These are the ten worst gifts to buy for men this Christmas
From experience I know that buying gifts for the men in my life is hard, no matter how well I know them. Finding a gift they will love but within my budget range is a huge headache. Men often buy the things they really want for themselves during the year as-and-when they find them, which means when it comes to Christmas and birthdays, finding that perfect gift for a man becomes an impossible quest. One example being that my husband owns a grass board (like snowboarding but on grassy hills) which I gifted to him many years ago which he has never, and will never use.
To simplify your quest for that elusive gift and help you avoid the pitfalls of buying something that will never see the light of day after new year, I have been researching the worst gifts for men from sources including the men in life, (aforesaid husband, brother, dad, and uncle) and backing this personal experience up from articles I’ve read from around the web, to find out exactly what gifts the males of the species would rather not receive this Christmas (or birthdays and anniversaries either for that matter) so we can eliminate these items from our list of gift ideas and concentrate on things we know will be appreciated.
The top ten most unwanted gifts for men
Of course this list is not set in stone, and there are men out there who may love to receive some of these gift ideas, but generally speaking the following are the top ten worst gifts for men.
Novelty Items: Save your money and avoid buying novelty gifts, because as soon as new year comes around these items will spend their days in the loft, shed or garage and eventually end up at car boot sales, charity shops or worse as landfill.
Useless Gadgets: Shopping channels, online stores and apps are full of gadgets which at first sight appear to be handy but generally end up being used once and thrown into the man drawer for the rest of eternity.
Toiletries and Aftershave (or “smellies” as they were fondly called in our house): Now, I get that old fashioned guys don’t generally buy these for themselves and every year probably get some form of toiletry item as a Christmas gift. I remember as a kid, my dad receiving so much Brut and Old Spice that I don’t think he had to buy any aftershave for years! These days men are much more inclined to buy these items for themselves in the weekly shop and also you don’t want to accidentally cause offence by buying the wrong scent or insult them.
Hair loss/Replacement products: If this is something the man in your life is interested in, then he will buy for himself. So avoid accidental insult and do not buy.
Hair removal gadgets: This is another opportunity to accidentally cause offence, and if the man in question is interested in an ear and nose hair trimmer or a body hair removal system then he will likely have done the research and found the exact product he wants and bought it already.
Socks and underwear: Similar to the point above about toiletries, back in the day buying new undies was not generally high up on a mans priority list and so getting a batch of new socks and pants for Christmas was a bonus. But those days are long gone and men know what they want in their sock/underwear drawer and where to get it.
Festive clothing: Some men love to adopt a festive look for the season but Christmas themed socks, jumpers, onesies and so on will more than likely be chosen and purchased by the man himself if he so wishes to participate.
Personalised items: There are exceptions to this rule and there are men out who would love a personalised item for the office or home and if you look at Amazon, Etsy, Not-on-the-high-street and similar marketplaces you will find a mind boggling amount of options available to buy, but from a male point of view these items can be seen as poor taste or lacking inspiration.
Favour Vouchers: Guys really won’t appreciate this gift unless its part of a much bigger package like a romantic weekend away for two, so I would avoid this like the plague, it implies a lack of thought, planning and a last minute panic.
Gift vouchers: I have put gift vouchers on the bottom of my list as some men really love a voucher for their favourite retailer, or a big item they want to purchase but is beyond your budget and they can put your gift towards something they really want to buy, especially when it comes to technology based gifts. But, it does imply that you don’t really know them well or you were really struggling to find the right gift.
Now you know what gifts men don’t want, you can focus on what he does want.
If you already started a gift ideas list for the men in your life and included some of these items well, sorry but you can go back to drawing board. Delete any of the above items from your list and keep anything else you have come up with. If you are really struggling, then why not ask him to make a wish list, or get another blokes opinion like his friend, or brother (but make sure you filter out any suggestions which might fall foul of the list above) so you can get a real feel for the things he is secretly hoping to get but hasn’t communicated to you yet.
What do you think?
Have you like me, fallen foul of the list above? Gentlemen readers, what’s the worst gift you received? Was it one of the ten worst gifts for men? What would you add to my list? (polite and publishable answers only please!) Join in the conversation in the comments below.
à bientôt
Natalie
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