For Mothers, from Good Store

John waxes on what makes Mother’s Day great (and helps you with your shopping!) | By John Green

I don’t think I’ve ever had a super-good, super-special, capital-M Mother’s Day gifting idea. Nothing that arrives fully formed, like, BAM! The perfect gift that communicates the exact depth of your gratitude (while also being, you know, reasonably priced and shippable). I’m mostly thinking smaller thoughts. Lowercase-m mom thoughts. The kind that show up while you’re doing something else, like remembering a specific thing your mom did for you once, or realizing you have absolutely no idea what to get your wife this year because it all feels so trivial and trite.

Because the truth is, Mother’s Day gifts are a little bit doomed from the start. Not in any appreciably bad way; more in the sense that there isn’t any singular purchasable object that can hold everything you’re trying to say. You’re attempting to compress years, sometimes decades, of care, patience, worry, sacrifice, inside a present that will, at best, arrive in two to three business days.

So then the question I ask myself becomes less, “What’s the perfect gift?” and more, “What’s the best gesture?” And, both as a resident unpaid intern and someone in the market for some capital-M Mother’s Day gestures, I think that’s where these Mother’s Day bundles from Good Store come in. They’re less a grand solution as much as they are a kind of alignment. The bundles and promos themselves are nice: thoughtful, useful, the kind of items that don’t feel like you grabbed them in a panic at 9:42 PM the night before.

But Good Store gifts/gestures also do this other thing, quietly, without a lot of fanfare. When you buy one, you’re doing a little good twofold: you’re showing your mom or your loved one that you really put some thought into what you got them; and, you’re also contributing to support for moms and babies elsewhere in the world. People you will likely never meet, whose lives will never intersect with yours in any obvious way.

Which I like, maybe because it mirrors something true about care itself. Care radiates outward, in small moments and small kindnesses and small gestures. The way one act of taking care of someone can, in some small and immeasurable way, become care for someone else is kind of what capital-M Motherhood is all about.

So, I still don’t have a capital-M Mother’s Day idea. But I do think there’s something here: these small, linked gestures like a care package that says thank you, or a cup of really good tea, or a bundle of personal care items that help your loved ones relax a little bit. How marvelous to know that, at the same time, a gesture a little larger than that is helping support bigger gestures for capital-M Mothers across the globe.

Good Store Care Package

Putting together the perfect grouping of gifts for mom sometimes feels like summiting a mountain (or climbing a small dune, at least). Do you get her things she might like to display around the house? What if you gift her things she might never end up using? What if she is so dismayed by your choice in gift that she lights in on fire in front of you? Luckily, Good Store dreamed up a gifting option that saves you a lot of hemming and hawing and guessing and fire-lighting, in the form of a Care Package. It brings together a few small comforts: loose-leaf Sweet Briar Tea, a flowery tealight candle, some mini chocolates, super-smooth Wildflower Honey Lip Balm, and a Sun Basin sample soap set so she can try out multiple scents. A care package to show mom how much you care, full of small ways she can care for herself; plus, it’s an even better feeling to know that 100% of the profit goes to helping moms in Sierra Leone.

Soap and Shampoo Bundles

One of my favorite things about our Sun Basin Soaps and Shampoo Bars (besides their incredible scents and cleaning power) is the copywriting. Our former Art Director, Zoe, did an incredible job building little worlds for each scent, visualizing the way the ingredients and smells can really transport you to new places. Good Store continued this tradition and dreamed up four distinct soap and shampoo bundles for different kinds of moms: the ones who always seem to be awake before anyone else, starting the day fresh; the ones who somehow always know how to warm our hearts; the ones who can weather any storm, seemingly with ease; and the ones who foster growth and connection through all facets of life. Grab one of these bundles and take some inspiration from Sun Basin wordsmithing to tell your mom how great she is.

(If these scent bundles aren’t your jam, keep it simple and grab a Sun Basin 3-pack in signature summery scents. Bonus: you get a free Sisal Soap Saver bag with each 3-pack purchase.)

Tea and Bath Bomb Bundles

Some days it can feel like life’s a little rough to get through, due to… *gestures broadly*. Good Store wanted to think up some bundled gift ideas that can help moms relax; so they put together a few tea and bath bomb bundles. The rejuvenation bundle has a caffeinated Oolong tea and fresh, minty bath bomb (a super refreshing duo); the relaxation bundle has a lovely decaf chamomile tea and a spiced citrus bath bomb (something for an end-of-day exhale). Whichever duo you think mom would prefer, this is a great gift idea to help your loved one unwind and reset, if only for a few minutes.

(We’ve also got a few tea and soap bar bundles for the moms who aren’t big on bath time, but still want to feel pampered and squeaky clean.)

Tea and Lip Balm Bundle

One of the most-requested Good Store products in our end of year 2025 survey was, a little surprisingly, lip balm. So we partnered with Messner Bee Farm to create a few signature balm flavors and test out what you all think. This bundle combines our best-selling Keats & Co Earl Grey tea with a super-hydrating balm in the same flavor. Maybe mom is an Earl Grey fiend, or maybe she just really likes having a good balm in her bag. Either way, a fun bundle to gift!