Gift Giving (For Your Spouse) 101

By Tawny May 

I know how it goes…

I could get him a shirt!
Naw, he has like a million.
I got could get him basketball shoes!
Freak. What if I get the wrong color or style and he just hates them?

Or...

I could buy her a pearl necklace!
Naw, she’d probably just take it back and then hint that she’d rather have a bigger diamond...

And then you decide instead to settle on generic gift card and suddenly your thoughtful Christmas presents have deteriorated into a little piece of plastic with whatever amount of money you choose to put on there. You really tried to be thoughtful! You really wanted to be generous and do something he (or she) would appreciate! But man, getting presents for your spouse is hard. Well, ladies and gents, look no further. Here is an inconclusive list for thoughtful, meaningful, and (mostly) FREEEEEEEEE Christmas presents you can give your lover.

​I promise it won’t disappoint:

FROM: WIFE
TO: HUSABAND

• Ladies, just….communicate. Use words. TELL HIM what you’re thinking. Try talking instead of just thinking. TELL HIM if he does something that makes you mad/sad/frustrated/depressed….or happy/ecstatic/grateful/whatever! Men suck at mind reading (no offense), so why are we surprised every time they don’t magically know what we’re thinking?!! Think word vomit--just let it out. (Start with small increments like an hour or a night, then work your way up.)
• Kidnap him and take him to a sport’s game (surprise!)
• Organize one of his messiest drawers
• Iron some of his favorite shirts (that he never wears because they’re so wrinkled)
• Wash, detail, clean and/or vacuum his car
• Take the trash out for him
• VOUCHERS: You bet. For whatever! You know what he wants--
  • Free day to hang out with his friends
  • Free hour of video games (void of all your nagging or complaining)
  • Sexual favor
  • Fish dinner (or something he might not eat a ton of because you're not a fan)
  • Meal of his choice
  • A free pass out of a social event with no guilt
  • Homemade cookies
  • Get-out-of-diaper-change free card
  • No complaining from his wife for a week
  • Night out with the boys
  • A shooting outing
  • $100 gear spree (when there’s cash)
  • A promise that you’ll tell him what you want for your birthday/anniversary/Christmas.  Gift buying made easy 101​​ 

FROM: HUSBAND
TO: WIFE

• Pay her a sincere compliment each day
• Better yet...keep a journal of why you love her for a month or a year and GIVE IT TO HER on a special day...she’ll melt into your arms!
• Long conversation/pillow talk
• Tell her why you love her every night with a snuggle and a kiss in bed
• She gets the remote or gets to DJ for a week
• Reenact one of your first dates...PDA and lovey-dovey language and all!
• VOUCHERS for…
  • Laundry. Period.
  • One free venting session (and you, the husband, won’t interject with potential solutions)
  • A back rub, arm tickle, head massage
  • One free chick flick
  • One date that she plans the whoooooole thing
  • A girl’s night
  • One dinner prepared and cleaned up by the husband : )
• Tell her you’re taking the kids out. AKA she’d have a quiet night at home to do whatever she wanted. She could even sleep!
• A general rule… PAY ATTENTION. Girls may play coy sometimes, but she drops hints. Whether it’s staring with heart eyes at a pair of shoes or actually saying, “I wish I had those cute, grey flats!” if you pay attention to what she says, you could know just what she wants and them BAM. Surprise! You can get it for her. And she’ll be so touched by how thoughtful you are.

This week may be Christmas, but these ideas and principles hold strong and true year-round. You can go ahead and test, try, and add to my list. I’d be thrilled!

Photo Credit: Caitlinn Mahar-Daniels

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