Great at Gifting or Great at Getting?

Not sure how it is in your house, but for my wife and I …gift giving is a competition. Before and after all gift-giving events (Valentine’s Day, Anniversary, our birthdays, and especially Christmas) we pre-brag and post-brag about “winning Christmas” or “winning our Anniversary.” It’s about who gives the other person the most thoughtful, most inspired, and most “wow” gift.

The problem (from the perspective of my lack of victories) is that Kathy is so much better at gift giving.

Taking a page from the incredible Matthew Dicks, I’ll start chronicling the wins and losses. And 2024 Christmas was definitely another in the loss-column for me.

My wife wins for one of two reasons. First, she knows me so well. Only a person who knows me to my core …deep down in my soul …can win all the gift-giving contests. Only a person who listens and remembers what she hears can win. Only a person who loves me so much that they are always thinking of me can see something and know immediately …yes! That’s perfect for Don. He’ll love it. The second reason she wins is because I’m very easy to buy for. You’re familiar with my  Stuff I Want Page, right? You’d think, well, anyone can “win” if giving gifts to me because, well, just pick from the list.

Thing is …Kathy goes rogue and that’s probably why she “wins.” One of my 2024 goals will be to watch, listen, and take notes of the things she talks about (other than the hot tub or KIA Telluride …I’m talking gifts that can be wrapped and are reasonably priced).

Winning Gift:  Set-of-10 High Ball Glasses Featuring the 10 Original Big Ten Crests

I like my bar. I think my bar has style, character, and a personality. My glassware in my bar is only for drinks and spirits. Never cross populates with my kitchen glassware. I’m a proud Michigan State University grad. I went to school from ’91-’96 when the Big Ten was still the Big Ten (OK, Penn State made it 11 teams while I was there). Sometimes I talk about how I hate the new college football world and the mega-conferences and that the Big Ten will soon have 18 teams. Back to my bar …my glassware is important. I have pint glasses for some beer, pilsner glasses for pilsners, weighted rocks glasses for bourbon drinks, martini glasses for martinis, and a set of low ball glasses from my grandfather’s bar featuring planes because he was a pilot. I also have some random mugs I registered for when I got married 26 years ago and they’re 10-ounce mugs. Useless without a keg. It bothers me to pour a beer into a mug and still have 2 ounces of beer left in the can. So as you can see, these 12-ounce high ball glasses shows how amazing Kathy is at gift giving. They’ll replace my seldom-used mugs and each of them have the crest of an original Big Ten university, so they’re a conversation piece. I’ll be proud to mix someone a gin and tonic, vodka tonic, or some other drink that calls for lots of ice and a mixer.

Other Amazing Gifts

Small Journal – I never met a journal I didn’t like. Kathy doesn’t obsess about it but this small(ish) journal from The Letterfolks is dark green (Go Green!), has really nice paper quality, and feels like the type of journal I can use for quick ideas instead of longform, and not quite a daily planner.

Coffee – From Fireside Coffee Roasters in Swartz Creek, Michigan. I love locally, fresh roasted coffee beans so this was an easy one. Their Cotton Headed Ninny Muggins is a seasonal, holiday roast and Kathy commented, “it makes the entire pantry smell amazing.”

The Perfect Spartan Hoodie – I had a perfect Spartan hoodie about 6 years ago. My son liked it so I said, “wear it.” It became his. I miss it. I’ve complained a few times. She got me a new Perfect Spartan Hoodie.

Duke Cannon Rudolph’s Much Deserved Night Cap Soap – Am I really bragging about a bar of soap? Well, yes.  When it smells like toasted cinnamon and antique wood. I’m probably victim of clever marketing and this brand is all about “simpler times”, “never put the word salad next to bar”, and “superior-quality grooming goods right here in the U.S.A. that meet the high standards of hard-working men.”  It’s a HUGE brick of soap. Smells good. Lathers up nice. This is one of those, “it’s the little things in life” …and it is. But my wife knows I’m into “product” …shampoos that encourage healthy roots. Soap that smells good and isn’t full of terrible chemicals. Eye serums. High-end moisturizers. Hair tonics and products that boast how they will make sure I don’t go bald.

The rest of it:

• Life is Good Old Fashioned Christmas T-Shirt (I love this brand and its vibe)
• Pajama pants (if you know me, my favorite time of the day is when I can climb into my pajama pants)

. . . again, this isn’t about me saying, “look at the all the stuff I got.” Not even about my awesome wife (even tho she is pretty darn great). This is about listening. Paying attention. And not just knowing someone …but really knowing someone. I’ll add this to my 2024 Resolutions. I’ll strive to be less “about me” (says the guy with a Blog about himself) and more about other people.

Oh, and of course I want to win Christmas next year.