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13 Mother’s Day Gifts for When You Can’t Be There in Person

Don’t let distance deter you from celebrating your mom on Mother’s Day. Here are some of the best gifts to give your mom when you can’t be in person.

Mother’s Day is the one day of the year dedicated to the woman who dedicates all her time to you, so make sure to celebrate her this year, even from oceans away. If you don’t live close enough to be there in person for Mother’s Day, there are still so many thoughtful gifts at your disposal to make your mom feel special. It might not be the same as physically being there, but it goes a long way towards letting your mom (or Grandma) know how much she means to you.

Sure, there are the old standbys like flowers and cards, but how about a sweet gift for the sentimental mom, or something practical that will make your mom’s life easier? To help you find just the right gift for your long-distance mom, we’ve created a list of the best Mother’s Day gifts for when you can’t be there in person. These thoughtful and unique gifts will demonstrate your love can truly go the distance.

Read more: 9 Affordable Mother’s Day Gift Ideas

Sarah Tew/CNET

If your mother loves Disney but hasn’t tried Disney Plus yet, give her the gift that keeps on giving: all the Disney she can watch. Your mom can watch popular shows like The Mandalorian and finally see what all the fuss is about with Encanto. We rated Disney Plus as the best streaming service for kids at heart, so if your mom loves nostalgia and wants to stay on top of the latest releases, she’ll love Disney Plus. 

Mixbook

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 best photo books, allows you to 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.  

The Sill

The Sill is a plant marketplace with a wide variety of fantastic plant choices for plant parents of all kinds. The Easy Care bundle is the best present for a mom who enjoys plants, but prefers a low-maintenance option. In this bundle, she’ll get the pet-friendly peperomia obtusifolia and a drought- and low-light-tolerant ZZ plant.What’s more, as one of CNET’s best places to buy plants online, your mother will adore this present’s quality. 

Amazon

The Kindle Paperwhite is our best all-around ebook reader for a reason. It features warm light settings, a longer battery life and is completely waterproof. For a better viewing experience, this edition of the Kindle Paperwhite sports a 6.8-inch display, perfect for a virtual book club. 

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Cuddle Clones

If you have a mother who adores her pets, consider getting her a plush animal to provide a constant reminder of her affection. You begin the Cuddle Clones process with the pet’s name, then you follow up with the type of pet and finally the breed. After that, you go through a sequence of simple questions and picture uploads, and voila your mom will have a fuzzy version of her pet in eight weeks.

Amazon

This ArtPix 3D Photo Crystal is another cool way to preserve a special picture, but in 3D. This is accomplished through the use of laser engraving that brings any photograph to life. You can fully customize this gift by font, size, background and more. And this present can be enhanced even further by including a base and LED lights, but the crystal itself is plenty to convey your affection.

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Homesick

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. 

Etsy

Does your mom love jewelry and keep all your old handwritten papers from childhood? Why not combine her two loves with this customizable, handmade bracelet made from gold, rose gold or silver. Once you decide how you want it engraved, you can write the message and choose an image matching the way you want it to look. 

Uncommon Goods

If you want to let your mom 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. 

Amazon

The Eufy RoboVac 25C is rated CNET’s best affordable robot vacuum. It has a powerful suction that is effective on both hardwood and carpeted floors. Pet hair and other little dust piles are easily picked up by it. And while it isn’t the most advanced robot vacuum, it is more than enough to allow your mother to relax while something else cleans up the mess. 

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Amazon

Making coffee should be as simple as possible, but to accomplish it properly, you’ll need the perfect coffee maker. The Editors’ Choice winner, the Oxo Brew eight-cup coffee maker, is our favorite drip brewer. This machine will make your mother a cup that will rival any coffee shop. The Oxo Brew has a single-cup filter basket, precision settings for better water temperature, a double-wall vacuum and it’s small enough to fit on your mother’s kitchen counter. 

Read our Oxo 8 Cup Coffee Maker review.

 

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the million roses

Show your mom how much you love her with a box of long-lasting roses. These real roses can last for up to three years! Although they can be pricey, these beautiful flowers are well worth the money. They come in a variety of colors and bouquet sizes. 

On Holiday

Give your mom the gift of America’s favorite pastime — that’s right, a custom pickleball set. On Holiday’s custom pickleball set is great for any active mom or mom looking for a new hobby. For $144, you can pick two paddles, a set of balls and a bag. All of the paddles have unique designs, so you can pick the one that best suits your mom’s personality. 

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Technologies

How to Use AirPlay to Mirror Your iPhone on a TV

Display photos and videos from your iPhone or Mac to a bigger screen in a few taps.

Sometimes, browsing through photos or watching a video on your phone or laptop just doesn’t cut it. Beaming to a TV can be a great way to enjoy content on a bigger display and share it with everyone in the room. With the help of AirPlay, doing so with an iPhone, iPad or Mac is super easy. 

AirPlay is Apple’s system for screen mirroring, and it’s supported by a growing number of smart TVs, as well as Roku and Apple TV streaming devices.

Here’s how to use the handy feature and which devices are compatible.

Which devices support AirPlay?

To use AirPlay, you’ll need a compatible Roku TV or streamer (the list includes Roku TV, Roku Streambar and Roku Streaming Stick 4K), an Apple TV streamer or a 2019 or newer smart TV from LG, Samsung, Sony or Vizio. Amazon’s more recent Fire TV models also support AirPlay, but Fire TV sticks don’t.

Any iPhone or iPad running iOS 4.2 or newer has AirPlay built in. Note that Roku and smart TVs require AirPlay 2 on your Apple devices, which is available with iOS 12.3 or later and MacOS Mojave 10.14.5 or later.

Before getting started, make sure your Apple device and Apple TV are on the same Wi-Fi network.

Mirror your iPhone or iPad

  1. Swipe down from the top-right corner on newer iPhone models, or up from the bottom of the display, to access Control Center
  2. Tap the Screen Mirroring button. (It shows two overlapping rectangles)
  3. Select your TV.
  4. If prompted, enter the passcode shown on your TV. 
  5. A checkmark will show up next to your TV’s name when a connection is made. 

Now, use your phone or tablet like normal, and everything you do will be displayed on your TV. To stop mirroring, go back to Control Center and open the Screen Mirroring section, then select Stop Mirroring

Mirror your Mac’s screen

  1. Click on the Control Center icon in the menu bar. It should be next to the time in the top-right corner.
  2. Click Screen Mirroring.
  3. You’ll see a list of devices that are available on your network to mirror your screen. Click the device you want to use. Your screen will flash and a few seconds later it will show up on the TV.

Now, whatever you do on your Mac will show up on your TV. When you’re done, click the Screen Mirroring button in Control Center again, then click the name of the device you’re connected to to stop mirroring.  

Check Out the iPhone 16 Pro Max’s Cameras, Display and Colors

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Technologies

Dangerous TikTok Chromebook Challenge: Avoid Sparking a Fire in Your Laptop

Well, this is a bad idea: Kids are jamming metal into their school computer USB ports.

TikTok is full of entertaining cat videos, humorous dances, and yes, even challenges — the famed ice-bucket challenge has returned and is promoting mental-health support. But now a dangerous TikTok challenge is spreading through the short-form video app and through schools across the US.

The Chromebook Challenge, named for Google’s line of laptops, encourages students to insert metal items into the USB port on their school-issued computers, intending to create sparks, smoke and possibly a fire.

A representative for TikTok told NBC News that the challenge videos were not exclusive to their platform, and that search terms like «Chromebook Challenge» have been blocked.

A representative for Google didn’t immediately respond to CNET’s request for comment

Read more: Best laptops of 2025

Searching TikTok will bring up videos showing kids attempting the dangerous and damaging challenge. Schools, as you might expect, are not happy.

David Winston, principal of Lincoln Park Middle School in Morris County, New Jersey, sent a letter home to parents about the dangers of the act, as reported by NorthJersey.com.

Read more: The 75 Hard and 75 Soft TikTok Fitness Challenges Explained

«We expect our students to make responsible choices and refrain from any behavior that could result in injury, property damage, disciplinary action, or the loss of privileges,» Winston said in his letter. «This type of act is considered a form of vandalism and, if a fire results, could be treated as arson.»

And kids might not be laughing when their parents get the bill for a damaged or ruined laptop.

«We’re asking for your help in talking to your child about the importance of taking care of their school devices and thinking twice before participating in online challenges like this,» reads a letter sent to parents of kids in Virginia’s Prince George’s County Public Schools, as reported by FOX5. «As a reminder, families are responsible for the cost of any deliberate damage done to school-issued Chromebooks.»

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Technologies

Hey Wordle Players, the New Pope Is One of Us

He also saw the movie Conclave, plays Words with Friends and is a Chicago White Sox fan.

Maybe an upcoming Wordle puzzle will include the word PAPAL. On Thursday, Chicago-born Cardinal Robert Prevost was chosen the first American pope ever, taking the papal name Pope Leo XIV. Although he spent years of his ministry in Peru, he might just have some things in common with his fellow Americans. According to an interview with his brother John, who lives in Illinois, the new pope enjoys the New York Times game Wordle, plays the Scrabble-like game Words With Friends, and yes, he has seen the 2024 movie Conclave, which focuses on a fictional papal election.

Read more: Click for answers to today’s Wordle, Connections, Strands, Connections: Sports Edition and Mini Crossword

NBC Chicago spoke to the new pope’s brother, who’s understandably overwhelmed. John Prevost said he talked to his brother on Tuesday before the conclave started, and asked Robert Prevost, who was then still a cardinal, if he’d seen the Conclave film. And indeed he had.

«He had just finished watching the movie Conclave,» John Prevost told NBC Chicago. «I wanted to take his mind off of it and laugh about something. Because this is now an awesome responsibility.»

Read more: How to Stream Conclave

According to NBC News, John Prevost also said his chat with his brother included «discussing Wordle and playing Words with Friends.» Wordle is the New York Times’ online game where players are given six chances to guess a five-letter word. (CNET posts the answers to Wordle and other NYT puzzles daily.) Words with Friends is another word game, but more like Scrabble, and allows for back-and-forth play between two friends. Or brothers. Or a soon-to-be pope and his brother.

Read more: Wordle Players, Use Our Tip Sheet to Find Your Next Favorite Starter Word

A representative for the New York Times didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

The pope’s brother also set the Holy Father’s Chicago baseball allegiance straight. Although the Chicago Cubs tried to claim him on social media, his brother confirmed that the pope is from the South Side of Chicago and is a White Sox fan.

While quotes from NBC didn’t flat-out say the new pope plays Wordle (they said he «discussed it»), who discusses a puzzle they don’t play? So when you fire up your next round of Wordle, and puzzle over those double letters, or rack your brain for a way to use the yellow letters you just can’t place, think to yourself that maybe the new pope is doing the exact same thing.

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