Let me tell y’all a little story. For Jay’s birthday two years ago, I started thinking about what to get him 3 months in advance. I always have the hardest time figuring out what I’m going to get him, because let’s face it, guys are impossible to shop for. I remembered that one of his professors had given him a book about Winston Churchill that he thought Jay might like. Well in my brain, I thought, “Jay must especially like Winston Churchill.” Y’all. This was my first mistake. What was I thinking? Does anyone particularly love Winston Churchill? Like, I guess Jay respects him as a former Prime Minister, but I don’t know? Ugh.
Anyway, back when I thought it was a good idea to get him a Winston Churchill themed birthday gift, I googled *wait for it* “Winston Churchill Artifacts For Sale.” Like, what does that even mean? I swear, every time I tell this story it seems more and more ridiculous. So I’m scrolling the Winston Churchill Artifacts on ebay, and I come across this “collector’s item mug” for $60. Before hitting “buy,” I texted Jay’s best friend, Cole, to ask if Jay would like it. Cole was straight up with me and said, “I mean I guess it’s cool? But I don’t think Jay has a particular interest in Winston Churchill more than anyone else does.”
Guess what I did after getting that text. I bought it anyway.
So a couple of days go by, and I’m already regretting the stupid gift. I thought, “Jay is going to be so confused when he opens this Winston Churchill mug.”
After about two weeks, I get a package in the mail, and I knew it was the mug. When I picked it up however, it felt way too light to be a mug. I opened the box, and all I saw was a lot of bubble wrap. I started to unwrap it, and the closer I got to the center, the more I realized that this was not a regular mug. See photo below for the $60 WINSTON CHURCHILL MUG THAT I BOUGHT JAY FOR HIS BIRTHDAY.
So, you know what I did? I gave it to him anyway. He and I laughed so hard about it, and we still do. We put it on a piece of string and turned it into a Christmas ornament, and it is one of our most special ones.
Even though we ended up loving the mug (simply because the whole story is just so ridiculous), I don’t want you to end up like me. I have put together 5 *actually good* Valentines Day gifts to give your man this month.
- Stationary
We are adults, y’all, and if your man doesn’t have a set of nice stationary, it’s time he gets some. I got Jay some right before our wedding, so that he had something to write Thank You notes on. Of course, I ended up writing all of the Thank You notes. Jay uses his to send Thank You notes to former professors for writing Law School letters of recommendation, or to partners at law firms who take him to lunch, drinks, etc.
2. Pajamas
Does your man have a nice pair of pajamas? I’m going to guess probably not, and he probably will never buy them for himself. However, if you buy them for him, I promise he will be grateful. Who doesn’t love a nice pair of flannel pajamas, after all?
3. The Night Sky
Hi, my name is Leigh, and I buy things off of ads I see on Instagram. Okay, but here’s another funny story. Back when Jay and I were not yet engaged, I planned on getting him The Night Sky poster for the night we got engaged for his Christmas gift. Well Black Friday morning rolls around, and Jay hadn’t proposed yet. The Night Sky was doing a Black Friday deal that day, and that day only. So I pulled the trigger, and got him The Night Sky poster for the first night we walked on the beach. Jay proposed later that night.
4. Weighted Blanket
Pro tip: when you’re shopping for something like this, go to the company’s instagram page. Odds are they have reposted a picture from an influencer using their product. Click on the influencer’s page. They will have a discount code for said product. Enjoy your 15% off. You’re welcome.
5. Man Crate
Another funny story: When I spent my very first Christmas with Jay (I mean, we had been dating for only 2 months), he had just gotten back from abroad. I thought it was fitting to get him an Oktoberfest themed Man Crate. Jay’s brother’s girlfriend at the time was also spending Christmas with them. They started dating around the same time Jay and I did. So here we are, the two new girlfriend’s in the kitchen with Jay’s mom. Jay’s mom was asking us what we had gotten the guys for Christmas. John’s girlfriend at the time proudly said, “I got John a key on a necklace that says ‘Agape’ on it, which means ‘the love of God for man and of man for God’.” You can imagine the overall sense of embarrassment I felt when I then got to tell Jay’s mom that I got him a crate full of beer 🙂 Jay loved it, though!
