Man’s Christmas List 2009
Our first collaborative post comes to you in the form of this Christmas idea list. Rather than explicit list of stuff that my man wants, he wanted the chance to give generic advice to the internets about how to shop for a guy.
Pamper him in a manly way. Under no circumstances get holiday themed sweaters or things he’ll be expected to use in front of others to show you pamper him (ties, tacky BBQ aprons, etc.). Shaving sets are good because they are explicitly masculine and consumable.
Indulge his inner (nerd, gamer, carpenter, fisher, whatever). This shows you know what he’s actually interested in. This explains the D&D books, dice, cubicle toys and video games going to a grown man.
Emphasize experiences over stuff or at least stuff that inspires experiences. This would explain the canoe, outdoor GPS, free weights and biking shoes. They all play into things he already likes to do and show that I support them.
There are certain things where quality matters. Tools, sports equipment and tech fall under this category. It makes men harder to shop for because when he says I want a drill I get him a drill and then mysteriously he needs another one less than a year later. I learned my lesson and when I bought him a case for his laptop I went out and got one that makes his laptop super secure even if he drops it, rather than just getting him a functional sleeve.
Physical media is dead, but… Guys intrinsically dislike complications and clutter. “Why would anyone need that many shoes? They don’t serve different purposes.” So if you’re going to get books, cds, games, DVDs, Bluray, whatever, make it either consumable (Dilbert calendar, novel to be donated after reading, latest video game) or make it classic (Best of Queen, his favorite can’t miss TV show on DVD, etc.)
December 15th, 2009 at 16:26
Just a heads up that Kotula’s, Kotulas.com, a catalog for guys’ gifts, is offering free shipping on everything ordered for Christmas by December 16.
Kotula’s offers goofy, unique, and useful guy gifts.
December 15th, 2009 at 18:46
Thanks for the heads up. I’ll check it out.