DIY

The Worst Christmas Gifts Ever – What NOT to Buy

The worst present buyers ever are men, is the general belief, but women can buy some howlers too.

One of the most difficult groups to buy gifts for is older men.  Older lady baby boomers can always find pleasure in a hand tied bouquet delivered to the door or a ticket to the ballet or the latest bodice ripper with a festive bookmark.  Men, true to form, cause the greatest headache in the gift department.

The very worst possible gift for male baby boomers, according to countless surveys conducted over many Christmases, is the economy pack of socks or underwear, usually packed in jolly Santa cardboard sleeves and sporting some terrible Christmas jingle played on a gazoo that sets itself off during board meetings at ten minute intervals.  Ditto for the novelty reindeer tie or waistcoat; garish, undeniably festive, yet absolutely boring.

Cologne and after shave lotion or shaving balm is nice but so difficult to make the right choice for someone else and how awful to have to plough through a bathroom cabinet of unwanted gifts for the rest of the year!  Gentleman baby boomers are old enough to need a whole closet in the bathroom by the time they reach their sixties!  No, no, no…give it a miss this year!

A great gift for men that is always appreciated is a bottle of something delicious, but ONLY if you have first done your research to find out what the man likes to drink – getting a bottle of the one thing you really cannot stomach is the most chilling Christmas present imaginable!

The tool kit and the garage always seem an obvious place to start to buy gifts for men but in fact the array of tools and power accessories on the market can leave you reeling.  Do not under any circumstances ask a store assistant’s advice in a hardware store – you’ll be there till next Christmas listening to the advantages of the bigger horse power version of whatever, and you might die of tedium while you wait.

Unless your man has stipulated a yearning for something particular – don’t go there!  You can wander around the DIY department till sundown wondering whether to buy something that cuts, sucks or makes holes of different sizes in MDF.   The other disadvantage of buying such gifts is that they weigh a ton to carry home – it’s all too stressful and psychological articles recommend we avoid the strain on our emotions!

On the list of ‘don’t’ is also the game ticket for one!  Never buy one ticket for a spectator sport (nobody to shout with; nobody to argue with and nobody to get drunk with).  Buy two and he will be oh, so happy!

Gadgets are always a good idea for men but, like the little boys they still are, they are hard on batteries.  Make sure gadgets run on rechargeable batteries or may be recharged at the mains unless you want to see your expensive gift land in the gift graveyard by January.

As worthwhile as charitable causes are, male baby boomers rarely have the same feel good attitude as women to adopting a polar bear or saving a few whales to celebrate the festive season.  If you want to see your husband or boyfriends’ face fall a yard, give him a gift to improve his soul and help save the planet…better to keep this as a joint gift for the two of you and make sure he gets something he can drink, fly, play, eat or make a noise with!

Psychological articles say that Christmas comes but once a year – the rest of the time we spend wondering what to buy to celebrate it!

About the Author

Dr Karen Turner, PhD, is a clinical psychologist with an interest in the baby boomer generation as the most successful and resourceful of all generations. Boomeryearbook.com focuses on connecting the baby boomer generation and providing interaction for boomers everywhere. If you are a baby boomer with an interest in the mysteries of the human brain, Boomeryearbook.com is the social network for you.

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