17 Dads, Boyfriends, And Brothers On The Best Holiday Gifts They’ve Received

1. “I always say I don’t need anything for birthdays or Christmas because I don’t. I have everything I want and I’m happy getting things for my wife and kids and grandkids and watching them open stuff up while I relax. One year my daughter got me a custom likeness portrait of the whole family including our dog. I can’t get enough of it.”

2. “I was dating my current girlfriend for about 9 months last Christmas. She said she wanted to treat me instead of giving me a gift. I didn’t know what that meant at first but she invited me over and made me a nice dinner, wouldn’t let me help at all, poured me some good booze instead. Afterwards she put on a movie and gave me a full body massage. It was pretty much the best.”

3. “A few weeks before Christmas my girlfriend got a baller new job that almost doubled her salary. She celebrated by treating me to an apple watch. It’s way more than either of us had ever spent on a gift before but it meant a lot to me that her way of being excited about her new life and job and money included me.”

4. “We’re on a budget so she got me a relatively inexpensive umbrella that looks like a Katana when you wear it over you shoulder. She thought it was dorky but she knew I would love it, and I do, the strap is convenient as hell.”

5. “A few years ago my wife and I decided to stop doing birthday and Christmas presents for each other and instead treat ourselves to season tickets for the Cardinals. We get to enjoy ourselves for half of the year instead of just on a few days. Never looked back.”

6. “My sister and I aren’t really that close. We like each other, we just don’t have that much in common and we’re not close in age — so getting each other Christmas gifts was always awkward and annoying. Then last year she emailed my cousins and I and asked if instead of getting gets for each other if we’d like to all go in on some hockey tickets she could get a deal on through her work. They ended up being awesome seats almost on the glass by one of the nets. We had a heart attack every time the puck got close because we could see so clearly how close it was to going in. We had a blast and were laughing and yelling all night. It was the best gift idea and we plan to do it together every year.”

7. “My wife gave me a swiss army knife. I never go anywhere without it.”

8. “We live in a somewhat tourist-y city, but we’re both from here. She found a helicopter sightseeing ride on Groupon and bought it for us. I thought it was kind of cheesey but it was actually incredible when we went on it. It was crazy to see the city like that and actually really cool to be in a helicopter.”

9. “I pretend I don’t love it… but I actually really like when my wife buys me nicer personal hygiene products than I’d buy for myself. I usually just get whatever’s cheapest but I can tell that she spends time (and money) finding the nicer stuff and to be honest, it feels a lot better on my skin.”

10. “My wife got me these mean ass coasters for my man cave last year because my friends are animals and need the reminder.”

11. “A few years ago my girlfriend got me a hammock you can put up just about anywhere. It’s awesome to have when we go camping, but sometimes I just bring it to the park and lay in it and listen to the lake. That’s what I do when I’m stressed now.”

12. “My sister has way better taste than I do so she gets me stuff I would never think to buy for myself, that ends up making me look a lot more professional than I am. Last year she bought me a leather laptop sleeve that I always get comments on. She’s also gotten me a really nice overnight bag for business trips and a leather messenger bag.”

13. “She got me floor seats for our (very shitty) hometown basketball team (so they weren’t as crazy expensive as most teams). She specified that I had to use them with my brother, which was especially thoughtful because I would have felt pressured to take her otherwise. It was awesome to experience.”

14. “My girlfriend got me a Leatherman. I’ve never carried a knife before but it’s surprisingly useful and I feel like a manly dude.”

15. “It’s kind of ridiculous to spend over $100 on a coffee machine but I don’t care. She got me this thing and I fucking love it.”

16. “The best gift I’ve ever gotten is a bespoke suit from my wife before we were married. I was just out of grad school and it made me feel confident when I went on all my interviews. It’s not a gift everyone can afford but she could, and it meant a lot to me.”

17. “My gf gave me a wallet with a cute pic of us in it and a few of me with our daughter. I don’t have a lot of physical printed out pictures because everything is on my phone, so it’s cool to have these with me. It feels a little more special.”