25. Tickets to See the NEW Star Wars
Ok if your man is like mine, he LOVES Star Wars. And he has been on a mission to have me watch all 6 (hey babe at least I know there are 6) movies with him. He has been thinking about going to see the new one since it was rumored to be coming out. So I KNOW tickets to see the movie would be a HUGE hit for him. The big bonus to this gift...which is optional for you but will really pay off if you do it...is to GO WITH HIM to see the movie.
My husband and friends have been bonding over the fact that us wives know virtually nothing about Star Wars and have little to no interest in the new movie. If your husband is like mine, how surprised would he be if you bought tickets to the first showing AND went with him?!?!?!? I bet he would be on top of the world with excitement. Unfortunately, my husband now has a jump on my secrets ;) but it's not too late for you.
24. Good Casual Shoes
Ok, ok this one is something I want, but Aaron loves his Sperry's so much that he wears through them really quickly. I do love my man in Sperry's but there are other good casual shoe options out there too.
Aaron's current Sperry Topsiders
23. Video Games/Consoles
Last year for Christmas, my very fortunate husband was gifted the XBOX One Bundle of his choosing. Yes, I was nominated as "wife of the year". Although I have to say, it is a pretty great console. I just wish the games weren't so expensive. The good news is that XBOX has just made the XBOX One backwards compatible, meaning that old XBOX 360 games will work on the new console. That will save us some money since we have plenty of 360 games and if you are purchasing 360 games they are usually cheaper than the XBOX One games. Obviously this gift isn't in everyone's budget. However, good deals can be found. It just takes a little bit of looking. Last year Best Buy had a misprint in their store circular that made the bundle Aaron wanted $100 cheaper than they had intended to sell it for. I jumped on that opportunity and was able to afford my husband's dream present. Check weekly ads of places like Best Buy, Target, Game Stop, and anywhere else you can purchase XBOX consoles.
22. A Good Quality Pocket Knife
This is a good utility to have. I can't tell you the number of times Aaron or I has been in a situation where we needed a pocket knife. You can get lots of different types, sizes, and styles of pocket knives so make sure you do a little digging as to what he would like. Aaron has a Benchmade knife and it is a fantastic knife with "amazing quality" or so my husband says. The only thing is, be careful your man doesn't accidentally head off to the airport with it in his pocket. My dad lost his favorite pocket knife going through security at PDX airport.
21. Comfortable Jeans
We actually went shopping for these TODAY. He really needed new jeans and couldn't wait until Christmas so we picked up a couple pairs for him. My husband is really fit and has quite the "ba-donk" due to his love-hate relationship with squats. Sometimes jean shopping for him isn't as easy as it sounds. He has a narrow waist, bigger butt, and strong thighs. Finding the right fitting jeans for him is almost as difficult as finding jeans for myself...ALMOST. Today we found some amazing Levis he liked that fit him well. He had been wearing Levis 501s with the button fly (man I love him in those), but they are too tight these days. We recently discovered Levis 541s or the "Athletic Fit" jeans which come in for his narrow waist but give him more room for his legs and butt.
20. Stylish Flannel Shirt
Ok, this is kind of a gift for myself. First, who doesn't love seeing a broad shouldered handsome man in a flannel shirt? And second, what woman doesn't want to snuggle up to that man with his soft fabric on strong shoulders. Hang on while I day dream a little......... Ok now I'm back. Anyway, he will look great, boosting his confidence, and you'll love looking at him.
So these aren't pictures of my husband, but I'd like to think Aaron is sexier than this...which means flannel shirts here I come!
19. Kindle
It doesn't have to be a "Kindle". These days there are plenty of options out there for your electronic book needs. I personally like to read physical books. Its something about the feel of the pages and smell of the paper that makes it more fulfilling when I read. However, I do have a Kindle Fire that was given to me as a Christmas present almost 4 years ago. I absolutely love my Kindle Fire. I should use it more than I do. I don't actually use it to read books as the fire is more of a tablet. Aaron has a traditional Kindle for reading. He loves it, and uses it a lot. Its a great way for him to take multiple books with him on trips or when traveling without having to haul books around with him. It also has a water proof case so he can take it to the pool side, the hot tub, or the bath tub. Again, in our world the Kindle doesn't replace books, but it does have its uses.
Its a great gift if the men in your life aren't physically attached to books, don't have a lot of book storage space, and enjoys reading. Aaron loves that it helps remind him to keep his mind active and keeps him reading now that he is several years removed from college required reading. Amazon is even marking down their Kindles for Black Friday! You can get a traditional Kindle or a Kindle Fire as low as $49.99!
18. Tickets...favorite band, comedian, sports team, etc.
A few years ago I bought Aaron tickets to see Jeff Dunham (dot com) live in Baltimore. Jeff Dunham is one of our favorite comedians so it was amazing to see him live. Another year Aaron bought me tickets to see my team, the Washington Redskins, play at home. It was one of the greatest Christmas presents I've ever received. These days we have a LOT of stuff. I am especially aware of how much stuff we have since we just packed it all up and moved it. Tickets are a great gift because you're not giving stuff. You're giving an experience. I would like to eventually get to the point (hopefully in 2016) that we don't give each other any more THINGS, but rather experiences. It helps to build more memories too.
17. Weekend Hiking Trip
Continuing on with the theme of "experience gifts" would be a weekend hiking trip. My in-laws take a lot of these. They have recently gotten really into hiking and travel all around the surrounding areas for day hikes and weekend hikes. It is something I know Aaron would enjoy. Just the other day we took the pup on a local hike. Its nice to get out on a nice afternoon, smell the crisp fall air, be active, and spend time together as a family.
16. Woodworking Class
Ok so I'm on an experience gift kick. A woodworking class, or any kind of course, is another awesome gift idea. Is there something the man in your life has always wanted to learn how to do? There are so many fun hobbies out there just waiting to be explored. Woodworking, guitar, dancing, cooking, etc.
15. Chubbies Shorts
This is Aaron's favorite apparel company on the planet. He is all about the short shorts in all kinds of wild and crazy patterns and colors. He especially likes his ridiculously out there swim trunks. Aaron has been begging me for a pair of the winter shorts, but I have to draw the line somewhere.
Chubbies Rad-o-Rama's Swim Suit
14. Silky Boxers
In our house we give each other Christmas pajamas that we open on Christmas eve. Sometimes we do traditional pajamas, but why not spice it up with something a little hotter ;) It will be a good way to warm up on a cold winters night.
13. Beer Tasting Tour
To quote Homer Simpson, "mmmmm....beer." Depending on where you live there may be a wealth of untapped (pun intended) beer knowledge right in your backyard. There are tons of good local breweries out there and if you need help finding them, theres always groupon to help point you in the right direction.
12. Massage
This is a new revelation in our marriage. Before and after Aaron went to an extreme Army training in June I sent him to get a massage. He became instantly obsessed with getting massages. I got him a sports massage but you can get all different varieties of massages.
11. Weekend Ski Trip
Yet another experience gift...they are popular this year. Aaron and I both love cold weather trips. Ski vacations are fun whether or not you know how to ski (or snowboard). There are plenty of activities to do: snow tubing, reading in the lodge, snow shoeing, snowmobiling, day drinking in the lodge, hot tubbing, reading with some hot cocoa, and of course skiing or snowboarding. If you live near a ski resort, or even just a snow hill, its a nice way to get away from home, snuggle up by the fire, and enjoy a relaxing weekend.
Whistler Village - Whistler, Canada
Part 2 will be coming up later this week, along with the second half of the list for women and the list for puppies. Until then...
No comments:
Post a Comment