Buying a Romantic Gift for Him

Buying gifts for a man is easy if you know what his interests are. And while many of the gifts that men like won't necessarily qualify as 'romantic' - at least from a woman's point of view - this is the time to be a little flexible in your approach.

What's the point of buying him a designer bath set when he'd rather have a new pair of running shoes?

After all, the idea behind gift giving is that you give the person something they'll treasure, or at least appreciate. And while it might not be what you'd want for yourself, this is about him. So maybe it's time to expand the definition of a romantic gift.

So what do men want?

We once overheard a male friend complaining, ”Just once I'd like to open a Christmas gift and find a great set of wrenches instead of socks and a silk bathrobe!”

Another man we read about lamented, “Wouldn't it be great to have my girlfriend say to me, 'I love it when you turn up for dinner with grease under your fingernails after working in your garage. And I hope you realize that I don't mind how long you spend in there because I know how much you enjoy it.' If she said something like that instead of carping at me for wasting time in the garage, I'd know she accepts me for who I am.”

On the other hand, a male schoolteacher we know said, “I'd love a woman to send me flowers. Or give me a book of poetry by my favorite Australian bush poets. It would show that she's taken the time to learn what I like.”

So obviously it takes all kinds. Many men enjoy receiving sensual gifts from their lovers, while other prefer something “practical”. And many women accept and support their boyfriends' preoccupations with “guy stuff” and buy them exactly what they want. One woman whose husband loved putting things together presented him with his gift in pieces (each individually wrapped) so he'd have the additional pleasure of assembling it himself. He was absolutely blown away by her thoughtfulness.

How about the man in your life?

Where does your relationship fit in? Is your partner an action man? Mr. Wall Street? A brooding rebel? A sensitive writer or artist? A solid citizen? Or any of the other million variations we see in the male gender?

Whoever he is, he has his own likes and dislikes, things that excite him and things that bore him to tears. So if you don't know him well enough to buy him a gift he'll salivate over (and we don't mean Playboy magazine), ask someone who does. This might include

- the man himself
- his best friend
- his brother
- his father

Or simply observe what he likes and dislikes and file the information away for when you need it. Then give him something he'll absolutely love.