We all know how it goes- men claim that they're "soooo easy to shop for", but how many past gifts are left boxed and stashed away? You can only give a man so much cologne, and while they [usually] will use it, when is enough really enough? I don't know about you, but I'm tired of giving the same old presents year after year. Sadly, my husband is at the age where he doesn't even want presents anymore. How un-American of him. Well, I refuse to let old age get the best of him!
Black Friday is this week, and Christmas is soon to follow, so I've devised a system to help you figure out what your man wants most, as well as a list of my own suggestions.
1) Make a list of your man's interests. Is he a man's man (football, UFC, hunting, etc.) or a tech geek at heart (the latest gadgets, video games, comicons, etc)? Write them all down so you have a lot to go off of.
2) What is his weekly routine? If you want to get him something he'll actually use, this one is important. My husband's routine goes something like this: Monday-Fridays: hit snore then crawl out of bed for work, spend an hour+ in the car going to and from work. Come home, relax by watching TV or playing xbox. Weekends: Poker, football, xbox.
3) Based on his routine, put 2 & 2 together. My husband spends a lot of time at work and in the car. It'd make sense for me to get him tools, a GPS or something to make his journeys more pleasant. When he's home, he relaxes with his xbox (home wrecker). I'd get him a game, a renewal for his membership or something of the sort.
4) Pay attention to him. Yes, I know there are a billion different video games and a billion different accessories, so how do you know which one he'll like best? Listen to him when he says, "I can't wait until the new [game] comes out!" Or notice what he wears/uses most. For example, our first Christmas together, my husband bought me a watch. I never, ever wear watches and rarely wear bracelets. Needless to say, the watch didn't get much use at the time. Does your husband wear watches? Cufflinks? Ties?
5) Don't buy something that YOU like with the hopes that *maybe* he'll like it. In other words, a book on marriage counseling probably is a no.
Now that that's out of the way, let's move on to the best part of today's post:
MY FAVORITE GIFTS FOR MEN OF 2012
#1. Xbox 360 Chatpad $21.99
This little gizmo is perfect for your gamer or anyone who uses their xbox to watch Netflix.
#2. My Top Game Selections approx. $60 each
Basketball, football and a shooting game. I don't think you can go wrong with either of these, but make sure to pick a style (sports vs. shooting) that your man will actually enjoy- this goes with my pay attention rule.
#3 Team Watch $16
#4. Wireless FM Car Transmitter $17.98
You can buy this exact one here. Unless you have a newer model car, chances are that yours doesn't have an auxiliary port to playback your awesome MP3 tunage. Interesting fact- 46% of Americans own a smart phone. Your man probably has one. Hook him up with some commercial-free music for his commutes to and from work.
#5. Dashboard Phone Mount $20
Buy this one here! Since so many people have smart phones with built-in map apps, I'm sure the need for a real GPS will soon be obsolete. Make your man a safer driver by keeping his eyes near the road when traveling to unknown lands, rather than having him glance down every 3 minutes to figure out his next turn.
#6. 19 in 1 Swiss+Tech Keychain MultiTool $10
Buy it here! This is one bad mamba-jamba. I don't know if it's just me, but I know that I'd feel safe during the zombie apocalypse if my man had one of these bad boys attached to his fanny pack!
#7. Dewalt 45 Piece Screwdriver Set $19.25
Get it here. Maybe it's a woman thing, but I can see no reason at all that a man would need 45 different heads for a single tool. In any case, this is a hot commodity in the man world.
#8. Mag-Lite LED Flashlight $25
This is another one of those objects that I just don't understand the desire to ask for as a present. As women, we like jewelry and make up and injecting our faces with chemicals, but men, well, men like flashlights.
#9. A Wallet
Buy this one for $21.99 here. A woman would never leave home without her purse just as a man would never leave home without his wallet. Buy him a nice one and he's sure to use it every day.
#10. Cufflinks
Each pair is under $25 and can be found here! Is your working man the nerdy type? Buy him these awesome cufflinks to accessorize his drone work attire with. He's sure to think of you all day long as he fidgets with them!
Well, that's all I have to share with you, but Christmas is still over a month away, so I'll be sure to share more gift ideas between now and then. Until next time and Happy Thanksgiving!
