Mother's Day hoves into view, the day on which mothers all over Scotland, England, Wales and Ireland are expected to be delighted to be awoken from that all-too-infrequent sleep-in by an inexpertly cooked breakfast.

It's easy to be cynical, but Mothering Sunday, as it's sometimes called, is not a recent invention round these parts, having evolved from a centuries-old Christian tradition of giving domestic servants the day off to be with their families (cue mothers everywhere snarking 'Nothing's changed, then.') It flagged in the late 19th century, but was revived by the popularity of the American version, which in turn was invented in the early 20th century by Anna Jarvis, who wanted to celebrate her own terrifying overachiever of a mother.

Nowadays, Mother's Day is an excuse for mums everywhere to be applauded, as if an excuse were needed. Luckily we have some ideas for you. Men, book now. Now. Seriously, because you'll forget and whatever it is, it'll book out. Fine, read the article first.

Breakfast in bed
It's traditional, but how welcome it actually is does depend on how much the Mother-in-question likes to eat as soon as she's awake. Tips: if you have some kitchen moves, here is a clutch of insanely yummy-sounding breakfast-in-bed recipes. If you don't, stick to what you can do well, and don't try to make Eggs Benedict with powdered Hollandaise sauce mix, because we'll know, and we'll find you.

Breakfast not in bed
If a later breakfast is more appealing, Brown's in Glasgow is offering a special Mother's Day breakfast menu, while the Royal Yacht Britannia in Edinburgh is going positively decadent with a champagne cream tea rom 12.30pm.

Afternoon tea
The Corinthian in Glasgow and the Palm Court in Edinburgh are hosting afternoon teas, with a range of teas, coffees, sandwiches and cakes to be nibbled in elegant surroundings. The Palm Court also features a live harpist, which you may or may not consider an asset.

Mother's Day cocktails

If your Mother-in-question is a bit more rip-roaring, what about a cocktail masterclass? Arta in Glasgow have a Mother's Day Cocktail Masterclass, followed by a meal in which you can watch Tom Cruise and Bryan Brown do their thing in Cocktail. Not to be outdone, the Balmoral Bar has created its own Mother's Day Cocktail, a creamy concoction based on raspberry- and rose-infused vodka.

Create a personalised photo album

Photobox lets you upload your own photos to their site, choose a size and format, and create a personalised photo album which will be sent to the recipient of your choice. For most sizes of book you'll need to order before Thu 5 Mar, so move fast as it's a fine way to share your photos with someone you love.

Write her a poem

Keep it simple, keep it heartfelt, and never try to rhyme the word 'orange'. If you have no talent for writing, have the internet write one for you: AIPoem.com features a poem generator that will knock up something in seconds, but remember that all doggerel tastes better when accompanied by chocolate.

Take her to the movies
You know best your own Mother-in-question, but it's a safe bet that Sun 15 Mar will have some mum-friendly movies to offer. If you're taking your own mother to the flicks, remember that The Second Best Marigold Hotel will have considerably less potential for mutual embarrassment than Fifty Shades of Grey. Actually, this also holds true if the Mother-in-question is your own wife or partner.

Failing those, try some more Mother's Day events in Edinburgh and Glasgow.