Readers, this morning I lied to you. I told you that I was reading lots of men’s blogs recently because I like menswear (still true) but really, your girl is getting desperate with the gifts. My co-worker is already done Christmas shopping and I’m feeling the heat. Luckily, Christmas is kind of a ways, but I get nervous because things start running out fast – much like the flights that I purchased last night and sort of like the mini Christmas trees at Walmart yesterday that were non-existent.
I have trouble shopping for presents every year and this year I have one more present to buy. So I decided to ask some dear friends of mine what they got for their significant others when they celebrated their first Christmas together – not necessarily on Christmas day, but doing the whole gift exchange and what not. There were a lot of different ideas thrown around, some of which I will definitely be using myself over the next few years. For example, one of my friends and her partner love to travel, so she researched how to make a t-shirt quilt and made him a homemade t-shirt quilt with all of their visited places on it. How sweet is that? And I’m also asking my friends out of curiosity because trust – I have seen many gift exchanges go wrong.
- guy gifting girl an iPod touch
- girl gifting guy a beer-making kit
- guy gifting girl an $18 pair of tickets to Adele, dinner out, and a movie
- guy gifting girl Me&Ro stackable rings
- guy gifting girl a Michael Kors watch
- girl gifting guy a pair of Personalised Photo Socks if they want to make them laugh or smile when they open up their present
- girl gifting guy clothes, a book about wine after going wine tasting together and origami stars inspired by Pinterest with sayings on them and each star counting down the days until she moved back from school
- girl gifting guy a sweater because it was safe enough to be an acceptable gift and wasn’t so serious that if it didn’t work out she would be out of too much money
- girl gifting guy something usually related to an inside joke. It’s safe. You can usually find something funny or related to an inside joke with these Cadeaux Personnaliss (personalized gifts) if you know your partner would appreciate a laugh this Christmas.
- guy gifting girl a nice little handbag she wanted
- guy gifting girl a set of books by her favorite author
- girl gifting guy a “memory book” with memories and pictures of things they did and a wallet because he needed one
- girl gifting guy with a finger puppet of a kangaroo fetus (see here for reference) HOBviously a personalized gift
- girl gifting guy a homemade book about their love filled with pictures and quotations and real art purchased at Seattle Art Walk
- guy gifting girl with a fantastic Christmas celebration dinner and moleskine for the new year and two new canvases
- girl gifting guy with a homemade fleece blanket
- guy will be gifting girl a bottle of Princess Bride wine after having a 6-year history together. It’s a combination of one of their favorite alcohols and a movie they’ve always loved.
- guy gifting girl unfortunately with a Tiffany’s necklace. (His words not mine)
- girl will be gifting guy with gift certificates for massages because he works out a lot and has sore muscles
One gift idea that I really liked however was a customized Foto Portemonnaie (photo wallet) that my friend from Germany bought for her husband. I thought it was such a lovely idea and this would definitely be something I would consider buying too.
Readers, do you feel as inspired as I do right now? Kevin just sat down next to me and said, “It’s Christmas. Gift don’t matter.” Why, thank you Grinch – but to be honest, he’s kind of right. There’s no use in pulling your hair out trying to find the perfect gift because what it comes down to – what it always comes down to – is thought and intentionality.