It’s that time of year: wish lists are being made, malls are getting busy and parking spots are being stolen. So what better time to figure out what you’ll be getting your boyfriend than before braving the crowds and donning your parka? Here, we’ve established the ultimate gift-giving guide. The essential go-to for any guy type so you can avoid picking up yet another generic polo.
Photographically Inclined
Blame it on the Polaroid comeback or excellent marketing, but instant cameras have officially returned, and what better way to mark your memories (or for him to mark his) than with something like the Instamax Mini 7S – a camera that takes and prints high quality credit-card sized prints ($90). However, if he’s more apt to dabble in serious photography, you may want to look into a DSLR, a professional level camera used by the likes of both amateur and professional photographers that boasts LCD screens, adjustable lenses and a variety of features the standard snap and shoot lacks. The Fujifilm S1600 goes for about $200, while a smaller (and potentially less intense) Cannon will run you about $250.
Tech Saavy
We’d all love to score an iPad, but when it comes to gifting on the technological route, there’s other options besides waiting in line at the border to pick one up at a discounted price. Blu-Ray players are quickly becoming the next big thing in the world of movie watching, and in case your BF doesn’t have an XBox or PlayStation, you can pick up a standard player (like the Insignia Wired Blu-Ray player) for only about $90. Of course, there’s also the XBox 360 Kinect ($150) which takes players right into the game with sensor-based technology that mimics the player’s movements and makes for a lot more than just sitting on the couch.
Fashion Forward
When it comes to buying clothes, the standard hoodie or t-shirt might seem like the best bet, but just like you don’t necessarily want to receive a cardigan for every Christmas, feel free to change it up for him a bit. Since flannel button-ups have taken the fashion world by storm, feel free to pick one up at the likes of Urban Outfitters or American Eagle, or if your boyfriend’s more partial to accessorizing, a pair of Ray-Ban’s (for about $120) is suitable for any time of year. Of course, if you’re daring you can attempt to pick out a new pair of shoes: the tried-and-true Converse usually go for about $60, while Doc Marten’s can be yours for $150.
Scholastic
If you don’t feel like spending a fortune and don’t feel comfortable taking the fashion route, a well-chosen book can easily do just as well as a big-ticket item. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is changing the world of literature and cinema, but if your BF’s more culturally-prone, Sex Drugs and Cocoa Puffs by Chuck Klosterman is a bona fide winner. To channel his inner douchebag, anything by Tucker Max might do the trick, but if your guy’s a little more musically prone, Please Kill Me: An Oral Uncensored History of Punk Rock will teach him everything he wants to know about the 60s and beyond.
An iPad is probably the best thing in the section: if your boyfriend isn’t anti-Mac like me. Also, error on part of the writer: Xbox 360s do not have a BlueRay player on the inside of them: PlayStation 3 does. Kinect however is a complete joke, it would be better to get him a Wii than that thing (big joke here: DON’T get him a Wii if he does not have one/doesn’t want one/has an Xbox or PS3.)
Better ideas are going to Best Buy or Future Shop and asking about whats new: try and pin down a male employee and ask him what he thinks. Tell him about what your boyfriend likes to do and such. Is he a big Call of Duty guy, but you dont like the sounds? Get him a Turtle Beach headset, as it will work as a mic and he can hear the sounds directly through the headphones. Is he always on the go? Maybe you’ll want to get him laptop accessories, like a new mouse. Be sure its something he will use. On that note, why not get him a gift card and then go with him to the store! Not only will it seem like your taking an interest (helps if you do, really :D) you’ll be able to keep note of what he does look at and mentions (I know you women do that well).
Taking a look at the Scholastic section…you may want to take a look at his bookshelf first. If he’s anything like me, he’ll have them proudly on display. No bookshelf with lots of books? Maybe something light. Again, if he’s into war-type stories and action movies, why not look into a Tom Clancy novel. Try and judge what he already has, and use that to get a new book idea. Maybe even try and find one that has something you feel will appeal to his feminine side (Im not saying go and buy him a romance novel now.)
I don’t have any comments on the other two sections, as they are not my area of knowledge. But for him, for his gift ideas, the best bet is his friends, or other guys that would happen to work at the store you’re buying from. And plus, if you ask him friends, you never know: they could tease him with some ‘great gift’ his girlfriend is getting him.
~Klamity
An iPad is probably the best thing in the section: if your boyfriend isn’t anti-Mac like me. Also, error on part of the writer: Xbox 360s do not have a BlueRay player on the inside of them: PlayStation 3 does. Kinect however is a complete joke, it would be better to get him a Wii than that thing (big joke here: DON’T get him a Wii if he does not have one/doesn’t want one/has an Xbox or PS3.)
Better ideas are going to Best Buy or Future Shop and asking about whats new: try and pin down a male employee and ask him what he thinks. Tell him about what your boyfriend likes to do and such. Is he a big Call of Duty guy, but you dont like the sounds? Get him a Turtle Beach headset, as it will work as a mic and he can hear the sounds directly through the headphones. Is he always on the go? Maybe you’ll want to get him laptop accessories, like a new mouse. Be sure its something he will use. On that note, why not get him a gift card and then go with him to the store! Not only will it seem like your taking an interest (helps if you do, really :D) you’ll be able to keep note of what he does look at and mentions (I know you women do that well).
Taking a look at the Scholastic section…you may want to take a look at his bookshelf first. If he’s anything like me, he’ll have them proudly on display. No bookshelf with lots of books? Maybe something light. Again, if he’s into war-type stories and action movies, why not look into a Tom Clancy novel. Try and judge what he already has, and use that to get a new book idea. Maybe even try and find one that has something you feel will appeal to his feminine side (Im not saying go and buy him a romance novel now.)
I don’t have any comments on the other two sections, as they are not my area of knowledge. But for him, for his gift ideas, the best bet is his friends, or other guys that would happen to work at the store you’re buying from. And plus, if you ask him friends, you never know: they could tease him with some ‘great gift’ his girlfriend is getting him.
~Klamity