How do you shop for a man? Well, it is not easy! But, I love buying presents for my husband, especially this time of the year! Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to shop for a man! I have a feeling you are on the same page with me, darling. Am I right?

Whenever I ask him what he would like he candidly answers, “Honey, there is nothing I really want.”

And then I press him further with, “Pleeeeaaaase tell me just one thing you don’t have that you would love!”

He sweetly adds, “I love you; so I have everything I need!”

But ‘tis the season and I cannot resist finding him a personal ‘I love you present.’ A keepsake for my man, my husband, who wants nothing because he has everything he needs.

First Lesson: Get Emotional

First a little lesson on how to shop for a man: Get emotional. Think of memories you have shared together. Consider his personality. Make it loving, laughable, and what could be better than sharable. It is not about buying him ten pairs of socks because he needs them! It’s all about love!

So, I thought I would share a few of my favorite gifts I have given my husband over the years. Hopefully, my unique gifts will spark some ideas for you to gift your significant other this holiday season, a birthday, Valentine’s Day, or an anniversary.

Ideas to Spark Your Creativity

A Caramel-Orange Colored Crystal LALIQUE Chinese Monkey

It was the Chinese Year of the Monkey and Shelly’s birthday. “What a meaningful gift,” I thought to myself, eying the monkey sitting on the shelf in a thinking position with his back slightly rounded and his hand on his chin. What made this gift so personal? Because it was the year Shelly retired. He was entering a new passage in his life. “Think, think, think! You will find your new calling,” I wrote on the card! The monkey sits on his desk four years later.

A Paperweight with an Artist’s Drawing of Cigars Under the Crystal

I am sure you figured out why this gift was so special. My guy smokes Cubans and we shared a trip to Cuba. The paperweight sits on his desk. Such a unique gift! For more paperweight ideas, check out my new SHOP PAGE.

A Poem I Wrote

I gave a personal poem to Shelly on his 60th birthday. It makes you laugh, feel loved, and describes Shelly’s personality to a “T.” It is in a sterling silver Tiffany picture frame. The poem has a prominent place in our den. To this day it is his favorite gift I have ever given him. So, I encourage you to write a poem to the special man in your life.

A Customized Money Clip

I had a special gold piece coin from Israel made into a money clip and gave it to Shelly on our first anniversary. It says, “We are one!” on the back. Doing something like this for a male loved one is a great and classic timeless gift.

Cufflinks

For another anniversary, I gave Shelly Berry Kisselstein cufflinks. One set has the design of the sun embedded in gold and I gave it to him as a birthday present. The card read, “You are the sunshine of my life.” Another set of cufflinks I gave to him on Valentine’s Day; They have a Lion’s head on each one. The card read, “You are the King of my jungle!”

A Crystal Candy Kiss

I kissed a stark white card with red lipstick on it and gifted it with a clear glass candy kiss that looked like a chocolate one! It was simple and sweet!

A Silk Tie by Hermes

The tie had palm trees which represented a memory of our trip to Hawaii. The card read, “Aloha! I love you.” You don’t have to buy a tie from Hermes, find one in your budget that says something meaningful. Trust me, he’ll love it.

A Huge Burnt Orange Crystal Hippopotamus!

I gave this gift to Shelly for our December 22nd Anniversary a few years ago. The hippo is a sculpture, over 24 inches long and 12 inches high! Talk about creativity… I bought this for Shelly, by chance, when walking through Neiman Marcus to buy gifts for others. I remembered our trip to Africa; a smile spread across my face because when I would see a hippo we could not recall its name and we’d laugh. A shared memory of togetherness and happiness. A perfect anniversary gift. “He will love it,” I said to myself. I wish they still had it in stock, I’m sure you would love to see if you could buy it for someone you love!

Be Creative, Have Fun, Enjoy!

Being creative is fun. But darling, “The best gift we can give our loved ones is our love.”

Love has the greatest value and the greatest keepsake. Over the holidays, donning a great big smile, wrap your arms around that person you treasure, and seal your love with a big smooch (if you live in the same household, of course).