Thoughtful Long-Distance Mother’s Day Gifts That Truly Go the Distance

When you can't be with your mother in person, a personalized photo book of all of your moments with her can fill in the gap. Mixbook, one of CNET's favorite photo book services, lets you create the ultimate gift by uploading photographs from your phone, computer or social media sites like Instagram and Facebook, and from there build your book, calendar and more with just a few steps. 

There are a variety of ways to express gratitude to your mother, but a candle (together with a handwritten letter) is a wonderful touch. This candle is 13.75 ounces and will burn for around 60 to 80 hours. Created with a natural soy wax blend that includes notes of bergamot, lavender, sage, jasmine and other fragrant aromas this candle will brighten her day. 

If you're looking for an extra-personal gift, it's hard to beat this customizable, handmade bracelet. Once you decide what you want it to say, you can upload an image with your own writing or with your child's. It can take about a week for it to arrive, so be sure to order this one in advance.

If you want Mom to know you're thinking of her in real-time, this is the gift for her. No matter where you are, this lamp will work like a charm by lighting up and transmitting a colorful glow to her when you touch it. One lamp costs $85, but we recommend you splurge and go for the set of two for $170 so that the lamps can actually "talk" to each other.

 The all-new Kindle Paperwhite is our favorite all-around e-reader for a reason. It features warm light settings, a long battery life and is completely waterproof. For a better viewing experience, this edition of the Kindle Paperwhite sports a larger 7-inch display and an adjustable warm light, perfect for flights or reading late at night. 

If Mom is a frequent traveler and likes taking advantage of the in-flight entertainment, the AirFly Pro Deluxe is the perfect gift. Simply connect it to the 3.5mm audio port and you can use your AirPods or any noise-cancelling earbuds to watch movies without hearing all the ambient noise around you. This deluxe version comes in a nice suede travel case, as well as with an international headphone adapter. CNET’s Nelson Aguilar says it’s become one of his most treasured travel accessories -- and Mom will likely agree.

Mom might think this one looks weird, but believe us, she'll thank you for it after she's used it for a long flight on her way to visit you. Our CNET experts tried out more than a dozen travel pillows, and the Trtl was ranked the most supportive of them all. Even if she feels a little silly wearing it, getting some much-needed shut-eye is worth it.

If Mom needs to travel to get to you, give her the best way to pass the time while she's in the car or on the plane: audiobooks. An Audible gift subscription is the gift that keeps on giving. A one-month gift subscription costs $15, and your recipient gets one book credit to start. You can also buy three months with three credits ($45), six months with six credits ($90) or 12 months with 12 credits ($150).

Start her Mother's Day off the right way with delicious pastries straight from the oven. This sweet pastry assortment comes with two plain croissants, two almond croissants, two different kinds of kouign-amann, and two pain aux raisin pastries. They arrive frozen, so all Mom has to do is let them rise overnight and then pop them in the oven the next morning and voila! She'll have a bounty of tasty treats that will transport her straight to Paris.

If she prefers something a little more savory, treat her to a sampling of Callie's Hot Little Biscuits. These Southern-style biscuits arrive fully cooked and frozen, so all she needs to do is pop them in the oven whenever she's ready for buttery biscuit goodness. Our editors are big fans of the Charleston Cravings Biscuit Sampler and couldn't get enough of the pimento cheese. Read more about our favorite gift baskets for 2025.

Bean Box is smack on our list of the best coffee subscriptions CNET's tested. For Mother's Day, we highly suggest Bean Box's coffee and chocolate tasting box. This sampler box comes with four 1.8-ounce freshly roasted coffees paired with four artisan chocolate bars along with tasting notes for each one. 

If you want to send Mom a bottle of wine (or even a case) but don't want to sign up for a full subscription service, Wine Insiders is an excellent option. This wine delivery service offers a carefully curated selection of wines including whites, reds, whites, rosés and sparkling wine, all under $30 a bottle, and you get free shipping on six bottles or more.