He said: “You should be pulling her chair out, take her coat, give her the best seat.

“Normally the best seat is the one that can see the most of the restaurant compared to facing a wall.”

Glass signs

While some people love glass ornaments or boxes, William said they certainly aren’t for everyone.

He said: “About 20 or 30 years was more of an excitement than it is today.

“Unless you know they like that sort of thing isn’t great as they may feel obliged to display it when they hate it.”

Buying presents for the sake of it

William said that you shouldn’t feel pressured to buy your mum a gift if your budget doesn’t allow for it.

He said: “No one should feel pressured to buy anything, but get a card and write and tell them how much you appreciate them if you don’t have a large budget.

“Especially in Britain when we don’t really express our emotions as much as we should, actually putting pen to paper and telling them how much you love them is probably the nicest thing you can do.”

If you are doing gifts, the etiquette guru advised buying something they need or want.

He said: “Get something you know they want rather than going down the route of something that says ‘the world’s best mum’ and linked to the day you are celebrating.

“Everyone likes flowers but I’d probably give them a bottle of champagne.”

.Flowers should be real but avoid dyed blue flowers or hot pink gerberas[/caption]

.According to the etiquette expert, glass signs are to be avoided[/caption]

.Fake flowers are a huge no, and even more so if they have crystals, says William[/caption]

GettyThe bigger the card, the more down-market it is, according to William[/caption]

.You should never consider buying ‘world’s best mum’ mugs[/caption]

Photo canvases should be banned if they aren’t professionally designed