Gift-impaired husbands

[allycat0303]

....anyone want to confess?

A few years ago he got me a sandwhich maker (panini press thing). Well I love paninis. But I don''t cook. EVER.

I always have a mental image of him wandering the mall on December 24th (he always does that for me) randomly picking up items with a look of pure panic. It''s so cute, I love it.

 

[that_someone_special]

Gift impaired Fiance.

We have recently resorted to me just buying my own gifts and saying THANKS HONEY!!

Men are sooooo cute when they have to pick out gifts.

 

[noelwr]

I want to confess that I am a gift-impaired wife.

I cannot come up with any good surprises, so he usually ends up choosing his own present (which he also has difficulty doing), though he''s so great at picking out things for me.

one Valentine''s Day he got me a PS3 game. I mean I wanted the game... but it wasn''t really Valentine-ish

 

[rockpaperscissors67]

I can''t wait to read more responses to this!

My ex was *really* gift impaired and it drove me nuts, but there were also a lot of other issues. I had to explain to him many times that it was important to me that he acknowledge certain days and I really like gifts that are something I can keep to remember that time. I do NOT need expensive gifts, not at all. I just prefer things that stick around.

The worst was the Mums incident. He never did anything for Mother''s Day except sneak out to the store first thing in the morning and buy a card and a gift he could get at that store. One year, he got a pot of these hideously ugly TAN mums. I''m not a flower person anyway, but these were downright ghastly.

The next year, he picked out a box of candy...that the kids proceeded to eat. I didn''t even have one piece.

SO is a bit better, but I''ve learned that I need to guide him. The first Christmas we were together, he gave me this awful pin that our jeweler friend had designed. When she showed it to us, I ooohed and ahhhed over it because I didn''t want to be rude and say, "That thing is so big and clunky that I would never wear it." SO took that as a sign that I loved it. Yeah, not so much.

Now I keep a "wishlist" folder on my computer with pictures and my older daughters knows exactly where it is. She is kind enough to be the go-between so I don''t have to tell SO right out what I''d like and he can make a selection that is perfect for me.

 

[Lauren8211]

My ex boyfriend was seriously gift impaired.

One year I got a can opener and a USB hub.

 

[lilyfoot]

I''m proud to say that BF is NOT gift impaired!

It''s amazing! I was beginning to think all men were ..

If there''s something I want, I''ll tell him and he''ll get it, but he''s great at coming up with other stuff by himself.

But from past experiences, I feel your pain ..

 

[lilyfoot]

Date: 12/18/2009 9:39:53 AM
Author: elledizzy5
My ex boyfriend was seriously gift impaired.

One year I got a can opener and a USB hub.

Ok, seriously, wtf.

 

[Lauren8211]

Date: 12/18/2009 9:41:55 AM
Author: lilyfoot

Date: 12/18/2009 9:39:53 AM
Author: elledizzy5
My ex boyfriend was seriously gift impaired.

One year I got a can opener and a USB hub.

Ok, seriously, wtf.

Haha.

Impressive, right?

 

[junebug17]

To be fair, both hubby and I are a bit gift-impaired. For awhile we would buy each other clothes, and then noticed neither of us was wearing them! Now we just tell each other what we would like. And on occasion will actually pick it out ourselves. I know it''s not very romantic or exciting, but it works for us. Both of us are practical, and just can''t see spending money on things we won''t use or particularly like.

 

[Shoopy]

Date: 12/18/2009 6:15:54 AM
Author:allycat0303
I always have a mental image of him wandering the mall on December 24th (he always does that for me) randomly picking up items with a look of pure panic. It''s so cute, I love it.

This describes FI only I don''t think its cute lol

I try not to set myself up for disappointment or him up for failure. If he asks what I want, I tell him. It takes away the element of surprise but much better than opening up a $50 gift card to Victoria Secret in front of my Grandmom and Mom

We do joint gifts now and the year we decided to do this, I could see the relief on his face.

 

[charbie]

my hubby tries, i think. but he sucks. and he has no intention of getting any better.

he is a notorius re-gifter. he likes to pick out things he doesnt use anymore and give them away. i''m always embarrassed, but his family knows how he is, and its now an endearing quality, and crazy as it sounds, his little nephews always love his gifts.

he also won''t buy anything unless it is on sale. kohl''s is a "GREAT" place for fine jewelry in his opinion. i really don''t like the color pink, at all. well, two years ago i got a pink "sapphire" heart shaped necklace from kohls. i get random tee-shirts in the wrong size, which obviously were on clearance.

i''m a bit nervous for this christmas to be honest!

 

[tlh]

my dad is gift impaired. he wanted to buy my mom a financial calculator for her 50th birthday. I talked him out of it, and into a 5 stone diamond ring instead. (my mom doesn''t even like jewelry - but it was way better than a calculator.)

this isn''t the worst gift of his either - just the most recent. Now that I''m older, I call my dad ask what he is getting her and say NO. That is not a good gift. That gift idea is the worst ever. I''ll help you pick something out... then I send him a list of things and he can pick from it depending upon how much money he wants to/can spend.

I just got tired of year after year watching my mom fill her own stocking, and get horrible gifts that she feigned enjoyment over. I''m like ugh, doesn''t he know her AT ALL? He did try, but usually his gifts just reflected what HE wanted, and never what was an interest to my mom... but I think we can all be a bit guilty of that from time to time... I mean - what we know is comfortable for us.

 

[nytemist]

Husband is very much impaired to the point we don''t do gifts anymore. If I get him something he wants, he goes on and on about how I shouldn''t have spent the money. He''s also super picky so shopping for him is nearly impossible.

 

[ladypirate]

FI is actually a really good gift giver, but he tends to give things that are more practical and a lot of times it''s stuff that is kitchen related since we both like to cook. One year we seriously went to Sur La Table and each picked out what we wanted for Christmas, then wrapped them.

It''s a good thing I like practical presents because otherwise I probably wouldn''t think he was a very good gift giver!

 

[mimzy]

DH is gift impaired, but it often works in my favor. this year he panicked and bought me a Nikon D90 because he "couldn''t think of anything else!!!". I think he feels that the gift has to be approved before he buys it? last night when we were out shopping he even freaked out about stocking stuffers and bought me a season of a tv show to put in mine....like he couldn''t even pick out candy i liked haha. it''s pretty cute, but there was a streak that went out for a few years when all he got me was the show Scrubs on dvd.....season after season, occasion after occasion.

 

[Haven]

I see a lot of gift-impaired hubbies wandering around Macy''s, so don''t feel bad Ally!

DH and I have been volunteering with our local animal shelter, and our big fundraiser is gift wrapping in Macy''s, and we''ve seen a lot of hilarious situations this season. One guy came back and had me wrap five different gifts from all over the mall. He told me to wrap them well but not too well so his wife thought that *he* had wrapped them. His daughters were there and they said "Yeah, mommy will be really mad if she finds out that he didn''t wrap them." The husband kept muttering "she has high expectations." One of the gifts he brought was a plastic cupcake carrier, so I asked the girls if their mommy baked a lot and they said "No, not really." Hmmm . . .

Then another guy came over with a set of dish towels and asked me to wrap them really well for his wife. Yeah, I''m sure a nice package will make her forget the fact that you bought her DISH TOWELS! Oy.

A lot of guys had lists written out from their wives. They seemed the least harried.

My husband and I don''t have to deal with this issue because we exchange handwritten letters instead of gifts. We only give each other gifts when we find something that is really perfect for the other.

 

[rierie26]

My bf is ridiculously gift-impaired. He hates shopping for gifts so much it actually causes him anxiety when he even thinks about going shopping for other people (and just shopping in general, LOL). He''s been known to go to a store, stare at a shelf of stuff for an hour, get upset and leave without buying anything. If he''s buying for other people, it usually ends up with me picking it out, handing it to him and telling him "that''s the one."

If he''s shopping for me, I usually give him a list with very, very detailed information like what aisle, department, color, size, weight, what it''s beside, how much it costs, I mean just ridiculous amounts of information that you would think would be unnecessary, otherwise he won''t be able to find it. He once went to three stores looking for corn syrup even though I told him the specific aisle, color, what it would be next to, etc and he still couldn''t find it! Recently though, we''ve developed this new system where he won''t get me anything for the holidays/my birthday, but he will tag along when I go shopping after and will offer to pay for something at the register, and will usually say something like "Oh, this is my present for [insert even that''s passed]."

 

[Ara Ann]

DH has a hit or miss record. He tries TOO hard to find something meaningful.

Our first Christmas as husband and wife, he was SO excited about the gift he got me...he kept saying I was going to LOVE it, going on and on. My mind went to BLING! But was terribly disappointed to open a Casio mini keyboard on Christmas morning. DH was excited because it was his way of ''making up'' for me having to give up my piano when we moved into our first place together. LOL. He was pretty upset to see how disappointed I was...but he got an A for effort!

I got a beautiful bracelet the next Christmas.

I also have a large DVD and CD collection, ahem...which he also happens to enjoy. He''s good at buying himself things, that were supposed to be gifts for me, LOL.

 

[violet3]

Date: 12/18/2009 9:39:53 AM
Author: elledizzy5
My ex boyfriend was seriously gift impaired.

One year I got a can opener and a USB hub.

i just laughed so hard at this i almost spit out my water!

 

[mayachel]

This thread is hilarious. My df claims to be gift impaired, his solution is to not give anything unless he feels like it has been hinted about or suggested. He is incredibly generous,and really, I think I''m pretty easy to please.

 

[Deactivated member 42515]

Date: 12/18/2009 6:15:54 AM
Author:allycat0303
....anyone want to confess?

A few years ago he got me a sandwhich maker (panini press thing). Well I love paninis. But I don''t cook. EVER.

I always have a mental image of him wandering the mall on December 24th (he always does that for me) randomly picking up items with a look of pure panic. It''s so cute, I love it.

hahaha hilarious!

 

[Vancity]

This thread is making me

Our first Christmas, I rec'd a Seattle Seahawks Bobblehead Doll.

This 'gift' still puzzles to me this day. When I told my friends about it, they roared with laughter, and were like "He got WHAT for YOU?! YOU - of all people?! What was he thinking?!" We still break out in fits of laughter when this story is told...I have no doubt it will be included in a wedding speech

Sooo, shortly after, I said to my fiance "OK, bub…we need to have a little talk."

I'm an earring girl. Feel nekkid without them.

Every year, I pick out a new pair of diamond earrings, and that's what I get. I'm happy, and he's happy that I'm happy

(Oh, and elledizzy5...I'd gladly take your can opener & USB hub over that stupid bobblehead anyday

)

 

[swingirl]

First Christmas I got a frying pan and the Farmer''s Almanac.

Now we go to the mall, he brings his credit card and I try on lots of cute outfits! A much better plan.

He does have to wrap everything up. Last year I got a Dooney & Bourke handbag. Best gift yet!!

 

[mtjoya]

LOL...Sorry, that you ladies have So''s and hubbys that are gift impaired, but these stories are funny! I have been dropping hints that I want a new wedding band but don''t think it''s going to happen.

 

[FrekeChild]

FI does pretty dang well. I have no idea what he''s getting me this year for christmas, but I do know that throughout the year he compiles a list of things I send him. He saves every email and link and then refers back to them when it''s gift time. So I always know that something I wanted will be under our tree.

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

lol this thread is hilarious!

I give kudos to BF for recognizing that he''s gift-impaired; from our first Christmas, he''s let me pick (I''ll usually give him 3-5 options and he picks one so it''s still kind of a surprise).

I guess that really makes him an awesome gifter since I get exactly what I want

 

[cellososweet]

DH is gift-impaired, I'd say. We've made this better by me just sending him a list of things I like for Christmas. I need to do this for my birthday I guess to, because I basically get a book or a journal every single year. I read, yes, but it's just really impersonal and I have horrible arthritis, so writing isn't easy for me. Gotta love him.

ETA: He got me men's cologne one year. That was a classic. Almost forgot about that one.

 

[Lynn B]

Gift-impaired husbands? My friend had one. For their 10th anniversary he got her... (drumroll, please)... MUD FLAPS! Yes. Mud flaps. For HIS truck, no less!!!

Anyway, they''re divorced now. No surprise, huh?

 

[Kaleigh]

Date: 12/18/2009 9:20:02 PM
Author: Lynn B
Gift-impaired husbands? My friend had one. For their 10th anniversary he got her... (drumroll, please)... MUD FLAPS! Yes. Mud flaps. For HIS truck, no less!!!

Anyway, they''re divorced now. No surprise, huh?

OMG, that''s awful!!!!

Hubby is not impaired, I set him straight years ago. But did catch him wanting to buy me a leaf blower this Xmas. He bought me one for the FLA house, we have lots of trees by the pool and a leaf blower does the trick, quick and easy...But it''s electirc and easy. He saw how much I loved it and wanted to buy one for home.

BUT for here?? I''d need a gas one, and those are mighty heavy. So said nope, just have the lawn guys come more often....

 

[Lynn B]

Ooooh, I have another story, too!

My sister was always SOOOO impressed with her husband's excellent gifting abilities. He would give her these wonderful, expensive outfits, complete with coordinating scarf, earrings, shoes, bracelet, hose, sunglasses, etc. The WHOLE SHA-BANG. It was actually REALLY impressive! I love him to death, but honestly, I just couldn't imagine him having that much patience, style, and TIME to do all that.

Then one day we found out his secret! He'd go to Macy's and find a mannequin dressed in an outfit he liked, and tell the sales associate, "Get me all that in a size 10, please!"

Really! It's actually quite brilliant, though, I think. (And they're still going strong, BTW!)