One of the things that a lot of married men agree is not the easiest task in the world, is getting gifts for your wife. On the surface, it looks like a relatively simple task, right? But most times that isn’t the case, especially when you really care for her. In fact, it seems the more in love you are with your spouse, the more difficult it is to pick the perfect gift for them every time. As the saying goes, happy wife, happy life.
Lucky for you, we’ve put together this guide to help you hapless husbands out there without a clue on how to go about picking the right gift every time. Some of these tips are learned through trial and error over the years by some couples but you don’t want to go through that pain do you? So here is our list of things you should keep in mind when getting gifts for your wife:
#1 Get her something she wants, not something she needs
Needs are important (that’s why the call them needs) and are often essential for a decent quality of life. However when your wife is expecting a gift, her mind is more focused on things that will give her joy and delight her, which are her wants. She might need a new set of kitchen knives but she would be more excited if you got her that bath spa gift set she saw on TV and said was really nice.
#2 Be romantic!
Seems obvious, but being romantic goes beyond just getting a romantic gift. The way you package and present the gift also adds to the romance. Say you got her this hand crank music box that plays love songs and you just handed it to her without any ceremony, it would not be as great an experience as if you went the whole nine yards with presenting it to her. Sometimes the process of giving is just as important as the gift.
#3 Don’t ask what she wants
This is the quickest way to ruin the surprise of gift giving. The caveat to this is if you can find a way to ask your wife what type of gifts she wants without making it obvious, then that could also work and would probably make the surprise even more exciting for her when she finds out that that was the reason why you wanted her feedback on something.
Best advice: Get to know your wife really well so that you can easily identify the things she wants without having to ask her directly.
#4 Get Excited
You might probably be going through a bit of a tough time trying to find the perfect gift, but when you do finally find something that she really wants and you present it to her, don’t let any of the stress involved in the search show through. You should be just as excited giving her the gift as she is receiving it.
#5 Remember important events
Why? Because those are the best opportunities to blow her mind with your gift giving prowess. Is it Valentine’s day? Get her this gold plated rose ornament. Her birthday? What about a pack of scented candles to commemorate that event. Even remembering seemingly obscure events like the day first met her or the first time you kissed can be great opportunities too.
#6 When in doubt, ask
Not her, although as we said in tip #3, you can be indirect about asking her what she wants. In this case, we’re talking about her close friends, family members or colleagues. They also spend a lot of time with your wife so it’s likely that they may have a few ideas about the kind of gifts you can get for your wife that she will truly appreciate. Just be sure to make them swear an oath of secrecy afterwards so they don’t spoil the surprise to her.
#7 Keep in mind her preferences
Does your missus love her wines but would rather drink red instead of white? Is her preference for clothes partial only to those in the color blue? Be sure to keep these preferences in mind when gift shopping because it’s these small details that can affect her enthusiasm about your gifts.
#8 You’re shopping for her not for yourself
You’re the one with a love for videogames, so why are you buying the latest edition of that sports game hoping she would like it but knowing deep down that she will only play it just to keep you happy? That’s a selfish gesture, one that would probably leave you sleeping on the couch for a few days.
#9 Improvement Gifts are not a great idea
The very last thing you want to do is get your wife a cookbook for instance, as a gift because you know that she’s not that great when it comes to fixing up your favorite meal. You’ll end up hurting her instead of impressing her. Once again, the theme for your gift giving should be on things she wants and loves, not what she needs or what will help her be a better cook.
#10 Make it memorable
Strive to give her something that would leave her speechless in the moment, yet talking about it for years to come. It’s easy to cop out and just get a regular gift. She would accept it and then a few hours later, it’s no longer at the top of her mind.
If you follow all these tips diligently, then I can guarantee that the process of gift giving would become much easier for you. Beyond that, they also would help with keeping your marriage stress free because the quality of your gifts are a subtle indicator of just how much you love and cherish your wife. After all, it is common knowledge that that showing someone you appreciate them is a great way to make them even more devoted to you.
So, just before you go out there to begin your hunt for the perfect gift, here’s a quick summary of the 10 tips above listed above to keep you from crashing and burning:
Make her feel special
Remember events and occasions that are important to her and plan to get gifts on those days by knowing her wants and thinking outside the box. As friends and families for help and make sure you’re not just thinking about getting the gift itself but also about presenting it.
Ditch the same old bouquet of flowers this time
Don’t just be lazy and think that flowers are the perfect gift every time. Your wife is your equal and your life partner so she deserves a lot more of your effort in picking a gift for her. It’s not about getting an expensive gift, just a really thoughtful one.
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