Give a girl some chocolate, a love note, and a big smooch on the lips on Valentine’s Day and we’re set. On the flip side, shopping for a guy on Valentine’s Day is another story. Especially since there’s this movement going on with men where they “don’t like chocolate” which is just sacrilege. So before you go buy your man some beard oil, when he doesn’t have a beard, nor do we all really know what beard oil is, here are some tips on what to get your guy for the most holiest of holidays.
10 – Map – Maps are a cool but forgotten thing. They’re very “oh, this should hang in your office” type of thing. Chris and I decided last year we were going to go for it and hit all 50 states during our life travels. I found this map at my favorite travel inspired site, Wayfaren, which I bought him for Christmas. It has a reclaimed wood frame and comes with different colored push pins so you can each pin where you’ve been. It takes a bit of time to ship, so order asap for any chance at a Valentine’s Day arrival.
9 – Class – Chris made me take a concealed carry class on Valentine’s Day in our second year of marriage. I don’t really want to talk about it. And while I got a 100% on the test <<fist bump>> I didn’t get the license nor do I carry. This is not some stance or advocacy on guns (ugh, that could’ve escalated fast) …it’s just a way to say that you should think about his hobbies like this and sign him up for some sort of class he’d enjoy. And if you have to, just join and learn about the parts of a bullet and gun safety.
8 – Rent a Luxury Car – If your man is in the market for a new car, meaning he’s been looking at a luxury car for years but will probably not actually pull the trigger (ah, another gun reference) – go rent that car for a weekend for him so he can have a few days of glory cruising around in that Mercedes, Audi, or Porsche (note: I cannot be held responsible if he ends up buying one).
7 – Hiking Trip – I don’t know if it’s just my husband who likes hiking, but if this is your man, plan a hiking trip (local or far) and go….and most importantly…hike that thing like a champ with him and don’t complain. Pack the lunches, wear comfortable clothes, bring hiking gear – you know, granola and stuff, and enjoy some outdoor time together without phones (unless you want to play music while you hike which is what I like to do).
6 – Chef Service – This is a pricey one, but, Chris eats so healthy all the days of his life so it inspired the idea. When he came back from traveling once I had contacted a chef and had her prepare all his meals for a week to save him time, plus, I mean, her food obviously tasted better than whatever him and I can throw together. It was pricey but a fun little luxury. And there’s something way more fun when everything arrives in new little containers and you find hints of coconut in unsuspecting food. If you’re in the Columbus, OH area, click here to see who I used.
5 – Concert Tickets – Self explanatory. Get crazy and go to a weekday concert! If he’s not a music person, splurge on tickets to see his favorite sports team play. Also, let him know it’s okay if he takes his brother instead of you.
4 – Brunch Date – I think it’s just this thing where all men love a good breakfast. Don’t pressure him to make dinner reservations and do the thing where you’re waiting all day to actually shower for said dinner only to realize the Cheesecake Factory doesn’t actually take dinner reservations so you stand there hangry and argue while you wait 2 hours for a table. Get your be-hinds out of bed and take your man to breakfast at that cute little diner joint on the corner.
3 – Yeti Mug – Yeti makes a magical mug that keeps your cold drink cold and your hot drink hot, and 12 hours later when you’ve forgotten that you left the cup of coffee in your car – it’s about 80% good as new. If you’ve got money to burn, Yeti also makes a cooler that costs a billion dollars but will keep cold your man’s deer meat or fish or whatever other weird meats men catch and kill and keep on trips with the boys.
2 – Pajamas, Blankets, Socks – I feel like men just wanna be comfortable like us ladies. They secretly want the flannel pajama pants and the big wool socks from North Face and they want a big comfortable blanket. They just can’t admit it or purchase these things themselves. Go get your man the most comfortable of all these things you can find so he can enjoy a Saturday morning in comfort.
1 – Handwritten Love Letter – Pour your mushy heart out. Tell him your favorite things about him, tell him where you see him being a good dad, tell him things you’d say if this was your first few months of dating, tell him what you admire him.
….and don’t forget the big smooch.
