I'm panicking...
10ok not really. but really. My husband and I NEVER exchange gifts. not on Christmas, Valentine’s day, birthdays, ever. Mostly because he was a SAHD for 10 years and didn’t have money of his own to buy me something and I just got him whatever was needed when needed.
All Christmases past I would buy something for him and something for myself and put it under the tree so the kids didn’t think we were left out.
This year I didn’t get anything for either of us because the “secret” of Santa is out of the bag, so I figured it wasn’t an issue. EXCEPT that my husband is also working this year for the first time in our relationship. … and he decided to buy me presents 
which is super nice, but now I feel like shit because … well, what’s he going open?
I don’t know what to get him either. He’s tough to shop for. I don’t buy stuff for his hobbies, because he knows best what he has/wants/needs and doesn’t share that with me.
I panic bought earbuds for him and am thinking of a new pair of boots. he wanted a 3d printer and I almost hit the buy button on it, but I don’t know where to put it in the house for set up so I feel like it would just end up sitting in the box. Then I thought about buying a Cameo from someone but none of the people I could think of were on the site, except Ernie Hudson. We already have a signed photo of Ernie hanging in our living room that he got IRL, so a cameo of the guy seems redundant. I also considered a Mick Foley one briefly.
Not that I think any of you would know what to get a middle-aged guy who loves nostalgic stuff from 1985-1995. (Ghostbusters, WWE/WWF stuff) but I’m just lost.
- 8 comments, 20 replies
- Comment
Ghostbusters Lego Ecto-1 I think is still available.
What about something like this?
https://www.spirithalloween.com/product/light-up-deluxe-replica-proton-pack-ghostbusters/225117.uts
or
https://www.amazon.com/Dr-Collector-Ghostbusters-Employee-Welcome-kit/dp/B07V6GBDVF?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
Maybe, get the printer and let him worry about where it goes or grab a cheap side table to assemble for him to put it on.
Last idea if he needs some shoes and maybe he likes He-Man?
https://us.puma.com/us/en/collaborations/partnerships/he-man
@Targaryen If he has a 3d printer he can make his own Ghostbusters stuff.
@Targaryen
Those sneakers are fantastic! My guys going to thanks you because he’s now getting the orange ones along with a few other sweatshirts that are on sale. Thanks!
@Targaryen
The shoes are so cool!
Get the 3D printer. Microcenter has one for $99 on sale if you make an account or $199 if not, either way it’s a good deal.
Also pick up from the local Good Will or other cheap furniture location near you a sturdy table to put it on. Harbor Freight, if you’re near one, has a good selection of work benches pretty cheap if you think that will work better.
As for space the one from Microcenter takes up the same relative space as a traditional larger desktop paper printer. So it can go near that in your house. Some printers make a high pitched whine when printing so just be sure to be able to close the door or put up some sort of sound box around it. This will also help keep the printer warm they like to be warm most of the time.
I can also suggest a few Youtube channels for him to follow if you’re worried he might have technical issues with it.
@Chronicle I’m just here rejoicing because it took WAY less time than I thought it would for us to achieve the $99 3D printer, regardless of the quality. It doesn’t seem like all that long ago that they were several thousand dollar machines mostly gatekept to research facilities/institutions and rich hobbyists! Maybe it’s time for me to start planning to get one…
Seconding the 3D printer. I didn’t think we had room for ours in the house, but lo and behold we use it all the time. I didn’t need that weird little bar in the basement anyway.
Microcenter will do right by you if you have one near you. If you want to spend a little more, Prusa is an excellent brand.
How beautiful! My heart melted reading your wonderful story of your husband’s first Christmas being able to buy you gifts. He’s got to be SO EXCITED!
The 3D printer sounds like it would be a great idea and I’m sure the kids would love it too! You didn’t mention what his other hobbies were but those Marble Run puzzles are pretty cool and lots of fun for everyone!
I like this one…
ROKR 3D Wooden Puzzles for Adults Marble Run Model Building Kit(LGA01 Marble Night City) https://a.co/d/dLc2qCb
@Lynnerizer he was so excited he just gave me one to open. It was a handmade soy candle from a local shop he bought from a fundraiser. Great scent and I loved that the group partnered with a small business to support each other and he helped out. It was a win all around! He did good with that one
he told me I absolutely had to wait for the rest though (even though I didn’t ask to open it 
)
@Lynnerizer @mbersiam I bet he’s really enjoying the chance to finally give you presents!
@mbersiam Aww… I can’t stop smiling, that’s so sweet! This is going to be one of your most memorable Christmases ever!
@Lynnerizer @mbersiam And if he likes marble runs after building that there is a facebook page of some incredibly skilled people who build them, including some of the ones in airports world wide.
Thanksgoating - Day 48. Is this mic on? Tap. Tap.
So it’s been a minute since I’ve espoused my thoughts.
I’ve been on this rollercoaster. My Jenny became a SAHM when my daughter was born and wow… there couldn’t have been anything better. In the beginning, we always said we wouldn’t do anything for gifts and just take care of the kid. The kid is not for want. I’m a pretty good liar and I tend to go overboard when I get set in motion. I would always find some way to make my Jenny feel awesome with something shiny. She wasn’t working so I never expected anything. But she is a writer. And outdid anything I thought was awesome with words.
I got cards with poems. Envelopes with detailed stories about things we did when we were dating, decades prior… in amazing detail. I cherish those gifts more than anything.
@mbersiam Your gifts sound wonderful, but don’t forget to tell him how much he kicks ass as a dad
Dads rock! 
WORKER BEES! HERCULES! TURKEY GREASE! AWESOME!
@capnjb
thanks for resurrecting the Thanksgoating persona!
@chienfou Oh, this train ain’t stopping
Thanks to you for being awesome. November was exhausting, but I may have more up my sleeve 
PANS! GLANDS! CRAYONS! AWESOME!
If he is a hobbyist, does he have his own little workspace? Maybe some decor for that space - movie posters, small memorabilia, that he can use to spruce up his space. Or if he doesn’t have a space, coming up with a way to create a small space for him could be a gift in itself. Especially if he’s now working out of the house, he’s probably missing being able to pursue his hobbies as much as he used to. A cool little corner could help make up for that.
Or if he struggles to find time to work on projects, maybe the gift of a weekend where he’s completely off dad/spouse duty and can just futz about to his heart’s content would work. When my kids were actually kids, guilt-free Me time was so appreciated.
@goodjuju i give him every Sunday morning. I take the kids to church the next town over which usually ends up being 3-5 hours of alone time every weekend. And I’ve always made sure him and each of my kids have a space to call their own. It was important for me, even if that meant my space was a simple 3x4ft corner in my bedroom and his was a man cave in our mostly finished basement.
@goodjuju @mbersiam
Wow! Your a keeper, makes me want want to do more and I do a lot.
Grinning here. Mine has done that this and drove me crazy in the past. Agree to no exchange and then orders something or decides to go shopping. My guess is anything or nothing too fancy. Let him bask in the freedom to gift you.
@speediedelivery Husbands are equal parts stupid and terrific. You get what you get and you like what you get.
@capnjb So true. I got a good one. Bratty at times but not letting him get away.
@mbersiam
I’m wondering how Christmas went, and how excited was your husband to give you gifts? What did you end up getting him and how did it go, tell us everything!
@Lynnerizer he was quite excited. I got a Legend of Zelda coffee mug set (which is spot on because I drink coffee and tea daily) and a Mariokart hoodie (i love hoodies!). I ended up finding him a ghostbuster towel with his favorite quote of the movie on it and that was it. (I still feel I missed the mark, but it was ok)
I discussed my dilema with him and he agreed on waiting on the 3d printer because of space in the house.
We went to a resort for Christmas and left a day early because of the storm in the midwest. So we got an extra day of vacation too.
Overall it was a very nice Christmas.
@mbersiam That sounds like a great Christmas to me! Besides the fun gifts time away together is most definitely the ultimate!
Happy New Year!
@Lynnerizer @mbersiam
Not sure if you “missed the mark” with something that tied into something he really liked. A present that shows thought always hits the mark. Yours may not have matched, financially, what he spent, but that you worked to find something that tied back into something he loved didn’t miss any mark.
And yes experiences are, in the end, what matter the most when you are old and decrepit sitting by the fire reminiscing about the past and how you built your life together…