How to Choose a Gift for a New Mother-in-Law

Plan ahead. We all know when the holidays occur and your mother-in-law's birthday probably falls on the same date every year. Therefore, there's no excuse for a nervous breakdown in the aisle of your local Walgreen's as you try to choose between a Chia Elvis and a foot bath when the gift is due tomorrow. Give yourself at least a month to search for the right gift. Your mother-in-law will appreciate the time you spent choosing something she actually likes, and so will your spouse.

Consider giving a helpful gift, or add to a collection. Consider a gift that isn't an object. If your mother-in-law is widowed or divorced, she might appreciate homemade coupons she can redeem from you for "helper chores" like mowing her lawn, helping weed her flowerbed, raking her leaves, taking her car for an oil change or shoveling her snowy sidewalk. If your mother-in-law collects German nutcrackers, doilies, antique sewing kits, or mugs with pictures of motorcycles on them, you are in luck. Adding an item to a person's collection is not only thoughtful, it will always remind the recipient of the giver and the occasion.

Don't forget her pet! If your mother-in-law shares her home with a beloved pet, consider a gift of an assortment of toys for the pet, or a donation to an animal care or rescue organization (like the ASPCA) in your mother-in-law's name.

Give the forever gift--a photo. Even though you were recently married and probably had hundreds of pictures taken of you two on your wedding day, consider sitting for a less formal yet professional photograph of the two of you. Moms love this stuff, especially if one or the other of you brought children into the marriage. If this is the case, add them to the photo shoot as well!