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It can be very stressful trying to come up with a thoughtful and useful gift for your honey. So below I have outlined some Do’s and Don’ts of holiday shopping in order to keep you out of the dog house.
What she absolutely does NOT want:
- Don’t bother trying to buy her clothes. Unless you have (successfully) done this in the past, I would skip it. Plus, you don’t want to have the awkward moment of buying a size 8 when she’s really a size 4. Never buy her a sweater. This is what her Aunt Helen is for.
- Nix the gift certificates. I know it sounds good in theory and kind of a no fail option, but you are wrong. Gift certificates are completely thoughtless and lazy and trust me, she’ll recognize that. Put in the leg work and get her a real gift.
- Perfume is way too personal for you to be picking out for her. That’s something she should buy on her own. I also think it is kind of cheesy and trite.
- Lingerie is iffy. I personally love lingerie, but it is essentially a selfish gift, no? Save it for Valentine’s Day. If you do opt for lingerie, be sure that it’s La Perla or Myla and not Victoria’s Secret. This is no time to be stingy.
- Jewelry is tricky. There is only one surefire option in jewelry, diamonds. Unless you are very familiar with her style or willing to dish out the $$ for diamonds, I’d hold off. I have a personal horror story about jewelry on Christmas. Picture this: your boyfriend calls you from the Diamond District and tells you how he is the most amazing boyfriend in the world. You are now giddy with excitement (thinking you are finally getting those diamond studs). He shows up with Swarvoski crystals. And ugly ones at that.
- Any type of kitchen appliance. Enough said.
- Pajamas. Could you be any less sexy?
Some better options:
- Cashmere slippers, www.henribendel.com
- Dell Inspiron Mini9 laptop, www.dell.com
- Something for her pooch, www.trixieandpeanut.com
- Spa treatments (make them for two!) www.spafinder.com
- Photos of the two of you or a scrapbook. Hey, I get it, times are tough. When she sees all the work you put into this, she won’t be thinking about a price tag.
- Tickets to her favorite show or ballet www.ticketmaster.com
In all honesty, my favorite part of any gift is the card. Believe it or not, I do have a soft side. The thought that goes into your gift is far more meaningful than what you actually buy her. If she throws a tantrum or diva fit… maybe it’s time to re-evaluate…
Any of you ladies reading, email me your most horrific holiday gift stories and I will post the best ones! whydidyouwearthat@whydid.com
xx,
WhyDid
i agree, aunt linda can buy the sweaters. my favorite gifts are vintage Vogues. They run about $40 a piece on ebay so get a set of 8 or 10, from different decades. They are endless fun to pour over AND you can display them instead of coffee table books on the coffee table. Just make sure no nosy doggies eat them!
Thanks for the article about gift-giving! Too Shy to Stop writer Ariela just explored the sometimes selfish motives behind gift-giving. You can read her article here.
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