Have you ever tried to cook potatoes five ways while carving a 16lb turkey, glazing a ham, arranging hors d’oeuvres and polishing the cutlery? All at the same time? No? Well I bet you your mother has.
Christmas ain’t always an easy affair for our mammies, and for those of us who are lucky enough to have her around, we should try to look after her as best we can.
I know there isn’t much time left, but here are my Top 5 Ultimate Mammy gifts this Christmas, which you should be able to get your hands on fairly easily, even at this late stage.
Spa day
The Spa at Kilronan Castle in Co Roscommon offers a 'mini treats' package for €79, which includes three 25-minute treatments using Elemis products. You can buy gift vouchers online at kilronancastle.ie.
Luxury skincare
The Anne Semonin 'Spa at Home' coffret (€106 annesemonin.com) has a gorgeously rich and comforting lavender body oil, calming cream mask and verbena-scented soap. I fell in love with its serum earlier in the year.
A good, cheaper alternative is the La Roche Posay Toleraine gift set (€35.50 at McCabes pharmacy), which I've been using for the last few weeks on my sensitive skin and really love.
Perfume
Chanel Chance Eau de Toilette 50ml (€73 at Boots) is a light, refreshing and hard-to-replicate scent. It is a real treat and is my own mother's favourite.
Make-up kit
For the mothers who only replenish their make-up bags once a year, the Charlotte Tilbury Dreamy Look In A Clutch (€120 at Brown Thomas) is a real winner.
There is a more comprehensive set for €210 if you can stretch that far or if your budget is smaller, Bobbi Brown has some great gift sets for around the €40 mark.
Haircare
GHD Dry & Style Copper Luxe Gift Set (€219 at Peter Mark): A GHD is not just for Christmas folks – I’ve had mine since my 16th birthday. This set is the gold standard, but you can buy the straighteners alone for €125.
