Anna Jarvis invented Mother's Day, but after seeing how commercialized Mother's Day became, she sought to rescind the national day of honoring mothers.

In 1908, Jarvis led the way with the first Mother's Day events to honor her own mother, who was a Sunday School teacher and caregiver for wounded soldiers during the Civil War. 

After ushering in the new events honoring mothers, she set to work campaigning to make Mother's Day a national holiday. In '914, Congress recognized Mother's Day as national holiday falling on the second Sunday in May. 

Florists and greeting card companies quickly latched on to the holiday as a spending bonanza for businesses that usually remain idle most of the year. 

So by 1920, Jarvis had become disgusted by the commercialization of the holiday she invented. She was repulsed by the idea of Mothers Day becoming a vehicle for capitalism instead of the homage to mothers she had initially envisioned and seen come to fruition. 

Her disgust took the form of a press release in 1920 that chastised florists and greeting card manufacturers as, according to the Chicago Tribune, "charlatans, bandits, pirates, racketeers, kidnappers and termites that would undermine with their greed one of the finest, noblest and truest movements and celebrations."

She then worked just as hard to rescind the National Holiday by going door-to-door asking for signatures to do away with the holiday she helped create. She spent the rest of her life in an unsuccessful attempt to abolish the holiday she created. 

The Fiscal Times projected that $18 billion was spent on Mother's Day last year alone, and people are spending more each year. Esquire's Best Mother's Day Gifts estimates that around $150 is spent on each individual mother, whether it's cards, candies, flowers or chocolates, or something more tangible like slippers and a new robe. 

Nicole Russell of The Atlantic wants a change. She sees Mother's Day as a way to unwind rather than lavish in the gifts that drove Jarvis to change her mind on the holiday so quickly. Writes Russell to conclude her piece today:

"Most moms would rather have dad take the kids on a walk so she can prepare dinner in peace or another set of hands during the evening homework crunch every day, rather than one day of, So honey, it's all about you today, you want pancakes or waffles in bed? This might be easier for men to do-and women to appreciate-than celebrate a ubiquitous, obnoxious holiday with more hype than hope to go around."

Mother's Day gifts don't need to set you back a pretty penny, they just need to make mom feel special. That's all Anna Jarvis wanted: to make her mom feel special, and for all mom's to be appreciated, not draped in the finest goods and offered the best sweets available.  

How was Mother's Day invented?