OT, Help with gift ideas for wife

[stryped1]

I have been married 20 years and feel like I have bought everything there I for Christmas presents. Does anyone out there have ay ideas for a good Christmas gift for my wife? I really appreciate it!

[Stormin Mormon]

Years ago, Rush Limbaugh in one of his books reported how a bunch of feminists demanded entrance / membership to an all mens club. After some law suits, the courts finally forcd the mens group to admit women.

Upset by all the oogling they got in the gym and using

the exercise machines, the women then demanded a private women only exercise room They were then given an empty room.

Not to be deterred, thy demanded exercise machines. And the courts upheld the ruling.

Shortly after that, in the womens only exercise room appeared a vacuum cleaner, an ironing board, and a washing machine.

[Frank]

I've been married over 50 years and still have this problem.

I've been pecking away at Amazon and wandering around stores hoping something would strike my fancy to buy her.

Women Christmas shop all year and buy stuff as much as a year in advance. Guy was telling me that his wife has to look around the house before Christmas to see what gifts she had bought during the year as she had forgotten ;)

[philoÂÂ]

My wife and I have been together for 20 years. (But we only have been married four years.)

Guess what? We do not exchange presents.

Here is how that came about:

One Christmas many years ago, she asked me for something sparkly and shiny . I had a new, shiny muffler put on her car.

That should have stopped the exchange of presents right there...but a few years later, she tried again.

Though I never required my wife to be a good cook, she is absolutely the best...and likes to cook...but she hated my "bachelor pad" cooking utensils and always wanted me to get good, stainless steel cookery.

One day I got tired of this and said. "All right, off to the shopping mall we go and you can get /anything/ you want."

She double checked with me since I'm such a cheapskate and I confirmed, "Anything." I figured she'd get the best & I'd have to shell out $1000.

Since I hate malls, she went in and told me she'd get me once she made the decision.

Not really that much later she came out and again confirmed that I would buy her anything she wanted...and again I agreed.

Damn...she marched me into the jewelry store and had me buy her the biggest diamond they had!

Though it was a lot of money, it was within my budget.

I later told my daughter (previous marriage) what happened and she said:

"You mean she engaged herself to you?"

I said, "YEP".

But that was not good enough, ten years later she proposed to me so we got married. (Proposal hell, it was an ultimatum.)

And now you know why there are NO exchanges of presents in this house.

If you are good for each other, that is present enough.

[Todd]

Hi Stryped1,

Here is the secret. The little things matter as much if not more than the big things. I have to watch her every move for the next three weeks. You are looking at the things she uses that are little things: the favorite bar of soap she has trouble purchasing, her favorite apple she has trouble finding, her favorite coffee she can't seems to get this time of the year. You have to be observant.

And when you get it right, she will remember it forever (that you actually paid attention). And you may get off for under $10.00.

Once, my wife was looking for a particular set of measuring spoons that she could not find for several years. They fit perfectly in both the dishwasher and her silverware drawer. I found them. She remembers it to this day. I got off for under $2.00. But you can't just get her "any" measuring spoons, you have to get her "the" measuring spoons.

So you can actually get away with buying her a spatula or a cook book. But, it has to be "the" spatula/cook book. YOU HAVE GOT TO PAY ATTENTION!

And, if you don't, then you have to fall back on the "big" things -- expensive jewelry, etc.. By the way, they forget about the "big" things far sooner than the "little" things.

-T

And absolutely NO $2.00 / gallon Walmart knock off perfume, least she get even with you and buy you an electric razor (also know as an electric face massager or electric hair puller).

[dadiOH]

Emeralds are nice. I suspect she would really, really, REALLY appreciate one of about 3 carats in a platinum necklace :)

NOTE: there are natural emeralds and there are Chatham (manufactured) emeralds. Main difference - IIRC - is that if you heat a Chatham it doesn't disintegrate. Nevertheless, I think natural are nicer, YMMV. There are other "created" emeralds as well, don't even consider them.

[Bob]

A deluxe vacuum cleaner to help her do her women's work better. This is no place to get cheap. She'll appreciate a top-of-the-line vacuum.

Don't forget small cleaning tools like toilet brushes make excellent stocking-stuffers.

[Todd]

Don't forget things of your own labor. If you make her a nice Christmas dinner she will like it. If you clean up the pots and pans afterwards, she will love it!

See if you can relieve her of any of her routine chores for the day.

Remember that wives do not care to put their chores on hold for a day, just to have to do double time the next day.

But, you have to PAY ATTENTION to what those chores are! And do them they way "she" wants them, not the way "you" want them. Tip: take a piece of already folder clothing out of the drawer and duplicate it. Don't guess how to fold things on your own.

My wife loves "the slave for a day" for her birthday. You should she that woman's eyes sparkle. Doesn't cost me a cent either!

-T

[Todd]

Bob is being funny and he is.

But, you can actually get away with these kinds of gifts If they are "the" toilet brushes she loves and has not been able to find forever.

And a vacuum cleaner has to be the one that will not hurt her back that she has wanted for ages but felt guilty getting a new one because of the cost, yada, yada, yada. (The best are Sebo.)

[CRNG]

On Wed, 3 Dec 2014 11:06:55 -0800 (PST), [e-mail] wrote in

[Stormin Mormon]

On 12/3/2014 2:44 PM, Frank wrote: look around the house

bought during the year as she

That's my approach. Give away stuff I bought during the year.

- . Christopher A. Young Learn about Jesus

.

[Frank]

Walter Williams had a routine around Christmas subbing for Limbaugh where he described going through the house and looking at his wife's stuff like vacuum cleaner, pots and pans, and ironing board to see if she needed new ones for Christmas.

[Todd]

I remember that one. Hysterical.

[Ed Pawlowski]

I always get my wife at least one memorable gift. One year was an oil filter, another was a hammer.

[Brock O'Bama]

Awesome! At only $14.88 ea, I can get her two, one for upstairs and one for downstairs. I'm going to be really popular on Christmas morning!

[Brock O'Bama]

How bout I just order her favorite pizza?

...and throw the pizza box and Chinet away when were done eating?

[Todd]

Depends on if she likes pizza and you order "her" favorite pizza. It is all about "paying attention".

I once got away with buy her her favorite apples that she could not find for over a year. But, you see, it was "her" favorite apple that she could not find, not just any apple.

And, while eating the pizza, rent a chick flick that she has wanted to see for ever (hide the barf bag). Remember that wives think spending time with them is also a treat (it is).

[Todd]

Now you are being funny (and you are).

If you live in a multi story house AND she has trouble lifting the vac up and down the stairs, then a vac for each story is a great idea. But you have to pay attention. Is her back hurting lifting the vac? Are you getting her "the" vac she has always wanted? You get the process.

[Todd]

Speaking of hammers. My wife is always looking for a tool for this or that. One year Ace had a little miniature hammer that was Pink and had flowers all over it. It unscrewed and had kinds of screwdrivers, etc.. She loved it. She still laughs at the hammer part too. And, if I ask nicely, she will occasionally let me use it.

You got to pay attention! Otherwise you are going to have to buy her off with $$$$$$ jewelry.

Remember that the little things matter as much or more than the big things.

[Moe DeLoughan]

If you are having trouble thinking of things for her to own, perhaps you could purchase her something to do. Does she like to travel? Perhaps you could give her a card promising her a vacation trip to the destination of her choice (details limited by budget, of course). Or if there is a class she'd like to take, a craft she'd like to learn, an activity she'd like to do (by herself or with you), even a local outing such as a nice dinner and a play at the local theater.

It can help a lot to call one or two of her good friends. Confide in them that you want to buy her something nice, and tell them you're consulting with them because you really want to make sure you get her something she will enjoy. They can tell you if she's been wishing for something. If you have any adult daughters, you can also ask your daughter if her mom's talked about anything she'd really like to have or do.

Fallback plan, especially for those on a limited budget: scour the house for your old photo albums. Pick a selection of memorable photos and have copies made. Pick a time when your wife's not home and go through her things. She may have saved stuff from your courtship and early years of marriage. Swipe some of her mementos. Write one or two sentences or captions for each photo and icon, telling her what made that moment/memory special for you. Put them all together into a memory book, or have them framed as a collection. And when she unwraps it, tell her you wanted her to always know just how *you* thought and felt about *her* during each of those moments portrayed in the photos and mementos. Then she'll know how important she always was to you, and is still.

Plus, if you're handy, you can save money by framing the collection yourself.