Mother's Day has quietly become one of the year's bigger gifting occasions, and for a growing number of families the person you're shopping for is an adult who simply enjoys cannabis the way someone else might enjoy a nice bottle of wine. If that's the mom, stepmom, aunt, or grandmother on your list, a visit to a licensed Vermont shop can make for a genuinely thoughtful gift — provided you handle it like the adult purchase it is. Here's how to plan it, and how to gift with care.

When is Mother's Day 2026, and is Float On open?

In the United States, Mother's Day 2026 falls on Sunday, May 10 — it's held on the second Sunday of May every year, a tradition that dates to 1914. Because it's a Sunday, it's an easy add-on to a downtown Burlington outing: brunch, a walk on the waterfront, and a stop on Church Street. Float On is open seven days a week at 136½ Church Street, right on the Church Street Marketplace, so a Mother's Day visit fits without rearranging the day. If you'd rather not carry it around, save the stop for last.

Can you actually give cannabis as a gift in Vermont?

You can buy it as a gift — the one rule that matters is who ends up with it. Vermont adult-use cannabis is strictly 21 and older, so the person you're giving it to has to be 21+, full stop. That single line is what separates a thoughtful gift from a bad idea: never buy cannabis intending it for someone under 21, and don't hand it to anyone who can't legally have it.

A few practical notes that keep the gesture on the right side of considerate:

• Buy for your own purchase. You show your ID and buy it yourself; there's no gift-card-to-a-stranger workaround, and a store can't sell to you on behalf of someone who isn't 21.
• Give it privately. Cannabis can't be consumed in public in Vermont, so a gift is something the recipient opens and enjoys at home, on their own schedule — not something to crack open at the Mother's Day table.
• Keep it in Vermont. Legally purchased cannabis can't cross state lines, so this works best for a local recipient or a gift she'll enjoy while she's here.

What makes a thoughtful cannabis gift?

The best gift is the one that matches how she likes to relax, not the strongest or flashiest thing on the shelf. Vermont shops carry several formats, and each suits a different person:

• Flower and pre-rolls for the classic, ritual-minded — the tactile, roll-your-own or grind-it-yourself experience.
• Cannabis beverages and edibles for someone who'd rather not smoke; a beverage in particular reads a lot like offering a nice drink.
• Vapes for the low-fuss, tidy option.

If you're weighing which to pick, our guide to flower, vape, or edible walks through how the formats differ. And if it'll be her first trip into a shop, point her to what to expect your first time — half the gift is making the whole thing feel easy. When in doubt, a budtender can help you choose something approachable rather than overwhelming.

How did Mother's Day become a gifting holiday?

The modern American holiday traces to Anna Jarvis, who campaigned for a national day honoring mothers after her own mother died in 1905. Her effort succeeded in 1914, when President Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation making the second Sunday of May an official Mother's Day. Ironically, Jarvis grew to resent how commercial the day became — she'd imagined a personal, heartfelt observance, not a shopping event.

That history is a decent north star for a cannabis gift, too: the point isn't the biggest purchase, it's the thought. A single well-chosen item she'll actually enjoy, handed over with a card, is more in the original spirit than a pile of products. Consider it the grown-up, considerate version of the holiday.

How should you plan the visit?

Mother's Day is a busy retail Sunday everywhere, and a Church Street shop is no exception. A little planning keeps it relaxed:

1. Browse the menu first. Look over the live menu at home so you arrive knowing roughly what you want instead of deciding in a crowd.
2. Order ahead if you can. Building your order in advance and picking it up under your name is the fastest path on a busy day — here's how order-ahead pickup works.
3. Bring your ID. You'll show a government-issued photo ID proving you're 21+ at the door, every visit.
4. Go earlier rather than at closing. Church Street fills up on a nice May Sunday; an earlier stop means more time to ask questions and a calmer counter.

What should you know before it leaves the store?

Two things worth keeping in mind so the gift lands cleanly. First, the price you see on the menu is the all-in price at Float On — Vermont's cannabis taxes are already built into the number, so there's no surprise math at the counter and no need to gift-budget around a mystery add-on. Second, it comes sealed and labeled, which is exactly how it should stay for the trip home: keep it sealed, keep it out of reach of anyone under 21, and remember it's for private, at-home enjoyment rather than anything out in public.

Handled that way, a Mother's Day stop at Float On in downtown Burlington is a simple, grown-up gesture — a considered gift for an adult who'll appreciate it, from a licensed Vermont shop a few steps off the Marketplace.