What to buy my wife for Christmas

gifts

“What should I buy my wife for Christmas?”

 

I hear that question uttered a lot when I’m out and about for some reason, and it got me thinking. When you have anniversaries, birthdays, Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day, and Christmas presents (plus extra just-because gifts, am I right?!) to shop for, it can become more and more daunting to find something new and exciting each year.

As a woman with a loving husband of over 11 years, we enjoy celebrating two anniversaries in addition to everything else. We celebrate the day we first started dating, which also became the day of our engagement three years later, and our wedding anniversary. Then when you add birthdays and holidays to the mix, I honestly struggle with finding the right gifts for my special guy for every occasion, and I know he experiences the same dilemma as well. So I tried to think about some of my favorite gifts, and hopefully, if you’re a husband in a similar situation, you’ll find these suggestions helpful.

  1. A Kindle (or dedicated e-reading device)
  2. Kindle Unlimited
  3. LipSense
  4. Make it personal with a hand-made gift
  5. Personalized, signed books
  6. Amazon Echo Dot
  7. Polaroid ZIP Instant Photo Printer
  8. DxO One Miniaturized Pro Quality Camera
  9. Cecilia Fine Leather Envelope Purse
  10. Initial Ring

 

Any one of these would be wonderful as gifts, but let’s discuss what they are and why they’d be so good:

1. Kindle Paperwhite (or dedicated e-reading device)

If your wife, spouse, or significant other doesn’t already own a dedicated e-reading device, then I highly recommend getting one. They’re great to have around the house, and because they’re so light, you can easily carry it with you everywhere you go. They’re perfect for those long waits at the salon, or a late night cuddled at home with a blanket when you don’t feel like driving out to pick up a newly released paperback. With just a touch of a finger, you have unlimited amounts of reading material at your disposal, including tons and tons of amazing free books. Even better, if there’s a book you’ve been looking forward to and you’re able to pre-order it, it gets automatically sent to your device the instant it’s released (midnight or whatever the time may be) without any effort on your part. I absolutely love my Kindle Paperwhite, given to me by my best friend for my birthday. I can read it anywhere – at the beach, lying scrawled out by the pool, in the car, or in bed – it doesn’t matter, because whether there’s direct sunlight or a darkened room, you can read the screen perfectly as if it were a real, physical piece of paper. No glare, no messy screens, it’s the perfect reading companion.

 

2. Kindle Unlimited

If you own a Kindle or plan on getting one, then you absolutely need Amazon Kindle Unlimited. It’s a huge cost-reducer when it comes to books. For only $9.99 a month, you get to read all the books available in Kindle Unlimited, and there are a lot of fantastic books in the program. It’s the exact same concept as Netflix or Hulu, but for books. Here’s an example of how much money you could save: For the four books in my Sweet Series, it would cost $12 to own them individually. Just those 4 ebooks cost more than 1 month of Kindle Unlimited, which has an abundance of books at your disposal. But let’s say you’re not a big reader and only got around to reading those 4 books of mine. If you read them through Kindle Unlimited, it would’ve only cost you $9.99 (the cost of the KU subscription) to read them for free instead of $12, plus all the other books in KU that you could’ve read if you had wanted to, as well. Or share it with someone else in your household. You can cancel at any time right online – it’s incredibly quick and easy to do – and Amazon gives you your first month free with no obligation to continue after the trial is over.

 

3. LipSense

I’m not one for wearing makeup, but the new LipSense line has me intrigued. I think it’d be a great gift for any woman – teachers, girlfriend, teenage daughters, and of course, wives. It’s a patented formula that provides incredibly long-lasting lip color. It doesn’t smudge, it’s waterproof, kiss-proof, eat-proof, drink-proof, you name it. It doesn’t come off until you want it to. One of the main reasons I don’t wear lipstick is because of how easily it comes off. I hate the idea of it getting on my teeth or having to wipe the leftovers off my coffee mugs, water glasses, or straws, and then having to reapply constantly. The sticky feeling and mess is a huge deterrent for me. I just can’t be bothered with the hassle. But LipSense fixes all of those things, so I definitely recommend it to makeup-lovers.

 

4. Make it personal

I absolutely love handmade gifts, and I’m sure your wife/spouse/significant other feels the same way. It might not seem like much, but if you’re strapped for cash, how sweet would it be if you braided a friendship-style bracelet for your special someone? It’s incredibly simple. All you need is cord or twine that you think your partner would love, cut 3 pieces the same length (about double the circumference of the wrist it’s going on), braid them together, and then tie into a knot. Super cheap, but holds a lot of meaning because 1. you made it with your own two hands so it’s extra special 2. he/she will always be reminded of you every time their wrist is in sight 3. he/she never has to take it off. It can be worn in the shower, exercising, or whatever it may be, because the material (if you pick one made of cotton or hemp) is safe to wash.

 

5. Personalized, Signed Books

This is a perfect gift for readers. My husband surprised me with signed books for our anniversary one time, and it was such an exciting and refreshing idea, I loved it. I don’t know what it is about getting something signed, but it’s so fun! And so many authors offer signed books that you can order right online. I’m currently offering them, and it’s easy to add a personalized note that’ll have anyone swooning. You can order signed books here.

 

6. Echo Dot

The Amazon Echo Dot is on a lot of people’s wishlists. It’s a hands-free, voice-controlled device that plays music, controls smart home devices, provides information, reads the news, sets alarms, and much more. I’ve seen a lot of my friends asking for this, so I don’t think you could go wrong with this one! And currently, Amazon is having a promotion where you save $20 if you buy 3.

 

7. Polaroid ZIP Instant Photo Printer

This is another gift my hubby bought me for an anniversary, and I love it so much! It takes me back to being a kid with a Polaroid camera again. There are several different ones to choose from, ones that are just like those clunky Polaroids where you put in the film, snap the photo, and then wait for it to appear after printing. But the one I got I personally feel is better, because if you’re like us, we already have several cameras between our digital camera, our Nikon DSLR, iPods & iPads, and cell phone cameras. Honestly, I really didn’t want to have to carry around another camera. And, you encounter the same issues in the past where if you take a bad photo, you won’t know until it prints out, and you might have to keep taking the photo over and over again, wasting film. But with this Instant Photo Printer, you can print out any picture (old or new) from any device with Bluetooth. I love it! I’m able to print out instantly my favorite photo of my puppy that I took using my cell phone 5 years ago, and then go and print out a picture I took using my iPad 2 seconds ago. It’s so simple, and it comes with awesome photo-editing apps. This is a great gift for those in your life both young and old(er) alike.

 

8. DxO One Miniaturized Pro Quality Camera

As I’ve just mentioned, I don’t need a new camera, but if I were to get a new one, it’d be this one. It’s so tiny and convenient, it’s the perfect thing to throw in your purse or pocket without the bulkiness of a regular, high quality camera. I never use our Nikon DSLR, despite how much I love it, due to the fact that it’s such a hassle to carry around. But with something as small as the DxO, I could totally see myself taking it with me everywhere I go, and I’d never have to miss a beautiful moment again.

 

9. The Cecilia Fine Leather Envelope Purse

I know, I know…this might seem strange to include on the list, but I love this little purse so much. It’s great for quick, on-the-go trips when you don’t want to be weighed down with your regular purse. I hate carrying a ton of things with me, so this is a cute, fashionable alternative to keeping it simple and light. It’s unique enough that you probably won’t see anyone else with it, and it’s sure to incite a bunch of compliments and envy from friends. The best part? It’s completely handmade.

 

10. Initial Ring

This is a must-buy for anyone looking for something special and unique. You can’t go wrong with this one, no matter who the recipient is. It’s special, beautiful, and totally unique with its 100% handcrafted and hand stamped setting of initials. The concept is, a letter is stamped on each side of the split band. You could choose your main squeeze’s initials, such as mine would be “B” on one side and “A” on the other for Bailey Ardisone. But why not a combo of yours and hers/his? Example, if your name is Sam and hers is Rose, then it’d say “R” on one side and “S” on the other. How sweet is that?

 

These are just a few suggestions that I hope get your creative juices flowing. Remember, it’s not about how much you spend or how big the gift. What’s most important is that you truly think about what would make her or him happy. What would bring a smile to their face? It could be something as simple as cleaning the kitchen or cooking a nice dinner, or picking a wildflower from the side of the road (when it’s not the dead of winter). Honestly, it doesn’t have to be incredibly complicated.

But don’t use the “It’s the thought that counts” mentality and give her something you know for certain she won’t like or care for, just to say you gave her a present. In that situation the “thought” doesn’t actually count. You were thinking of yourself and not your spouse, choosing convenience over quality. Rather, a ssnow-man-1872164_1280pecial, handmade card (wouldn’t cost more than a couple bucks) would make a bigger impact than an item the recipient has no use for or ties to.

For instance, personally, I’d much rather a small, cheap item if it made my husband think of me instead of him spending hundreds of dollars on something that I’d hate and never use, like a random object I had no desire of owning, only to end up stuffed in a darkened closet forever. What’s the point in that?

If you keep his/her feelings in mind, then you can’t go wrong.

 

Next up, I’ll be going over a list on what to buy your husband for Christmas! Stay tuned… :)

4 Responses


  1. Suz

    That’s a great list Kristine but can you ask your husband to put together a list for gifts for men? ;)

  2. Suz

    Sorry Bailey, it’s been a hard day!

  3. Bailey Ardisone

    Yes! That will be my next post! Great idea, Suz! If I can get him to put together a list for me, I’ll definitely share it! :)

  4. Bailey Ardisone

    That’s no problem at all! Totally understandable. :) Thanks, Suz!! I’m sorry you had a hard day. I hope your evening is better! <3

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