OT: But In Time For the Season, I / We Need Your Help Options

[bandjoey]

So with just a few weeks to Christmas, and married for many many many many years (almost 25, Yikes) She says.....Don't get me anything this year. Let's just let the kids do Christmas. So, If I do what she says, on Christmas day, my head will be stuffed inside the turkey's butt. However, I'm at a loss for what to get her.

HELP ME (IMG:style_emoticons/default/drunk.gif) and I'll bet some of you are looking at the same problem. She can get anything she wants and I'm really at a loss for what to buy.

Give me your new and thoughtful ideas...not just a spa day. She does that already.

What is the perfect present in this case????

Ideas for me and possibly you too are:

[Betty]

I like the suggestion made above of a gift from Heifer International. We've toyed with the idea of buying half of a Water Buffalo for a particular family member... then telling her to guess which end of it we got her. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/happy11.gif)


I don't know how much help I can be because I really do want car parts for Christmas (Clay got me new headlights and front trunk weatherstripping this year - don't tell him I know about it). (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

What I can do is tell you about my experiences regarding gifts received and given. One of the best gifts I ever got was a can of cherry pie filling. My sister didn't have a lot of money, she knew I liked cherries, voila - a wrapped can of cherry pie filling under the Christmas tree that year. That she actually knew what I liked, and took the effort to get me something even when she couldn't afford much touched me deeply. I sat down that Christmas morning with a spoon and ate it sitting there, talking with her.

Two of the best gifts I've ever given were:
My Dad loved this one type of beer but he'd moved with my Step Mom to a part of the country where it could not be found. I figured out you could order it online and have it shipped by truck freight if you bought a minimum amount, which I did. I tormented him for days saying his gift had to be delivered by truck and giving him outlandish hints as to what it could be. When the delivery guy knocked on the door and my Dad saw HIS brand of beer - the phone call I got from him (after he'd put some beer in the fridge and squirreled the rest of it away of course) was so much fun.

Clay's had his pilot's license for a while now; flying has always been his first love. he LOVES vintage planes. His flight instructor flew P-38's during his time in the service (I'm sure he taught Clay flying stuff that most normal pilots don't know. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) ). A local airport had three T-28's hangared there and they would give hour long lessons to help pay for gas, parts, etc. so I bought an hour for Clay. It was AWESOME when they started that plane up. HUGE clouds of black smoke belching from the radial engine; and the SOUND! They flew off over the neighboring countryside and did aerobatics. Clay got to fly the plane, he even flew the take-off and landing since he was already a pilot with tail wheel experience. Clay had an absolute blast for that one hour! The entry in his pilot's logbook is one of his proudest accomplishments.

To sum up - when your wife is given the time and money to do what she really likes to do, what is that? Do something for what SHE likes.