Halloween has passed, which means the holidays are soon coming. So with this in mind I've complied a short list of gift giving ideas. More specifically, what NOT to get a man. Enjoy!
#1: PJ's
We don't care if you think they look cute or not. Pajamas are for boys not men. Most men like to sleep free and easy and as naked as possible. Getting us PJ's is like when we get you that "girls soap n shit" package. Sure you mean well, and you think we'll use it, but really it's not going to see the light of day and will likely end up doing double duty as car chamois and oil rag.
#2: A card.
Are you kidding me? If we thought cards were great, we'd get YOU cards. Obviously since you barely see us in the card aisle unless someone is dead or dying, it's not a place to buy a gift for a man. It doesn't matter if it's got a scantily clad woman on it, a clever cartoon, or some crack about "getting old". Cards are the throw aways and you'd be better off just getting him a roll of toilet paper because in his mind, they're just as shitty.
#3: Sports memorabilia ....for the wrong team.
So you had a great idea, get him memorabilia from a sports team. The problem is you don't know what team to get. Here's a hint..it's IMPORTANT. If a girl gets her guy a sports jersey, kudos. If it's for a team he doesn't follow or worse yet is HIS team's ultimate rival....you were better off getting nothing at all. Think of this as the equivalent of your man buying you a cute dress, that's 3 sizes too big. Sure...it's still a cute dress...but you can't help but feel really insulted. So don't get memorabilia unless you know with 100% certainty that you're getting the right team.
#4: How-to-books...for things YOU want/nag him to do.
For example, getting a how-to book on organizing closets...so he can organize your closet, or getting a how-to book on "how to be a better lover"....but...isn't he already Don Juan? Ouch! Unless you know for sure that it's something he's expressed an interest in knowing or improving, getting a how-to book is just insulting. It implies he's not perfect...and who wants to be told they're not perfect on their birthday, Christmas, or anniversary....or...well...ever?
#5: A Tie
Nothing says "I don't have a clue" like buying a man a tie. If he's the type that needs to wear a tie to work, chances are he already has a bunch of these and knows what he likes and what he doesn't like. If he's the type that DOESN'T need to wear a tie to work, he will smile, nod, and promptly put this in the bottom of the sock drawer never to be seen again.
#6: A novelty coffee cup
I know you spent all of 30mins picking it out of a huge display of mugs at the dollar store, but really a novelty coffee cup is destined for the junk heap, or at the very least the back of the cupboard on the highest shelf. When it comes to eating, drinking and sleeping men like it quick, easy, and practical...keep this in mind.
#7: GPS for the car
This seems like the perfect solution to the "Never asks directions" dilemma, but really you're telling your man he lacks direction, has poor social skills, can't read a map, and has to be told where to go. Essentially you totally castrated the primal hunter he may of thought he was.
This list is purposefully short. If there is anything think needs to be mentioned that I've missed, feel free to add your own.
Comments (219)
you know what's worse than a card? en e-card. :)
Haha, nothing I got him is on there! yay! I did get him pj pants, but he wears those around the house a lot.
Now... if you can so kindly create a list of gifts to give a man:D This post was hilarious! I have to admit ties 'were' on my list of gift giving... not anymore. :x
hm.....
Keys >=]
to a car you put a down payment on and does not plan on paying the rest xD
I can just imagine all the relationships in those commercials going down the drain :P
i bought my ex a card, and he loved it.
especially what it said.
so yeah, cards are good.
hah
Basically just don't get a guy a gift in general. Nothing will be that great, and it's better we get nothing than something useless and you waste your money on it. Or maybe that's just me, I don't like getting gifts heh.
ugh... I would hate it if my girl got me any sports memorabilia.
And, I like pajama pants. Most comfortable things to wear, ever. I am wearing some right now. :D
Solid.
@lovezpassion@xanga - What TO get will vary depending on the man. I always liked it when my girlfriends got me new art supplies that I needed, or comics, movies, or video games. I never could have cared less about anything to do with sports. Fortunately most guys are pretty transparent with what they want, and don't try to "drop hints" like the female gender supposedly does.
Music is hit or miss with me. Usually miss.
@Ambrosius_Augustus_Rex@xanga - pretty practical, like men in general. I can do that :) I was told once that a subscription to a magazine (involving his interest) was a good gift idea. My ex once did that for me, and being on the recieving end, I thought it was brilliant!
#3 is pretty bad, especially if you buy a team that is a huge rival-it would be a wrap after that.
i always buy my boyfriend cards. he loves them.
and the other day i bought him pj's.
he wears them when he's mooching around the house, and/or everynight to bed.
he says they're comfy. haha, he's a sweet heart though <3
@MissPixieGlitter@xanga - My mother send me a E-card for my 30th birthday a month ago ...
@lovezpassion@xanga - Sounds like a plan, or if you're ever in a store or something and he says "that's cool" about something then it might be another idea. And there's always the direct approach like, "Hey what do you want for your birthday?" Questions like that don't offend most guys. A magazine subscription is a good idea if he likes to read. I know I like to read but some guys hate it. My old girlfriends were always pretty smart about buying gifts for me. Not good when it came to much else but they had that much of it down.
well the gps doesn't sound like a bad idea. i'm sure my bf wouldn't mind. i think he actually wants one o.O....
My dad likes pjs... because he's older and older men seem to sleep in pjs.
@Ambrosius_Augustus_Rex@xanga - "Not good when it came to much else but they had that much of it down." ouch! haha, anyway.. thanks for the ideas!
actually, gps are pretty handy, my bf was thrilled to get one from his parents a year ago. .. just sayin.
COPING WITH PREMATURE EJACULATION. LOLOL.
ya sports stuff is tough because I at least am really picky about even the stuff that is my team, but the ideal situation would be to find a girl who loves football as much as me who would know exactly what to buy
helpful post,, but now i have no idea what to get them =(
I wouldn't put the GPS on the list. It really depends
If your guy happens to be a really tech-savvy guy (like me), a GPS is much appreciated. Just make sure you do some research before you buy it. Like check the options and search algorithms. Working with a GPS with lousy routing algorithm is enough to drive anyone insane.
as for the tie, if you absolutely have to buy one, DO NOT get a generic one. It needs to be a novelty tie. So a good example (take notes, girls, because I want this...) would be a Dilbert tie. You know, the one that has a J shape to it. For some others, maybe it's one that's of their favorite sports team. Just know what makes your guy tick and purchase the tie accordingly.
@daedalus25@xanga - uhhh.....this make work for you bud....but for the rest of us that actually wear ties..."novelty" ties are horribly tacky and can't be worn outside without an accompanying paper bag to place over our head.
@just_like_air@xanga - I'll try to write a post to help with that, give me a couple of days kk? lol