Mother$ Day

This Sunday is Mother's Day in the US.  The Arabic world (National Geographic didn't specify which countries) celebrates  March 21st, coinciding, generally speaking, with the arrival of Spring.
In Panama the date is December 8th to celebrate what the Catholic Church believes to be the Virgin Mary's birth.  In Thailand, the date celebrated is August 12th, the birthday of their Queen Sirikit whose rule began in 1956.  Born in 1932, she is now 83 years old.

The Brits celebrate Mothering Day with the intent of going to church at the "mother" church of your faith, instead of one's usual local parish.  This would seem to have empty parishes dotted here and there and bursting at the seams cathedrals or "mother churches."

Meanwhile, all over the world, celebrants will buy 133 million cards and spend an average of $162.94 per Mom.  In all, Mother's Day is a $19.9 billion (billion) holiday. 

From firsthand experience:  if you must go out to brunch/lunch on Mother's Day, book at least a week ahead of time.  Ports O Call (often mentioned in this column) is an example.  My friend, the ladies' room attendant, told me they serve 3,000 people that day.    This tidbit inadvertently caused a near-crisis on Father's Day.  "Raffish," Tony and we went there on what happened to be Father's Day. 

As we walked across the parking lot, the lads expressed concern that it was Father's Day and we didn't have reservations.  Blithely I assured them that "Oh, Father's Day is the biggest day in the year for collect calls to wish old Dads a happy day.  They don't get taken out for a meal."

Less than three minutes later, we were seated on towering stools in the bar, surrounded by a great many males.  Dads to a man.  Do the same for reservations for Father's Day.  You won't be sorry and you'll (probably) get a far-better table than we did.  The bar was also doing a gold rush business.