When it comes to the main man in your life, gifting can be the
worst. You spend so much time with this person yet your stumped when that special day draws near, especially when you're on a budget.
I was inspired to do some man-gift hunting when a coworker of mine wanted to deliver her boyf something to cheer him up at work after a bad day. Super thoughtful, only one problem.... What the heck do you get him??? Flowers? Too girly. Chocolates? Too love dovey. Gift card? Too boring and not thoughtful. Buy him lunch? You do that all the time. Now my girlfriend is stuck with an adorable idea and no way to get it out to her man.
Time to tap in to the male psyche... I have to confess I'm not great at this upon instinct. You have to consider both parties here: the woman and the man.
The Lady
The woman wants to her gift to be well-received (we women are always thinking about ourselves - selfish brats). We want to be sentimental, but not cheesy. We want our men to put the gift to good use, but don't want it to be so "
every-day" that it doesn't seem special. We want it to be whimsical and cool so that they can show it off to their buddies, proudly. We want other women to say "Wow, GREAT IDEA. I'm going to do that for my man." Most importantly we want it trump the last perfectly, awesome gift we gave him.
We women, have ridiculous standards. Let's not forget this gift isn't for us, its for him.
The Man
He wants his gift to be something he actually
wants. The man wants a treat, something out of the norm, yet something he's been eying for some time. Maybe he's dropped hints to his lady, or maybe he was sharing something he intended to buy but finances didn't allow for it. He wants to feel appreciated (who doesn't), but never lose the role of "the man in the relationship." He wants to gloat indirectly to his wingmen. In other words, he wants the gift to do the talking.
How to let the gift do the talking
1.
Do your research. Has he dropped hints while you both are out and about? Maybe he's missing a piece to something he already has.... a camera, sports equipment, a techy gadget. Is there something that needs to be replaced of his? A wallet, phone, iPod, shoes, watch...
2.
Be practical. A lot of times we get carried away. This shouldn't be stressful, it should be fun. Ask yourself, "Does he really want this?" or "Will he actually use this?" We are so close to this person sometimes that we forget the essence of who they are and what they enjoy.
3.
Don't spend money, just to spend money. In relationships, we often try to outdo ourselves and each other when it comes to gifts. Stay within your budget. Don't intimidate your partner with dollars; show them how much you
care. That's the good stuff. My man is always telling me "Stop trying to be a hero," which totally pisses me off, but he's right. We aren't millionaires (yet) so why do we try to spend like one?
The gift
Here are some ideas that I would consider getting my man. Granted these won't work for everyone simply because you aren't us. However, I DO believe they'll get your juices flowing and help get you out of the man-gift rut!
Were I've gotten good, goods:
coolmaterials.com,
CXXVI.net,
redenvelope.com,
urbanoutfitters.com,
obey.com.
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| WeWood Watches |
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| Clarks Shoes |
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| Grown Wooden Sunnies |
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| Obey iPhone Cases |
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| Redenvelope.com Personalized Bottle Opener |
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| CXXVI |
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| Roll Up Travel Charger from Restoration Hardware |
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| Slouch Beanie from Urban Outfitters |
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| Whoa Socks from Urban Outfitters |
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