A one in five chance of having a happy Mother's Day

Take Mom out to brunch or dinner in a nice restaurant. Wash and wax her car. Make her breakfast in bed. 

With these and other simple but thoughtful gift ideas for Mom on Mother's Day, we wonder about recent promotions for lottery tickets and charity gift cards. 

Sure, giving to charity is great. But is a charity gift card from you to Mom really a gift to her or to someone else (not to mention the fees these cards typically charge)? How about just giving her the cash and letting her make her own donation—she'll get the added bonus of the potential tax deduction that goes along with it. 

And while spending a $1 on a lottery ticket may give Mom a 20 percent chance of winning from $1 to $5,000, it's more likely that her gift will just end up being a worthless piece of paper destined for the recycling bin. 

What makes a good Mother's Day gift? Post your comments below.—Anthony Giorgianni