Christmas Gifts for Men: Dear Santa I Really DID Try!

Now begins one of the most challenging tasks on my Christmas shopping list….the gift for the man in my life (the BFF). Every year I sigh, I really DID try:). Buying for the BFF presents a singular challenge. There is an essential difference between what I want to give, and what he wants to receive. Every year, it presents a conundrum. Here’s how this typically works. Secretly, I want to upgrade his wardrobe 🙂 And he of course, wants none of it. At the holidays, I try to lovingly + sneakily (the two are not mutually exclusive) gift the upgrades. What dear reader might some of these fabulous items be?

Here’s a few of my brilliant ideas on gifts for him:
Fabulous cashmere scarf (Macy’s, Amazon, Loehmann’s, Nordstorm’s & others all have great choices.)

Cashmere Scarf

Ted Baker London shirts & ties (can be purchased at a deep discount at the pre-holiday Divine by Design Sale or at 30% off at Ted Baker online)
Penhaligon’s cologne or men’s shaving gift set. The case alone is so beautiful. He needs it! 🙂 Many of the items are on sale in the store & on their international websites.

Penhaligon’s Website for Holiday Gifts Screenshot

Cashmere Alfani Sweater from Macy’s. Great colors, good fit & a very reasonable price.

In contrast, here is his list of what he wants:

• New DVD Player
• Gift Certificates (so he can get what he really wants)
• New iPOD + iPod download gift cards
• New CDs for the Car

That’s it! Not a lot of choices here. And most of these items can be found on Amazon’s Top Holiday Pick List. So, I did some research to find out if this is a common problem. The answer is a resounding YES. Check out this list of the Holiday Gifts Men Really Want to see what I mean. I’m also posting it as a cool widget on the right sidebar of the blog to help give our readers some more ideas. I’d be better off going to an electronics store, or a Target, Best Buy, Frye’s, Amazon or other big-box retailer and looking for these items rather than hunting for the wonderful fashion items that I think he needs. Yahoo has a nice list of men’s gift with prices if you’re looking for a few more ideas.

So this year, I’ll probably pick one item from each of the lists (my list & his list).
We’ll try for a Solomon like compromise & hope for the best.

If your significant other IS interested in some men’s fashions, here are a few final tips on good deals.

Super Tuesday, 12/16 at Jos. A. Bank Clothiers, 50% off, 6 am to 11:00 pm

Loehmann’s Gifts for Men: Cuff links, scarves, ties, gloves, wallets & more.

Kohl’s is offering 40-50% Off Men’s Selected Fashion Watches.

Malo Men’s suits, coats & leather jackets are also on sale at the Gilt Groupe. Click here to join as The Recessionista’s guest.

Saint Honore watches and jewelry are symbols of France’s love affair with sophistication. They are on sale today at Ideeli’s private shopping club. Click here to join as The Recessionista’s guest.