by Beverly Bochenek

Created on: October 10, 2010

Listen, nothing, and I mean, nothing, will jack you up worse than blowing the Christmas present for your girlfriend.

You can almost get away with a less than perfect present at Valentine’s Day and there can be some forgiveness if you don’t quite get it right for her birthday. But blow Christmas…

Christmas is the big shopping day for the year and it’s universal. The Christmas shopping season for the next year starts on December 26th; ends somewhere around St. Patrick’s Day and starts again the week before Halloween. In other words, you are given plenty of warning to start paying attention.

Unlike other gift giving occasions, Christmas is a religious holiday so you have to navigate the lines differently than you do for other times. Edible underwear in February – maybe; in December, not so much. Even if she’s an atheist, you have to understand the time of year and how that affects gift giving and receiving.

Christmas is also when she’s around family, friends and co-workers. For her birthday they may ask how she celebrated the day, on Valentine’s Day they will ask what romantic thing she did but on Christmas they are going to ask “What did he get you?”

You want her to be able to bore them with the details.

Does this mean you have to buy her a big piece of jewelry or a car? No. It means you should know your girlfriend and if you actually call her your girlfriend and introduce her as your girlfriend and agree that she is your girlfriend that means you are willing to put the time and attention in to know who she is and what she likes. The good news is if you put in the attention, it won’t take that much time. Here are some clues.

How does she dress? Is she a fashionista? Does she always have to have the latest thing? Does she dress in jeans or sports clothes? Is she strictly business Monday – Friday but on the weekend she doesn’t know what heels and skirts are? If you don’t know, find some photos and see what she’s wearing. Make sure you get more than one photo to see if there is something common in each of them. You’re not going to buy her clothes but you can do the next best thing: take the photo to the jewelry store and ask the sales person for a nice accessory to go with what she’s wearing. The take the photo around to the clothing stores and get gift cards from a few of them.  So, she will have the accessory and then can go shopping for the clothes to go with it.

What are her hobbies and past times? Does she craft? Do sports? If you’re lucky enough to love a hobbyist gift giving should be easy for the rest of your life. For instance, if she’s into knitting or crochet, visit a website or bookstore and get her a few pattern books and then place a note in one them saying she can pick out several patterns and you will take her on a shopping spree to get the materials she needs to make them. You will be the most thoughtful, sensitive and supportive boyfriend on the planet.

Does she work hard and just likes to chill in her free time? Buy her and a girlfriend facials/messages. They can have a girls’ day out courtesy of you.

Do you see? A little bit of attention paid to this person you care about can reap valuable information when it comes to advancing your relationship and picking out the perfect Christmas present. Do this with some forethought and you will give her a gift along with the one you purchase: a wonderful memory complete with bragging rights. That will truly make you a wise man.

Learn more about this author, Beverly Bochenek.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.