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With the festive season looming large on the horizon, and already here for some, I'm sure I'm not the only chap thinking about what to buy their wife / partner for Christmas.
Last year Mrs B surprised me with a DE razor and all of the necessary accoutrements which was a mega gift and one that I look forward to using when it's shave time. She set the gift benchmark pretty high last year.
This year I'd like to get her something which has a similar blend of luxury item but which also very useful. (I've been in the dog house in the past for buying necessary items, like a food mixer, and presenting then as gifts.)
So gents, and ladies, of the STW massive what's the best Christmas gift you have presented (gents) or been the recipient of (ladies).
Also, for comedy contrast, what massive festive gift **** ups have you been party to?
Ta inadvance. Ho Ho Ho.
Rockhopper in Ritchey Nitanium (whatever that was)
Her first new bike ever, and a complete surprise (though we were cycling a fair bit). She actually cried...
Then I did when the shitty Shimano chain broke 3 times on its maiden voyage!
I have PB Swiss hex key set coming this year & maybe an Opinel No.8. - I'm easily pleased.
She got a wedding ring just before Christmas ten years ago, lucky girl that she is.
A fancy looking Cross pen which she uses all the time. It was just supposed to a be little something extra.
Can't think of any Christmas gift fails. She has been much too polite rather than throwing something back at me.
In my eyes i'd say the snowboard I bought her a few years ago. In her eyes though I've no idea, she never actually wants anything! Real pain in the arse to buy for!!
Mine was my first proper mtb 🙂
The best things I've ever bought, I think, have involved diamonds - ring, necklace, ear rings etc
A surprise holiday was good too, but that was pre kids
Unlikely to go that far this xmas though!
Spa day?
My wife says the best present I ever got her was a bespoke, personally selected, delivered-fresh-from-the-factory giant box of Seabrooks crisps.
Apparently it showed how well I know her. I just thought it was fun 😀
Year before last I bought my Wife a beautifully made handbag from notonthehighstreet.com - as far as I understand the site is for low volume makers to sell arty knickknack crap Women like anyway - it's looks great, it's very well made and whilst expensive it still looks like new now. She loves it, she gets asked about it a lot from friends which means she likes it even more and has never seen another one since.
My wife loves scarves so I got her a beautiful hand-made mannequin a couple of years ago, a bit like this but much more abstract, just a suggestion of a female shape.
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I mentioned it on here and a couple of other guys got the same for their other halves too 🙂
I got a t-shirt printed once of me with my thumbs up for her.
It was totally awesome but I can't recall her wearing it much... 🙂
Dishwasher.
Read that as me with my thumbs up her...
My Mrs loves the portable DAB I got her. Not romantic but useful and om constant use.
I'm a fan of highly altruistic gifts. She's getting an Xbox One this year.
This...
You think I'm joking don't you?
Rong...
She cried... bless her
Also, it's one helluvalot quieter than the petrol ones she has... 😆
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An acoustic guitar she loved it!
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He was a little bit smaller when he arrived!
kindle paperwhite, has been used incessantly since I bought it for her.
his testicles are in a rather strange place
OK the low point
New rear MTB tyre, fitted. Didn't go down well
Last birthday a nice down jacket. She is always cold and often outdoors so she gets alot of warm clothing
Tiffany rings and earrings.
Lube.
Hand made ring with her fav stones and design,ditto bracelet,expensive but I thought she was worth it.
[quote=Moses opined]Lube.
Giver or receiver?
I had the old engagement ring reworked. The small diamond in the bright setting was removed and a 50 point one installed so you could actually see there was a rock there.
(Some scrote broke into the house one March while we were on holiday and stole it and we had a cash settlement. One day I will get a copy made as a diamond surrounded by sapphires is no longer a mass market option).
My oh is really good at getting me gifts. The best one was a hoyt recurve bow, last year was a kindle which has been heavily used ever since. He always gets me things related to my hobbies and interests. Never had a completely terrible gift but many relatives tend to give me girly things like make up and bath salts even though they know that isn't me at all. Best thing I have given Was a Viking drinking horn to my father who is obsessed with the Vikings. My gifts for my OH this year are minions movie as he loves minions, north face trail shoes as he has killed off his old pair and call of duty black ops 3.
Some great ideas on here. Keep them coming.
A mazda 3 sport..... but bar that she loves tea so i bought a really smart Twinnings tea set, red velevet lined and lovely wooden box with about 30 different types of tea in it.
zippo hand warmer, she gets reynards
the stupid dog which is currently asleep on the sofa that she didn't want but now secretly adores above all of us
but by far the winner is time with us 3 (now 4) so if I've organised a secret hotel stay or cottage etc it wins every time!
A DVD player.
It was a long time ago, she loves films, it was a good one (Marantz) and it cost a comparative small fortune at the time.
Now you can get a better one that's 1/3 the size and almost 1/5 the price.
It was a LONG time ago.....
mrsvader didn't have any expensive jewellery till i started buying it, the first set of diamond earring made her cry as she'd never had anything like it. every year for either birthday (22nd dec) or xmas i try and get some really good quality jewellery that she has seen, preferably without her knowing
ped egg
Tahitian Black Pearl Earrings.
I have made a rod for my own back!
Low point was laat year. I'd bought her a Kindle paperwhite and as a cheesy gift bought her a raclette set as we'd had a fantastic evening around one with some belgian friends.
She started unwrapping thought it was a George Foreman grill and told me to take the ****ing thing back!
After that giving her the kindle wws a let down and our 15 year old son was sat with his chin on the floor.
Thing is we've had some fantastic evenings of our own now and I may remind her occasionally of her tantrum at me
Also, for comedy contrast, what massive festive gift **** ups have you been party to?
Modelling balloons. Forgot she was quite severely asthmatic.
I got my wife a pearl necklace last year. Honestly.
Best present was a watch though (rado ceramic job)
I have made a rod for my own back!
You made it yourself - those are the gifts that show the most thought.
Ski boots and skis.
Bit of a win win really 😀
I got my wife a pearl necklace last year. Honestly.
Pictures or it did......
Actually, best not. Just in case!
One of my best presents from Mr Pea was a dropper post! Also an MTB skills course and a coffee machine!
all of STW wants to marry you now
Honest, non-PC answer is a Rampant Rabbit. I was going to be spending most of the following year overseas you see. She was chuffed, seriously.
More PC, err, tickets for a gigs? And diamonds, diamonds are good.
In whose opinion? Hers or mine?
XS Cotic Soul frame in orange 🙂
Electric blanket
My OH bought me a dropper post last year. I love him. Whatever he gets me, it's something I want, but he gets the next level up, rather than the 'it'll do the job' that I would pay for for myself. So it feels likes a treat even if it's actually a practical and fairly essential item. Other thing he's done a few times is buy me a voucher for our local nice but quite expensive clothing shop so I can go and buy things when I see them rather than just gazing longingly at them.
Every year I get him the same thing - a night away (basic B&B, nothing fancy) without the kids, with a hand drawn route map of an all day bike ride to go with it. So far he's invited me to join him every year, so I guess he likes it.
Big Ben and the batteries to go with it 😀
Santa Cruz superlight
Swiss army knife
Compass
Agent provocateur underwear .
Nipple tassels
Independent designer jewelry (upmarket craft not silly labels)
Horrible histories style human body jigsaw
God knows what I'll get her. This year , not yet had a miss with the presents yet though I was concerned that the nipple tassels would earn me a punch.
Is like to think the bright red Mini Cooper S convertible I bought earlier this year, but in reality it's a 6 quid insulated coffee mug.
Not sure what to get her this year. A holiday I think.
I got her a canoe paddle for valentines day one year. When the girls at work found out they were outraged but she liked it.
A turnip.
Yes it's grim up north but we're happy
I got my das lessons.
Last year a scotoiler
This year I suspect an exhaust.
I have forwarded a link to assos. Might work.
I bought her a piano for her 21st birthday, nearly 15 years later it still gets played daily.
Best present I received was some Dave Gorman tickets. Showed loads of thought and I was dead chuffed. Best present I have given... More difficult - not sure I have an idea.
Just checked it was a watch apparently...
*Edit* Or it might be a picture or a photo calendar I put together or a mug with the childrens picture on. Apparently she is not sure...
"Meet the birds" with Phoenix Falconry near Auchterarder.
Lots of brownie points from that one!
In the past I've bought her a kayak and a mountain bike, both of which she's been happy with, but has barely used. This year we're going away for Christmas and that's costing a lot of money, so I've not really thought that far ahead.
Despite saying to each other there is nothign we want, I'll probably have to find something for her.
I often struggle rather - MrsDummy is hard to please. Surprise wins have been:
- silk PJs from Shanghai Tang;
- Hoodie from Lulu Lemon
Engagement ring set the bar rather high, many years ago. I have never cleared it again.
🙂
I've been in the dog house in the past for buying necessary items, like a food mixer, and presenting then as gifts.
That made me chuckle - are you crazy Man?
For me it was a large diamond ring from a lovely shop in the Burlington Arcade...it will never be topped.
I'm going to the Johnstone of Elgin pre-sale today (invite only) so she'll probably get something nice in cashmere (and so will I).
I'll get several pairs of cashmere socks for myself to keep my tootsies warm on cold rides.
I bought a Garmin Vivofit last Christmas completely expecting it to be discarded after a week. Nope, still being used 11 months later and it's helped trigger some behaviour changes combined with other things (new health insurance that gives rewards for steps being tracked).
Probably a painting. Or a trip to New York. With me. Realising I may not be great at gifts so reading with interest...
I've been in the dog house in the past for buying necessary items, like a food mixer, and presenting then as gifts.That made me chuckle - are you crazy Man?
Well it was a nice one:
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Ski holiday was well received, that was before the nippers came along, so probably won't happen again for a while.
Sunday best carbon fibre race bike also well received (she's a triathlete).
Think I'm a bit stuffed for getting over that bar again.
She Wee deluxe model (Comes in a protective case) & a Banana Guard 😆
I was gutted she actually liked them 😯
Climbing shoes in our first year together. Possibly not the most exciting at the time but these days we climb together 3-4 days a week and go on holiday all over the world doing it.
edit: her duvet jacket was probably pretty close.
I like buying stuff that will be used a lot and enjoyed. Last year it was a good sewing machine. So far this year it's only been a pair of Sony 650 earphones....I was so impressed with them I bought 4 pairs but am struggling to think of other nice stuff.
OH likes experiences:
Best to date have been early morning champagne hot air balloon flight over her home town in the Cotswolds and falconry experience.
Both are still raved about.
Vespa LX4 125 and a CBT.
Although I think she enjoyed it a bit *too* much. She seemed to enter a real-life version of Road Rash every time she got on it, and I'd hear all about her exploits against her "enemies" (basically anyone on a scooter/motorbike dressed in black) when she came in from work.
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Some great suggestions. I think an electric blanket may be top of the list so far.
I think an electric blanket may be top of the list so far.
That and the headphones, ideal for her lengthy Netflix sessions!
For a wedding gift I designed and commissioned some diamond earrings, had them sent to her room as she was getting ready on the wedding morning. The entire bridal party was pissed off at me because they all cried and ruined their make-up 8)
For a birthday I once got her a day's rally driving, doing laps of an abandoned airfield in a Hyundai Coupé and and Evo VI. Both were ex-WRC cars and quite nippy, apparently. She still talks about that one.
One time when we were in a small rural town here in NZ, she went into an arty-crafty shop and saw a necklace she liked, carved from merino horn. I was outside at the park with the wee man. Later, the friends she was with mentioned that she had seen a necklace she really liked and gave a very vague description. I rang the shop, and between me and the owner, and some emailed photos, managed to work out which one it was (small shop, not many customers!) and bought it. She'd never mentioned it to me and couldn't work out how I'd known.
I bought her a painting for her last birthday, she'd seen it on the wall of a café and said how much she liked it - and she's not normally one for admiring such things. So I bought it but had it left on the wall of the café for a few months so she wouldn't get suspicious that it had disappeared once she said she liked it. It's an original work by a local artist, the only proper bit of art either of us has ever bought.
One that sort of back-fired, but more for her than me - for our tenth wedding anniversary I had a necklace made to match the earrings from the wedding day. Her mother was staying at ours so we could get away for a rare-as-unicorn-poo weekend without the boy. Went up to the big smoke to see the Cirque du Soleil (Noire - it's very good btw), got our smart duds on. As she was getting ready I stepped up beside her, and was just about to say "you know what would look good with those earrings..." thinking that as it's our tenth wedding anniversary and a rare fancy* night out, she'd be wearing those earrings and the necklace would be a winner.
But she hadn't brought them. Bloody useless, some days I wonder why I keep her around...
*yes, we have low standards 🙂
Cotic Soul. It was my thank you for all the effort Tasha put in to our wedding
[url= https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7281/16848233695_8a1c3351a4_z.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7281/16848233695_8a1c3351a4_z.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/rEPATR ]tasha wedding low__0414[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/66452821@N00/ ]ritcheyp20[/url], on Flickr
P20, that is awesome. Good skills!