Christmas: The most magical time of the year becomes more complicated when faced with the difficult task of finding the perfect present for your boyfriend. We can all agree that searching randomly does not produce good results. Remember last year when you spent 10 panicked hours in department stores and still couldn’t find a gift that said what you wanted to say? To help you out I have asked some men: What was the best gift you have ever received from a woman at Christmas? Here are 25 ideas you can use as inspiration.
1 – An intimate spa experience for 2. I like receiving a gift, but you can’t beat an experience that you can do together over a weekend.
2 – A sketchbook and charcoal. I loved drawing at the time and she gave me the tools to be able to do it.
3 – A Hermès tie
4 – Handcuffs (because a healthy sex life is important)
5 – Tickets to see my favourite artist in concert.
6 – A trip to Réunion Island.
7 – I love playing the drums and I was on a business trip at the time. She found me somewhere where I could go and play. She hit the nail on the head and showed that she is attentive and listens to me.
8 – My first glider flight experience
9 – Mine was a guitar. The best presents are personal, they have to vary from one person to the other.
10 – Tickets for Liverpool – Manchester (I’m a big football fan).
11 – A keepsake box containing bits and pieces from moments we had spent together, like memories and perfume. It says on the box “Open when sad”. I’ve kept it for years.
12 – A parachute jump.
We tend to feel a lot of pressure to get things right at Christmas, but it actually shouldn’t be the be-all and end-all if you nurture your relationship and make an effort to surprise your man outside of the ‘expected’ dates of the year (his birthday and Valentine’s Day).
Christmas is a retail event, and you are up against advertising campaigns that are not there to help you buy the best present, but just to make you buy as many things as possible, no matter what they are. My advice is that it’s better to get him one thoughtful present than 5 presents that you would be able to give to anyone. Often, buying a lot of presents is a way to compensate for the quality or the lack of meaning. With one carefully chosen gift, you will have more of a chance of winning his heart.
Besides, the accompanying reason behind the present (the why you chose it) is just as important as the present itself. The why is the reason that this present couldn’t be given to someone else. If you use something you have noticed about him or your relationship as a starting point, it will often lead you to ideas that you wouldn’t have considered otherwise.
13 – An Indian ink drawing of the way she saw me.
14 – Two bracelets: one for me, and one for her. A simple idea, and quite discrete, but I thought it was genius.
15 – A piece of art with a quote that I loved. I look at it every morning when I wake up.
16 – A neck massage cushion because she knew that I was stressed at work.
17 – A letterbox so that we could leave each other notes, as we both had really busy schedules.
18 – A rare edition of a book by my favourite author. I don’t even know how she was able to find it!
19 – A Harman/Kardon speaker.
20 – A bottle of rum from the year I was born.
21 – It was a weekend in London in a 4* hotel. She gave me the Eurostar ticket on the day and the rest was a surprise.
22 – A cool motorbike helmet, so that I could ride with her.
23 – My card holder was worn out (and a bit crap, I admit). She gave me one that was so much better.
24 – A photoshoot for the two of us because “we have no nice photos together”.
25 – A nice travel bag for a weekend away
A huge THANK YOU to all the men who took part and shared with me the gift they had been given that had touched them the most. ❤️
Don’t forget to treat yourself too!
