Lesson 13: He’s Crafty
With my wife’s birthday and the holidays quickly approaching, I am faced with the opportunity for botched present purchases. Each year my wife refuses to tell me what types of gifts she wants because she says it won’t be a surprise if she tells me. So I am left to my own devices to think of gift ideas.
Lesson 13: If you want your wife to appreciate your thoughtful, homemade gift, don’t have your mom design and make it for you.
I wanted to do something special for our first anniversary. We were students and didn’t have a lot of money, so I thought I would be creative. I went online and did a search for anniversary gift ideas and found a few interesting ideas. One lady described a love box she created so she and her husband could leave secret notes for each other. This woman created a very ornate wooden box that had a little opening at the top to slip notes in. She explained that she would leave a note in the box that would say something like, “Can’t wait until we see each other when we get home.” Her husband would then retrieve the note and leave another one that would say, “I’ll be waiting.” This seemed like the most unmanly thing I had ever heard of, so I thought my wife would like it.
I didn’t have any materials for a wooden box, so I had to think of another idea. I called my mom and she suggested that I use a shoe box and use wrapping paper to spice it up. I liked the idea and asked her when she could work on it. She laughed and said she would not do it for me because my wife would not appreciate that. I told her that I couldn’t wrap presents and that she had to help me. My mom finally agreed to make the gift as long as I got her the materials. I found a shoe box and whatever wrapping paper was available in the closet and brought it to my mom. She made the love box, but was concerned about the wrapping paper. As you can see, my choice in wrapping paper wasn’t the best, but I didn’t think it mattered much.
I presented the love box to my wife on our anniversary. She was quite surprised that I tried to be creative, but she was shocked by the wrapping paper. She was even more shocked when she found out that my mom was the one who made the box. To top it all off, she found my note inside, which read:
“Thanks for marrying me. Here’s a box to keep notes in. ”
Her response was simply, “Wow. How romantic. Your mom made me a love box out of the baby wrapping paper that I bought last week.”
My suggestion: Maybe husbands should stick with something on the safer side–like a bottle of perfume. You run the risk of not knowing the right scent, but at least it won’t reek of your mom.
11 Responses to “Lesson 13: He’s Crafty”
I once helped a friend buy lingerie for his wife because I was running to the mall anyway and she and I have similar taste. the next day he said the gift was a hit and she loved it, but then the next week she found out I had purchased them and he was forced to return them. (except one because she really really liked it). note to men – do not have a female friend pick up the gift — especially lingerie.
By celine on Nov 26, 2007
the donkey’s brother is a pro at gift giving…here are the best gifts I have gotten from him: 1)a cartoon timeline of our lives together and the memories we have had up to the point of getting the gift (it is framed on our wall)2)a wall size relief of our immediate family tree which consists of 18 brothers and sisters3)a toy box he made with his father that doubles as a bench (he does not have a knack for carpentry and never built anything like this before)—reasons I liked these things— he thought about what I like (our lives together, family/photos and our son) and found a way to make it himself
By celine on Nov 26, 2007
Give your sweet, overworked wife the gift of no cooking for a week. Either find one of those places where you go assemble the meals and then put them in your freezer, or enlist the help of her friends and have them each prepare a meal a night for a week. I would LOVE this.
By megan on Nov 26, 2007
i think we are all forgetting the true meaning of gifts, as the donkey has learned it isn’t the thought- it’s all about the benjamins brutha just stick to the old classics, flowers, jewelry, perfume, candles and you’ll be fine. you don’t want to get creative because then you will be stuck trying to top your last masterpiece, keep it simple
By phillyz on Nov 26, 2007
phillyz is right, you can’t go too big at first. Celine’s husband is always trying to out do his previous gift. Because he started out too big he has trouble topping himself. I would recommend starting at the bottom of the barrel for the first gift then work your way up. The only problem is the Donkey seems to be moving latitudinally.
By Lord Baldemort on Nov 26, 2007
my husband did start with a ball point pen as his first gift (because he knew I liked to write) — but that was 14 years ago now, so he has had trouble topping them more recently. But – he has yet to disappoint. I, on the other hand, disappoint him relentlessly and usually end up getting him nothing because I am so horrible at gift giving. I suppose marrying him was gift enough.
By celine on Nov 27, 2007
1. Re: Celine’s post. Returned lingerie is nasty. There should be a law against it.2. I don’t see the problem with the box or the paper. It is the thought behind it. You can buy perfume, but you didn’t concoct the stuff. You could buy flowers but you didn’t grow and pick them. What’s wrong with having someone else produce your gift. As far as the paper goes, nothing says love more than the by-product of it…a baby.
By Karlmalone on Nov 27, 2007
haha. that is the creepiest paper I have ever seen
By Anonymous on Nov 27, 2007
So funny!! The wrapping paper really does make it creepy though. My brother-in-law asked me if I would go lingere shopping with him to help him pick out some items for his wife’s birthday. I took pity on the poor guy but wouldn’t go to Victoria’s Secret – I just brought him to Ross and pointed him at the undies section. But he still wanted to check his panties selection with me. I’ve never let him live that one down.
By Hollywood on Nov 27, 2007
The question is, would the wife have been as upset if someone other than donkey’s mother had done the wrapping honors?
By Anonymous on Nov 27, 2007
the lingerie was not used yet! it had just been hanging in her closet — of course that would be gross.
By celinehagan@hotmail.com on Nov 28, 2007