As much as I resent the stereotype that men are complete rubes in the gift-giving department, I'll admit, some of us struggle. Sure, there are guys that have it down (the type of guy who keeps a yacht docked in St. Barts, for example), but most of us are hit or miss. I'm a lot better at it than some of the men in my family: I once heard my brother ask his wife to "babysit" at 5 p.m. on the night of her birthday so he could go shopping for her present. Yeah.
Still, I'm no expert. So when it comes to the main gift, I stick to something from Holly's wish list. But I like to round it out with a few smaller picks of my own so that there are some surprises -- which is why I browse about a million gift guides as the holidays approach.
Esquire has one on their website right now that I like, called "
Gifts That Will Keep You Married" (I know, kind of a grim title, but it has some decent ideas).
Personally, I like to give Holly one pampering-type thing (think: lotion, fragrance, pedicure) and one charity-related gift. I found this
Harpers Bazaar list of beauty gift sets that could cover the pampering. And I might donate another fruit tree to help feed village children in Africa through ASAP to fulfill the charity category. I sent one in Holly's name last year and she loved it.
-- Jack