Things I've been doing instead of buying Fin a birthday present.
Friday, August 17, 2012
1. Visiting the Olympics.
2. Watching the Olympics.
3. Talking about the Olympics.
4. Volunteering at Fringe by the Sea.
5. Hunting for a dog-friendly flat with a garden and a dishwasher.
6. Planning and executing Blonde Bridesmaid's hen do. There's a decent chance I'm still drunk.
7. Sleeping on early morning trains.
8. Hunting for a dog-friendly flat, garden and dishwasher optional.
9. Wishing the Olympics were still on.
10. Suffering complete mental block for anything I could possibly give him. Seriously, I've got nothing. Nada.
11. Hunting for a flat. Any flat. Walls optional.
12. Sleeping on early evening trains.
13. Panicking unproductively.
14. Sleeping, generally.
Really, number 10 is the problem. You'd think being together for so long would mean I'd be brimming with ideas. Surely I know what the man wants by now? You would think so. But you'd be wrong. Remember, this is the eleventh birthday I've had to buy for. That's a lot of presents, and believe me, there have been some excellent ones over the years. Unfortunately, it looks like I only had ten good ideas in me, and now I'm picking through rejects from birthdays past, praying for inspiration to strike. My latest suggestion of "Kirsty Will Walk the Dog" vouchers, redeemable on demand, was not met with the excitement I'd been hoping for. (Apparently I'm supposed to walk her anyway. Whatever.)
I've got two days to get him something.
Fuck.
Talk birthday presents to me, people. Where do you find ideas? What's the best birthday present you've given or received? Actually, screw that - what's the worst? Please make me feel better about the fact that I'm probably about to give my husband a bottle of HP sauce wrapped up in kitchen roll for his birthday.
{High-waist orange knickers from pretty mommy}
19 boats moored
I feel your pain...husband's birthday is coming up and I'm also out of ideas, and it's his 30th which makes me think I should get him something really good...I had booked us into fancy weekend away with fancy meal but now I'm up the duff the 9 course menu with matching wine isn't really going to work!
ReplyDeleteThe gifts I've given in the past that have gone down the best are things we get to do together such as...
A butchery course, a coffee making course, and lunch at a restaurant we'd been trying to get reservations in for ages.
But I also once bought him a spatula as a stocking present that he loved an inordinate amount so maybe the gift giving is completely random!
A spatula! Love it! Do you think I could get away with wrapping up an existing spatula and just pretending it's new...?
DeleteHoly crap. They do butchery courses? Now that is a present I'd love. I have always wanted to be a butcher, I just love raw meat.
DeleteSorry, Kirsty. My mind is too busy picturing myself as a butcher to help with your plea.
best present i ever received was a john lewis 'pastasaurus' http://www.amazon.co.uk/cub-PSAUR-Pastasaurus-Spaghetti-Server/dp/B002L162HQ
Deletehusband gifts are the WORST. don't even remember what i got dave for his 30th. it was last month...
I had this exact same problem this year. I felt terrible about it until I asked my friends and it turns out they all give their husbands fancy booze. Booze I can do.
ReplyDeleteFor our 10 year anniversary I gave myself the challenge of giving the hubs 10 presents that 'represent' our relationship. I think one of them was a piece of cheese...
ReplyDeleteBoys are SO hard to buy for. I'd go with booze or plan a nice day out. Good luck!
I got for Christmas from an ex a book and CD on how to learn Icelandic. I'd spent a year studying Icelandic with the same book and CD already. He wrapped it in newspaper (to be fair it was meant well and romantically but I remember desperately trying to hide my disappointment) and buying gifts for men is just hard.
ReplyDeleteWow. That wins. Just wow.
DeleteLiam's favourite presents over the last couple of years have been an expensive but lovely canvas shoulder bag and... a spam-jo. That's a banjo made using an empty spam can. So I'm with KateQ on the random factor!
ReplyDeleteSpam-jos aside, in terms of tips for the future, I gather gift ideas throughout the year on Pinterest so that I'm not panicking at Christmas/Birthday time.
Good luck!
From what you've said about Fin I recommend booze and bombay mix (thinking about that Scottish holiday!). Nice cashmere sweater, ready for winter? Also can be worn in rubbish summers like this one....
ReplyDeleteI once got THREE sets of padded coat hangers for Christmas. From different people. What does that say about me? Actually, I'm not sure I want to know. My 22nd birthday my parents bought me a foot spa and a tracksuit - that's it, I thought, my youth is over.
Worst present received from a (former) boyfriend was an iron & and ironing board. You've got this.
ReplyDeleteYou could spend your oodles of spare time making this! http://mashable.com/2011/10/09/at-at-dog-costume/
ReplyDeleteor maybe not.
Argh, I've got my boyfriend's 30th coming up and I've NO IDEAS. None. Even more none than the none I had for his 29th. But, on the bright side, one year my mum gave him three wooden spoons so he doesn't really expect much of note from anyone in my family...
ReplyDeleteI'm a big fan of the Mystery Tip. Pack a fancy M&S picnic, book train tickets, book tickets for an exhibition, drink wine on the way there (and back) - or maybe stay in a swish hotel. No one can ever complain about a swish hotel. Or, err, I once bought my brother some Margaret Thatcher underpants as a joke.
ReplyDeleteI'm not kidding. Www.culturelabel.com/political-pant-thatcher.html
ReplyDeleteKnow I'm a bit late – hope you came up with something (a wrapped up you by any chance?)! I'm with Laura, a mystery trip is always good or even just a boy's day out... we did the surgeon's hall museum followed by food at the whisky society on N's birthday (all his choice!) :)
ReplyDeleteI've never had a bad present from my lovely wife, but her grandmother did once give me a partly used bottle of bay rum aftershave for Christmas... Over a year after her husband had died. And he used bay rum aftershave.
ReplyDeleteTotally late to the party and I hope you found a good present, but OOH look at those lovely knickers.
ReplyDeleteWhat did you get him?!
ReplyDeleteI am rubbish as I lack the self control to wait until his birthday - if I think of something for the dude I buy and give immediately.
I just bought him a knife. A fancy Japanese knife, but still a knife.
Think it straddles the line between thoughtful and creepy quite nicely.