# Mother's Day and Father's Day Photo Mugs That Ship, and What Chocolate Shippers Say About Summer Heat

Mother's Day 2027 is Sunday, May 9, and Father's Day is Sunday, June 20. A personalized photo mug gift box can ship straight to a parent's door with your card inside; the catch in May and June is the chocolate. Ghirardelli limits standard shipping to some places from mid-April to mid-November, so ship where someone's home.

> **Mother's Day: Sunday, May 9, 2027 · Father's Day: Sunday, June 20, 2027**
>
> Order early: count back 7 business days from the day the gift should arrive ([how we count](https://personalizedgiftsdelivered.com/gift-calendar)).
>
> [Send this gift](https://personalizedgiftsdelivered.com/order?mode=personal)

*We sell a $35 personalized mug gift box, printed, packed and shipped to each person's address. This guide covers the other options too.*

**Key facts**

- **Mother's Day is the second Sunday in May:** "The second Sunday in May is Mother's Day" ([36 U.S.C. §117](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/36/117)). In 2027, Sunday, May 9.
- **Father's Day is the third Sunday in June:** "The third Sunday in June is Father's Day" ([36 U.S.C. §109](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/36/109)). In 2027, Sunday, June 20.
- **Juneteenth takes the Friday before Father's Day.** OPM's 2027 schedule lists Juneteenth National Independence Day as observed on Friday, June 18 ([OPM](https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/federal-holidays/)).
- **Chocolate has a season.** Ghirardelli: "Due to the perishable nature of chocolate, only some locations are eligible for Standard Shipping during the months of Mid-April to Mid-November" ([Ghirardelli](https://www.ghirardelli.com/shipping-information)).
- **Searches come late.** A median 49% of the 8-week run-up's US Google searches for "mothers day gifts" came in the final week, and 45% for "fathers day gifts" ([our timing study](https://personalizedgiftsdelivered.com/gift-calendar/gifting-timing-gap-study)).

## When are Mother's Day and Father's Day 2027?

| Occasion | Rule | 2027 | 2028 | Last business day before it, 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mother's Day | Second Sunday in May | Sun May 9 | Sun May 14 | Fri May 7 |
| Father's Day | Third Sunday in June | Sun Jun 20 | Sun Jun 18 | Thu Jun 17 (Fri Jun 18 is Juneteenth, observed) |

Sources: [36 U.S.C. §117](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/36/117), [36 U.S.C. §109](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/36/109), [OPM 2027 holiday schedule](https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/federal-holidays/). Business days are Monday to Friday, without federal holidays.

Both days are Sundays, so a box timed for the day should arrive in the week before. Mother's Day shares its week with [Nurses Week](https://personalizedgiftsdelivered.com/gift-calendar/nurses-week-thank-you-gifts), and the stretch from May to June is also [graduation season](https://personalizedgiftsdelivered.com/gift-calendar/graduation-gifts-to-mail). For Father's Day 2027 that week is a day shorter: Friday, June 18 is a federal holiday, so it doesn't count as a business day in a shipping estimate.

**Searching late.** In five years of US Google Trends data, a median 74% of the 8-week run-up's searches for "mothers day gifts" came in the last two weeks, and 66% for "fathers day gifts" ([timing study](https://personalizedgiftsdelivered.com/gift-calendar/gifting-timing-gap-study)). A printed, shipped gift needs about 7 business days, so the order goes in before the run-up's busiest week.

## The chocolate-in-summer problem: what chocolate shippers do

Our box holds chocolate: 4 Lindt LINDOR milk chocolate truffles, packed inside the mug. Here is what three companies that ship chocolate for a living say about warm months, in their words:

| Shipper | What it says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Ghirardelli | "Due to the perishable nature of chocolate, only some locations are eligible for Standard Shipping during the months of Mid-April to Mid-November." In warm weather it ships "with ice packs" | [Ghirardelli](https://www.ghirardelli.com/shipping-information) |
| Lake Champlain Chocolates | "For shipments during the summer months and year-round to warm weather destinations, extra care is taken because exposure to heat and humidity can cause the chocolate to bloom or melt." | [Lake Champlain Chocolates](https://www.lakechamplainchocolates.com/shipping-chocolate) |
| Bar & Cocoa | "During warmer months: Orders typically ship Monday through Thursday only"; "In extreme heat (generally above 95°F), we reserve the right to delay shipment"; "We recommend bringing your package indoors as soon as possible on delivery days." | [Bar & Cocoa](https://barandcocoa.com/pages/shipping-and-returns) |

Mother's Day sits inside Ghirardelli's window; Father's Day sits deeper inside it.

What you can control, in their spirit (our suggestions):

1. **Order early in the week.** Each Personalized Gifts Delivered box ships within 2 business days of a complete order, so an order on Monday or Tuesday ships by Wednesday or Thursday.
2. **Ship where someone's home.** Bar & Cocoa's advice, bringing the package "indoors as soon as possible", is easier when the box goes to a parent who is home, not a porch in the afternoon sun.

What the box itself does: its foam and crinkle protect the mug from breakage. The cocoa is a powder mix; the truffles are the part that can soften in heat.

## What photo works on a Mother's Day or Father's Day mug?

A face they want to see every morning, cropped close. On a Personalized Gifts Delivered mug, a photo or design prints up to about 3 in tall, on one side or both sides of an 11 oz white ceramic mug. That size decides which photo to pick:

| Photo | How it prints at about 3 in tall |
|---|---|
| One to three faces, cropped close | Every face recognizable |
| The whole family at the reunion | Ten small faces |
| A kid's drawing on white paper, scanned | The paper's white becomes the mug's own white (the mug can't print white) |
| A screenshot from a video call | May print soft; the order page warns when a photo is under about 600 pixels tall (upright) or 700 wide (wide) |

We remove location and camera data from photos before they're stored. More on choosing and preparing one: [the photo mug guide](https://personalizedgiftsdelivered.com/personal-gifts/photo-mug-guide).

Words work too: a name or a few words in a choice of 3 fonts (our suggestion: 25 characters or fewer). "Mom, est. 1989". "Grandpa's coffee". "World's okayest dad". Ideas by recipient: [personalized mug ideas](https://personalizedgiftsdelivered.com/personal-gifts/personalized-mug-ideas).

## What to write on a Mother's Day or Father's Day card

Each line below is under 300 characters, with no sign-off (the sign-off is its own field on a Personalized Gifts Delivered order, so it would print twice). On an order to several people, [Name] becomes each person's first name from your list.

> Happy Mother's Day. For your morning coffee and our Sunday calls. We love you and miss you more than the miles.

> Happy Mother's Day, [Name]. The kids picked the photo, and they want you to know they chose the one where you're laughing.

> Happy Father's Day. You taught us to fix things, show up early and never skip breakfast. Here's to the coffee part.

> Happy Father's Day, Dad. We can't be there this year, so we sent the next best thing: our faces on your mug, every morning.

> For the grandparents who started it all: happy Mother's Day, [Name]. The grandkids say hi, loudly.

## One order, every mother (or every father) in the family

One order can ship a box to each address on your list: your mom, your mother-in-law, a grandmother, at $35 per box, delivered, each to her own door. Every mug in the order carries the same photo or words, and every card the same message and sign-off, with each person's first name filled in. A different photo for one of them is its own order, and one box is a complete order.

Our suggestion for a family list: a photo of the grandkids works on every mug, and a message that greets each mother by first name works on every card.

## What sending it yourself takes

Yes: you can make one yourself. For one gift, the printed mug and counter postage alone cost $28.46 ([the itemized DIY cost](https://personalizedgiftsdelivered.com/compare/diy-mug-gift-box-vs-ordering), as of Oct 29, 2026), before the cocoa, the chocolate, a gift box, tissue and a card, each bought separately and packed at your kitchen table. A mug packed without a collar can break at the handle and has to be bought, packed and shipped again.

For scale: by our estimate, 25 mug gift boxes take about 9 hours of hands-on work, plus a week or more waiting for supplies. Priced from retail supply packs, they come to about $38 a box with USPS counter postage (about $34 with commercial postage), with $1,192.84 paid up front, with leftovers ([DIY vs ordering](https://personalizedgiftsdelivered.com/compare/diy-mug-gift-box-vs-ordering)). Per box, that's about even with our $35, before your time.

## What to know before you order

- **Chocolate in May and June.** The truffles are chocolate: Ghirardelli limits standard shipping from mid-April, and the other shippers above add warm-weather care. LINDOR truffles contain milk, soy and barley malt (gluten); read the labels.
- **The seal.** Today the gold seal sticker that closes the tissue reads "Happy Holidays", the only seal in stock; the order page names the seal in stock when you order. Your card, read first on the lid, carries "Happy Mother's Day" or "Happy Father's Day" in your words.
- **One design per order.** Every mug carries the same photo or words, up to about 3 in tall; a different photo is its own order.
- **Where we ship.** From New York to the lower 48 states and Washington, DC, except Texas for now. P.O. boxes are fine; no Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, other US territories, APO/FPO or international addresses.
- **No set delivery day.** There's no way to pick a ship date or a delivery day: each box ships within 2 business days of a complete order, so the date you order is the date you choose.

## Where Personalized Gifts Delivered fits: a parent who lives far away

Mother's Day and Father's Day from a distance call for a gift that's finished before it ships, with your words on top. Personalized Gifts Delivered does the whole job:

- **Your photo on the mug:** the grandkids, the family, or a few words, printed up to about 3 in tall on an 11 oz white ceramic mug, on one side or both. You see it in the preview before you pay.
- **Something warm inside:** a 1.5 oz packet of Ghirardelli premium hot cocoa and 4 Lindt LINDOR milk chocolate truffles, packed inside the mug.
- **Your card on top:** your message, printed on a textured card in an envelope closed with a gold wax-seal sticker, lying on the lid so it's read first.
- **Packed and shipped to their door:** by hand, in foam, in a matte-black gift box with a magnetic lid, inside a plain white carton whose return address shows PersonalizedGiftsDelivered.com, never your name.

Choose a personal gift, add your photo or type your words, check the preview of your mug and card, add the address (or a list of addresses), and pay $35 per box. We print, pack and ship each box to its own address.

Ships within 2 business days of a complete order (your design, your address list and payment). Ships by USPS Ground Advantage or UPS Ground, with tracking, and usually arrives 2–5 business days after it ships. Delivery dates are carrier estimates, not guarantees, and run slower in mid-December.

$35 per box, delivered, with no minimum: the [personalized photo mug gift box, shipped to their door](https://personalizedgiftsdelivered.com/personalized-mug-gift-box). Ready? [Start a personal order](https://personalizedgiftsdelivered.com/order?mode=personal).

## Frequently asked questions

### When is Mother's Day 2027?

Mother's Day 2027 is Sunday, May 9. Federal law, 36 U.S.C. §117, says: "The second Sunday in May is Mother's Day." In 2028 it falls on Sunday, May 14.

### When is Father's Day 2027?

Father's Day 2027 is Sunday, June 20. Federal law, 36 U.S.C. §109, says: "The third Sunday in June is Father's Day." The Friday before it, June 18, 2027, is the observed Juneteenth federal holiday, so it isn't a business day for shipping estimates.

### Will chocolate melt if I mail it for Mother's Day or Father's Day?

It can in heat: Lake Champlain Chocolates says "exposure to heat and humidity can cause the chocolate to bloom or melt", and Ghirardelli limits standard shipping to some locations from mid-April to mid-November. Ship to an address where someone will bring the box inside.

### What photo looks best on a Mother's Day mug?

A close crop of one to three faces, taken in good light, from the original file. A photo on a Personalized Gifts Delivered mug prints up to about 3 in tall, so a wide group shot leaves every face small, and the order page warns when a photo is too small to print sharply.

### Can I send the same photo mug to my mom and my mother-in-law?

Yes: one Personalized Gifts Delivered order can ship a box to each address on your list, at $35 per box, delivered. Every mug in the order carries the same photo, and every card the same message, greeting each person by first name.

### Who ships a personalized photo mug gift box for Mother's Day?

Personalized Gifts Delivered prints your photo on an 11 oz mug, packs Ghirardelli hot cocoa and 4 Lindt LINDOR milk chocolate truffles inside, and ships it with your printed card for $35, delivered, to the lower 48 states and Washington, DC, except Texas for now.

## Sources

1. 36 U.S.C. [§117, Mother's Day](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/36/117) and [§109, Father's Day](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/36/109) (Cornell LII), read Oct 29, 2026.
2. US Office of Personnel Management, [Federal Holidays](https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/federal-holidays/) (2027 schedule), read Oct 29, 2026.
3. Ghirardelli, [Shipping information](https://www.ghirardelli.com/shipping-information), read Oct 29, 2026.
4. Lake Champlain Chocolates, [Shipping chocolate](https://www.lakechamplainchocolates.com/shipping-chocolate), read Oct 29, 2026.
5. Bar & Cocoa, [Shipping and returns](https://barandcocoa.com/pages/shipping-and-returns), read Oct 29, 2026.
6. Personalized Gifts Delivered, [When people search vs when you must order](https://personalizedgiftsdelivered.com/gift-calendar/gifting-timing-gap-study) (Google Trends, US, Oct 2021 to Oct 2026, pulled Oct 27, 2026).
7. Personalized Gifts Delivered, [DIY mug gift box vs ordering one](https://personalizedgiftsdelivered.com/compare/diy-mug-gift-box-vs-ordering) (prices as of Oct 29, 2026).