Gifts for Wives of Every Shape and Stripe

 

Dear husbands of the world,

It’s 15 days before Christmas and I’m here to help.  Here are some of my favorite gift ideas for the wives that you love and adore:

 

For the woman who loves beauty : 

These little holiday sets by MAC are brilliant.   Being a man, you might have a bit of sticker shock because they are small-in-size.  But trust me, MAC is the big daddy of makeup and I would personally be thrilled to see one of these beauties beneath the tree (available at Macy’s, Nordstrom, Sephora or online.)

 

 

Okay, so you’re looking for a beautiful and outrageously romantic gift?  Any shade of this or ALL shades of this.  From Anthropologie.  Delicious.

For the Wife who Cooks: 

The Smitten Kitchen cookbook.  Written by a hugely successful blogger, this cookbook has soared to #1 on the bestsellers list and is just a whole lot of wonderful.

I’m so in love with these antique silver salt and pepper shakers I could swoon.

If your woman loves to cook and doesn’t have one of these bad boys yet, I’ll bet you good money that she wants one.  And I know the rule about “romantic gifts do not have cords attached” but this is the one exception.  Buy it in a romantic color like Valentino red (I just made that color up) or put something from Victoria’s Secret (or Tiffany’s!) in the mixing bowl but just trust me – she will LOVE you for this gift.

 

This mixer (in graphite gray) was Steve Stern’s gift to me on the occasion of my 4o-something birthday and love him a little more every time I use it.

 

Another amazing Steve gift?  This little number:

Every woman needs an enamel-covered Dutch Oven…even if it’s only to make this bread.  Not gonna lie, these guys are an investment, but Costco has a very nice one for about $50 (and who knew they had a whole video about it?)  Worth it!  Again, if your wife cooks then I really think she’ll love this.  If she doesn’t cook, she probably won’t so much. (You should get her one without the chips…mine has clearly been loved a lot.)

 

 

 

For the Woman who Loves Words

Moleskine journals.  Nothing quite like ’em:

Okay, I used to be a sworn enemy of e-readers.  “I can’t part with my books,” I wailed, “the feel…the smell…the emotion of turning the crisp pages.”  Well, then I got a Kindle and it took about 17 seconds to realize that having a whole library with me while I waited in middle school parking lots and doctor’s offices and dmv lines was way better than the smell of a ‘real’ book.  I have the very cheapest one and I love it.  I wouldn’t trade it for anything – including a more expensive one.

Monogrammed note cards are a fun gift for a woman who still believes that a pen-and-ink message is irreplaceable.   I buy mine from Vista Print but there are lots of reasonable vendors out there with quick turnaround times.

{Please imagine that there is a picture of my monogrammed note cards here.  My phone is flatly refusing to upload the photo and I do not know how to reason with it.}

 

For the Woman who Loves Music:

Coldplay’s new live DVD:

Available on Amazon (and much cheaper than concert tickets.)

 

However…

 

Concert tickets are also an awesome gift.

 

 

 

 

For the Woman who Loves Travel:

 

Where would your woman love to go in this big, wide world of ours?  Encourage that affection by helping her learn the language:

Or with one of these travel books.  A good guidebook and a cup of coffee is one of my favorite ways to spend a rainy afternoon:

 

For the Woman who loves Learning:

 

For the bible scholar, I always recommend starting with this commentary:

And I’m personally asking for this one this year (dear family: please read my blog, please read my blog!)

But I’ll tell you what I really love for studying is this little gadget:

This is the very one that I have used for years and I love it.  It holds one commentary upright while I have another on the desk and it makes it so easy to jump back and forth.  This little baby will set you back a whole $6, but if your woman loves to study, it’ll be worth 6 million (approximately.)

 

And don’t even get me started on these little treasures:

Santa can go ahead and fill my stocking with Office Max erasable highlighters and I will not be mad at anyone!

 

 

For the Woman who Loves Fashion

 

Scarves are cozy and warm and practical and they are the Jerry Maguire of fashion accessories (they complete an outfit.)

Added benefits:  you don’t need to worry about the size and they’re easy to find for cheap (this one is from Forever 21 for under $15).   Just pick one that will look great with her eyes and – bam! – you’re winning!  (I also personally love nice leather gloves but I don’t know that I speak for everyone there.)

 

These Frye boots would make any woman weep with joy:

 

That’s the good news.  The bad news is that they’re over $300.  So unless you’re really, truly and absolutely certain of the style, size and color she wants, I would go with something a little less expensive and more expendable – like these cute ones from Target for under $60.

 

 

 

For any wife any time, anywhere (almost).

 

Most women I know (though of course there are exceptions) would love to see one of these show up under the tree:

Want your wife to brag about you to all of her friends?  This is how:

The iconic Tiffany toggle bracelet.  It comes in lots of different varieties, but this one is my favorite.  And the box that it comes in is a gift all on its own.  For extra points, pair this gift with the Audrey Hepburn classic, Breakfast at Tiffany’s.  Trust me, you’ll thank me.

 

I’ve used this company several times and I love their work.  Your wife will too.

Word of warning: it might already be too late to order something personalized – check the shipping dates closely and splurge for the overnight shipping option if you need to.

 

Here’s another little something I adore:

The baubled envelope pouch, also by Anthropologie.  What’s it for? you may ask.  I will answer: I don’t even care, I just know it’s feminine and charming and feels like a throwback to another era when women were women and men were in awe of them.  That’s a lot of awesome for your $28 bucks!  (Sorry this picture is so tiny – click on the link to see the real deal.)

 

 

Here’s a final secret about women and gifts.  More than the price or the color or the practicality, we love a gift that says our man knows us.  The gift that shows you’ve been listening is worth double any other gift.

 

Ladies, the comments are open – feel free to weigh in.  What did I miss?

 

Loving my husband and my highlighters,

 

Bo