What should I get him for Xmas?

[onetimething]

Okay, so the guy that I have been seeing for the past 9 months, we agreed to exchange gifts for the holidays and set today as the day to do so. The only problem is, I do not have any idea what to get him! I have had a particularly stressful and chaotic past couple of weeks, with a stressful job where I've been working long hours, traveling, buying family gifts (I felt that took priority as I would be seeing them sooner than him), and then getting sick for a good week putting me out of commission. Excuses, excuses, I suppose, but what it basically means is that I have to meet up with him tonight in a matter of hours and haven't bought him anything and still remain clueless with what to get him!

I wasn't too gung-ho on doing gifts period this year, especially with money being tight and my list of people for whom I have to buy gifts for growing each year. Initially, we had set a $50 limit, but we then amended it to $20. I feel like he is going to get me a good gift, something unexpected and personal, something I may have mentioned in passing once that he took note of, because right when we decided to give one another gifts, he said "I already think I know what I'm going to get you". I am horrible with buying gifts for people. I just feel like my creativity has been sapped, and with family members, if I don't receive an Xmas list from them, usually wind up getting gift cards. I can't do that this time though.

This is probably piss poor etiquette to be asking strangers what to get my boyfriend, but I'm really at a loss here. He likes sewing, cooking, comic books, music and things like that. He is also moving soon so I don't want to get him anything too big and bulky that he will have to move into a new place. I don't want to get anything too generic either like a bottle of wine or a CD or something like that. And of course, it "should" be under $20, but I'm willing to spend more for the perfect gift. Any ideas? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[G-Lexington]

A bottle of wine or a CD isn't "generic" if you put a lot of thought into it. Do you think he'd like to try a new kind of wine? Has he sampled Australian wine? Mead? Plum wine from Japan? Is there a wine shop nearby that might be able to suggest something?

Is he open to trying new types of music? Do you think he might like to sample reggae, for instance? Then get him the soundtrack to The Harder They Come. Does he have any jazz in his music collection? And I mean jazz, not Norah Jones? Then Kind of Blue by Miles Davis is a great place to start. Does he not have any Beatles in the CD rack? Then there's always 1.

Lex

 

[StlKj]

Okay, so the guy that I have been seeing for the past 9 months, we agreed to exchange gifts for the holidays and set today as the day to do so. The only problem is, I do not have any idea what to get him! I have had a particularly stressful and chaotic past couple of weeks, with a stressful job where I've been working long hours, traveling, buying family gifts (I felt that took priority as I would be seeing them sooner than him), and then getting sick for a good week putting me out of commission. Excuses, excuses, I suppose, but what it basically means is that I have to meet up with him tonight in a matter of hours and haven't bought him anything and still remain clueless with what to get him!

I wasn't too gung-ho on doing gifts period this year, especially with money being tight and my list of people for whom I have to buy gifts for growing each year. Initially, we had set a $50 limit, but we then amended it to $20. I feel like he is going to get me a good gift, something unexpected and personal, something I may have mentioned in passing once that he took note of, because right when we decided to give one another gifts, he said "I already think I know what I'm going to get you". I am horrible with buying gifts for people. I just feel like my creativity has been sapped, and with family members, if I don't receive an Xmas list from them, usually wind up getting gift cards. I can't do that this time though.

This is probably piss poor etiquette to be asking strangers what to get my boyfriend, but I'm really at a loss here. He likes sewing, cooking, comic books, music and things like that. He is also moving soon so I don't want to get him anything too big and bulky that he will have to move into a new place. I don't want to get anything too generic either like a bottle of wine or a CD or something like that. And of course, it "should" be under $20, but I'm willing to spend more for the perfect gift. Any ideas? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Do you know what comics he likes? What characters? Are you close to a comic shop?

 

[onetimething]

The problem with comics is that he already has so many, so me with my not-very-knowledgeable-with-comics self, would very likely get him something he already has.

While I realize a CD or wine is not necessarily generic, especially if he were to have expressed an interest in one in particular, I guess I'm mostly just stressed because I feel like he's gotten me a really good gift, and I feel like if I get him anything other than something that he really wants, it will come across as thoughtless and impersonal by comparison. I don't know...I'm probably putting too much pressure on myself. I'm trying to think back to all the conversations we've had to see if there's something that perhaps he mentioned in passing that he wanted or that would be cool to have, but I'm coming up blank at the moment.

 

[StlKj]

Actually, I wasn't going to suggest buying him a comic book. If there is a character he likes and has talked about, you could buy him something related--a nice keychain and a t-shirt perhaps, with a note that for nine months now he's been your superhero.

Instead of "a" gift, you could put together a small assortment of things for him, being creative with it. Maybe things related to places you've been together or things you've done. You're worrying so much about it meaning something to him, but why not get him a gift or gifts that instead show him what he means to you?

 

[G-Lexington]

>>>While I realize a CD or wine is not necessarily generic, especially if he were to have expressed an interest in one in particular, I guess I'm mostly just stressed because I feel like he's gotten me a really good gift, and I feel like if I get him anything other than something that he really wants, it will come across as thoughtless and impersonal by comparison.

Well, the thing is this. We seem to want gifts that are unexpected, mind-expanding, AND well-received. And that's an almost impossible trifecta to pull off. If it's something you know he wants, it won't be unexpected. If you buy him something oddball, he won't know he likes it until he tries it out.

But I think that's why a little thought goes a long way. I bought my sister-in-law a CD by a local artist. Ends up she didn't like it all that much. But she told my brother, "It's not his fault I didn't like it. It's of a style I like, even if I don't like the CD itself. And Lex obviously put thought into it. And that means a lot to me."

Lex

 

[onetimething]

Thanks for the suggestions guys! In the end, I did wind up going the gift certificate route, getting it to a store I know he likes. He wound up getting me the movie '300' which he found in a $10 bin which he knows I like, and then he baked me a bunch of brownies and cookies (I have a sweet tooth). So he got me a sweet and good gift(s) which I appreciated, but nothing too too crazy like I was fearing.

This same scene will likely repeat itself in one month for his birthday.

of "a" gift, you could put together a small assortment of things for him, being creative with it. Maybe things related to places you've been together or things you've done.

I actually had been planning that for our anniversary in March and have already gotten started on that .