In honor of my boyfriend’s birthday AND our anniversary coming up (rest in peace, bank account), I wanted to share some gift ideas I live by.
These gift ideas are created with a more masculine person in mind — in my experience, men prefer more practical gifts — but feel free to apply them to anyone!
1) A bouquet of drinks
This is a bit difficult to pull off. In theory, you arrange a bouquet of flowers and tuck cans of the recipient’s favorite drinks in there. I think it’s easier to wrap up sets of four to five cans in some tissue paper, arrange them to look like mini bouquets, and spread them out in a gift basket. Bonus points if the gift basket can be repurposed — the less waste, the better.
2) Very specific clothes
My favorite life hack: if you like it, buy more of it. So, go through your boy’s closet, find something he wears often, and purchase it in a different color. Make sure the size is right because lots of clothes shrink over time, so if that’s a concern, size up.
3) Self-care items
A philosophy I use with self-care items is that they should be thoughtful, but not indulgent. A pack of nice razors always works. So do simple moisturizers, body spray, a nail care set, or his favorite body wash. Don’t get the cheap thing, get the stuff you know he’s been eyeing, or you know he likes.
4) Make something
This is always fun; a homemade gift can be a great reminder of your humanity. Receiving a bucket of consumerist crap is nice, but something from the heart can mean the world to a person. For his birthday, I crocheted my boyfriend a purple leopard gecko! We have been “co-parenting” his gecko, Mango, since he was a baby, so I think a stuffy is a cute way to recognize that time spent together.
5) Prep for an activity to do
This is good for when you have limited resources, like when you’re at school without a full kitchen or space to store things. Get ingredients to bake his favorite dessert, buy a Lego set to do together, gather snacks for a movie night, or plan a day exploring a new part of town! This doesn’t need to be anything crazy, just show that you’re thinking ahead and want to spend quality time together.
That’s all I have! Remember, gift-giving should be thoughtful and fun. Good luck!