https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/gift-giving-and-significant-others Style Advice for Fashion Lovers en-US Sun, 03 May 2026 16:38:09 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 q https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/search.php https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/gift-giving-and-significant-others#post-262459 Tue, 07 Dec 2010 19:04:19 +0000 bj1111 262459@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>@ biscuitsmom, i hear you about it being hard to shop for dh. i know he feels the same way about me, since we're both really picky. (hey, i picked him so he can't complain!)</p> <p>@angie, a pretty present is the minimum i would expect from greg. i think heartstoppingly gorgeous is more like it!</p> <p>@steph, dh and i have the same reaction to the "gift giving industry". not so much during this time of year, but definitely during v-day. </p> <p>@debora, re "memories for gifts"--exactly!</p> <p>thank you, ladies, for satisfying my curiosity! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/gift-giving-and-significant-others#post-262252 Tue, 07 Dec 2010 08:49:32 +0000 londonkiwi (now back in NZ) 262252@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I am blessed with a DH who is a fantastic gift giver (and he keeps getting better). I also enjoy shopping for him. In fact there is a certain delight to chosing a perfect gift for someone, I think.</p> <p>I grew up in a household where we gave gifts, but there wasn't an excessive amount of gift giving going on. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/gift-giving-and-significant-others#post-262244 Tue, 07 Dec 2010 08:09:31 +0000 Katiepea 262244@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>My husband and I have been together for over 12 years and dare I say it, are still madly in love, having never really left the honeymoon stage. (I utterly adore him and I like to think he feels the same way about me. &lt;happy sigh!&gt; Sorry single ladies, sadly he doesn't have any brothers!) </p> <p>At Christmas we generally will give each other ideas about what we would appreciate, however I love surprising him and he tries really hard to buy me something thoughtful and perhaps a surprise for me as well. Unfortunately, we do tend to set a budget of maximum spend to ensure we don't go too crazy! (I dream of the day when there is no limit. )</p> <p>What I've learnt is that he will always buy me something with the very best of intentions and thought. I've learnt it sometimes it may not be to my taste (once or twice I've puzzled "what were you thinking?"), but over time I can say that he is certainly improving! I'm so excited because this year he has said to me he definately has worked out what he's going to buy me (which is unusual - he tends to leave things until the last minute) and is organising it as we speak. I honestly have no idea what it is and can't wait to see what he comes up with! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/gift-giving-and-significant-others#post-262171 Tue, 07 Dec 2010 03:19:12 +0000 Steph 262171@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Hm, Shana, I'll give a different perspective. As a child who grew up with parents who *never* exchanged gifts at holidays, I don't think you're setting a bad example. When I was a kid I used to think it was sad they didn't exchange gifts, but that's just because I liked getting gifts and figured they would too. However, my parents always explained that they didn't feel they needed special occasions to give each other gifts, and they would point out that they purchased each other gifts at totally random times, just because. That actually stuck with me, and as I became older it helped me look at the whole "gift giving industrial complex" with a more critical eye. </p> <p>It sounds like you and your husband talk about gifts and make decisions on what to purchase together, and I think that's an important lesson in itself. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/gift-giving-and-significant-others#post-262167 Tue, 07 Dec 2010 03:15:23 +0000 Queen Mum 262167@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Shana- you are right about setting an example for your kids. Even though I prefer to pick out whatever I want, I tell my husband that he needs to be an example to the boys of being a gift giver and train them to give gifts to the woman (currently me) in their life. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/gift-giving-and-significant-others#post-262156 Tue, 07 Dec 2010 02:55:04 +0000 Angie 262156@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Hubby and I have been together for 24 years and he knows better than to give me a gift which is not pretty. It *has* to be pretty. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/gift-giving-and-significant-others#post-262141 Tue, 07 Dec 2010 02:32:50 +0000 April 262141@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>SO and I have known each other a long time (17 or 18 years) but have only been romantically involved for about 5, and we do a lot of gift-giving. It's just something we both enjoy, perhaps because we're still living in different states and don't get to see each other daily, or even weekly. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/gift-giving-and-significant-others#post-262132 Tue, 07 Dec 2010 02:19:45 +0000 Dusty 262132@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>My husband and I have been together for almost 12 years (really? has it been that long?) and we still mostly exchange presents. Some years we've agreed to buy one big thing for "us" but usually we get each other something, but not usually anything as big as a cruise! (which sounds wonderful - we went on one for our honeymoon and definitely want to do it again some day). We get the things we really need as we need them but there are always things that we don't really need but want anyway and that's the kind of thing we get each other for Christmas. DH says he wants to surprise me this year - even had it delivered to his brother's house instead of here, but I think I have a sneaking suspicion what it is! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/gift-giving-and-significant-others#post-262117 Tue, 07 Dec 2010 01:37:46 +0000 Kim 262117@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Ooooh, I like the "memories as gifts" idea! We've been together 30 years and buy what we need as we need it, so it's hard to get gifts for each other now. I'm going to suggest this to him, I think he'll like it too.</p> <p>My only problem will be that my anniversary, birthday and Christmas all fall within 5 days of each other! LOL </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/gift-giving-and-significant-others#post-262110 Tue, 07 Dec 2010 01:27:41 +0000 shana 262110@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>My husband &amp; I have been together for nearly 15 years (wow, has it been that long??) and we don't do much specific gift giving for the holidays. We just buy whatever we want whenever we want so what's the point? However, I'm starting to think we should do some more official gift giving just so that it serves an example to our kids. Totally agree with the preference for a fun experience rather than a gift. Our birthdays are just a few days apart and we always do a fun trip - even if it's just a day trip. I honestly couldn't name some of the birthday/xmas gifts that I have received over the years but I remember all the fun trips!!</p> <p>We just made a big purchase recently - a new refrigerator (our other one started to die just around thanksgiving!!). I guess that might be my xmas present this year. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/gift-giving-and-significant-others#post-262046 Mon, 06 Dec 2010 23:51:49 +0000 Desmo April 262046@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>We've been together for ages and we generally agree on something big for both of us. </p> <p>This year it's a new TV that we just got this weekend--I love it! We also exchange gifts with a limit each year. This year our limit is $75 total. We've done as low as $30 in the past. Last year we did a motorcycle track school as our joint gift and he got me a book that I wanted, a candle from Anthropologie and speakers for my commuter helmet--that was a $50 cap. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/gift-giving-and-significant-others#post-262005 Mon, 06 Dec 2010 22:32:42 +0000 biscuitsmom 262005@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>My DH is SOOOO hard to shop for! He never says what he wants and rarely shops and I dont understand enough about electronics/tools to buy him something he would like....so I generally give him a visa gift card and let him pick out what he wants- usually spends it months later! He usually gives me a specific store gift card, even though Ive 'hinted' Visa is much better....sigh </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/gift-giving-and-significant-others#post-261063 Sun, 05 Dec 2010 03:40:38 +0000 Debora 261063@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>My husband and I have been married for 30 years, and we do this too - memories for gifts. Mostly for occasions like birthdays, anniversaries, and Mother's/Father's Day. We still give gifts to each other on Christmas, but on the other occasions the one who is celebrating the special occasion gets to pick the outing. Sometimes it's as simple as a trip to the art museum, or a day trip to a nearby attraction, other times it's a bigger trip. One year my husband took me to Paris (we were stationed in Germany) for Mother's Day, and this year we will be in NYC to celebrate my 56th (!!!) birthday. We usually try to bring home something to remind us of the special day. I have a beautiful print from the musee d'orsay in my dining room, and every time I look at it it reminds me of our trip. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/gift-giving-and-significant-others#post-261061 Sun, 05 Dec 2010 03:36:56 +0000 Steph 261061@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I am lucky because my boyfriend is a good gift giver with great taste, and I also love giving gifts. However, we have found that oftentimes when holidays roll around, we both have what we want and need, so we only purchase a gift because there is a holiday coming up, and it seems wasteful. Thus, several years ago we just started skipping holidays. We'll usually just tell the other "I think I'm going to skip [birthday, anniversary, Christmas/Hanukkah, whatever] this year, if that's okay with you." There have been times when one of us gets the other a gift, but not vice versa. It really comes down to whether one of us is inspired to get something; we just don't like to get gifts out of obligation. So for the occasions where we don't buy gifts, we exchange cards, and that's pretty much it. We do ALWAYS exchange cards, however.</p> <p>Growing up, my parents never bought each other gifts for holidays, saying that they felt it was important to get gifts when you felt like getting something, not because there was a commercially-recognized holiday coming up. I used to think it was sad, but find myself doing something similar. I'm not sure how having that norm in my life growing up has influenced my current decisions.</p> <p>For what it's worth, we have been together for ten years, and living together for eight. The first few years, we always gave gifts to each other, but after several years (maybe four or five) it started to seem pointless at times. I don't know if relationship duration really has anything to do with it, though. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/gift-giving-and-significant-others#post-261054 Sun, 05 Dec 2010 03:23:49 +0000 Kate 261054@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>My guy and I have been together for almost 4 years, and were long distance for almost 3 years of that, so most of our past gifts have been one of us paying to fly to visit and the other paying for the food and activities during that visit. Now that we're finally in the same place we're trying to figure out how we want to do gifts. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/gift-giving-and-significant-others#post-261041 Sun, 05 Dec 2010 02:43:15 +0000 RandomThoughts (Andrea) 261041@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>DH and I have been together roughly 18 years. Seems like it was more important to give gifts when we were "new" than it is now. Now we have our little traditions and just enjoy being together. A trip sounds like a -wonderful- gift to yourselves! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/gift-giving-and-significant-others#post-261040 Sun, 05 Dec 2010 02:39:18 +0000 MsMary 261040@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>We're doing the same thing this year -- we are leaving on a week-long cruise to Mexico on January 2 and not worrying about gifts for one another beyond that. MUCH more fun and less stress all around! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/gift-giving-and-significant-others#post-261036 Sun, 05 Dec 2010 02:24:44 +0000 bj1111 261036@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>in <a href="http://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ot-on-the-topic-of-gifts">sveta's earlier thread</a>several of you commented on not exchanging gifts with our SOs. after being together for dogs' years, i find gift giving more enjoyable than gift getting, especially from my hubs...a man of many many other talents. this year, we decided to gift ourselves a trip during the holidays.</p> <p>i'm curious...what do you all do? did/does relationship duration matter? </p>