by Rhiannon Flores-Drennen

Created on: January 08, 2010

Let's face it: no one wants a crappy present and, what's more, no one wants to give one.  Though your boyfriend (or any other person for that matter) may smile politely while thanking you when you've given a gift your significant other doesn't particularly enjoy, it's generally easy to decipher that he or she is planning to visit the returns department very soon.  Now, I'm not going to claim than I'm a expert on guys (especially not on guys) or even gifts, but I know that the presents which have been the most successful were the ones which required thought and had more than a touch of personalization.

Now, there is absolutely no one gift that will be perfect for every guy, but as his girlfriend, you should know what your man likes, dislikes, his hobbies, and his pet peeves.  All of this knowledge will come in handy when you’re trying to sort out the birthday gift conundrum.  When going the material route, snoop around or pick up on those maybe not so subtle hints pertaining to the latest gadget he’s been dying to try out if he’s a techno-junkie.  Maybe even pick up those accessories you know he’ll want to have for this new device.  If your guy’s more into sports, get him tickets to his favorite team’s game. 

One of my best friends does a spin-off of the gift basket idea.  She picks one of the activities her boyfriend especially enjoys, or one of the things they love to do together and designs a basket around that theme.  I always thought it was a sweet gift idea and you never end up with the inevitable few items from generic baskets you buy in stores that are just thrown away.  For example: if you two share a love of movies, pack an empty oversized popcorn container (like the extra large buckets you can get at the movie theater) with all of his favorite movie munchies, a favorite DVD he doesn’t yet have, movie passes so you can go see that movie in theaters he can’t wait to view (you can use the popcorn “basket” when you go), and a blanket to cuddle up under when you watch at home.

I prefer to go more the way of activities when finding gifts.  It can sometimes be more appreciated than another knickknack and is a little easier on the budget should, like me, you be strapped for cash.  One almost never fail I have come across is…food.  Cooking your boyfriend his favorite meal for dinner or baking him is favorite desert is a great

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