Life > December 6, 2007

By Kelly Curran | Staff columnist

It’s that time of the year again – time to wrack your brain to figure out what your partner wants for Christmas. As if malls aren’t stressful enough, you have to figure out what size clothing she would be, remember what DVDs he already has or decide if you can get away with giving your girlfriend of a year a gift card to Best Buy. In true Christmas spirit, here are my ideas for how to give your boyfriend or girlfriend what they want and deserve.

There are many factors that go into what to buy – length of the relationship, money and equity should all be considered.

Buying something too expensive when you have only been dating for a few months is forward and a little frightening. For newer relationships, stick to meaningful but inexpensive presents. I’m not saying you should buy your girlfriend a candle – even if “honeydew melon” is her favorite scent. Something like a framed picture of you two or memorabilia from a favorite sports team shows that you care.

When your relationship is more serious, it’s time to start thinking about bigger gifts. In a long-term relationship it is fair to expect a certain level of thought (and money) to go into the present-buying process.

So what do you get for a guy who doesn’t tell you what he wants or drop hints? Many guys seem oblivious to the fact that the holidays are a time to exchange presents. They act like this is some strange tradition they had never heard of. So for a guy who seems less than enthused about gift-giving, get him something that will peak his excitement. No, nothing that requires AAA batteries – I’m talking about cars.

Talk to car rental companies and get him his dream car for the day or for the weekend or take him into NASCAR country to test-drive a race car. He’ll feel like a big shot driving around in it and he will definitely have a smile on his face.

For the ultimate college boy, you can help him tailgate in style with a contraption that attaches to any car’s hitch to make a pole for hammock chairs. He will be the envy of all during next year’s football season with his comfortable chair (footrests are available too!) that is so cleverly constructed.

Women are a whole different story. The wrong gift can spell disaster for a relationship. Most girls would love to get jewelry as a present, but that may not be feasible for the college budget. One piece of jewelry I suggest is a Claddagh ring. They are an Irish tradition representing love, friendship and loyalty, so it is meaningful but relatively inexpensive, since there are no gems involved.

Many men are too practical when buying gifts. Appliances may be needed, but they are not good gifts. If you do want to get her a practical gift, make it a two-part surprise. For example, if you give her an automated pet food dispenser she’ll probably consider dumping you right then. But, if you follow it up by showing her a brochure for the weekend getaway you’ll be taking, your gift is suddenly thoughtful and wonderful.

Of course, there are some gifts you never want to give. Ever. At the very top of that list is a gym membership. You would never want to receive one, nor would you want to give one. A gym membership is a great thing to have, but the person you’re sleeping with is the wrong person to tell you to go.

Be wary of what your presents are saying – yes, all gifts send a message to the recipient. While robotic vacuums and floor washers are really cool, (I’m obsessed with my friend’s Roomba) what are they saying? They do not exactly scream “romance,” rather they say “you’re dirty and lazy.” Definitely not the impression you want to be giving your boyfriend or girlfriend.

If you are still at a loss for ideas, consult my favorite resource – SkyMall magazine. Browse one on your next flight. It has everything you could ever want, and even things you never knew existed (wireless food temperature monitor, anyone?)