Gift Guide #8: Your Bearded Husband Who Reads Alternate History Books and Plays Queen on Sunday Mornings.

For the last two years I did my blog posts for groups of people (those who like to travel, cook, etc. to avoid listing things for one gender or another. I do like that Joanna ties them to her family and friends (her twin sister, husband, Mom and so on). Her gift post titles are so much more interesting than mine. :-) I’ll take that razor too!

Hahaha, Sevoi- your comment made my day! English is my first language, but this line also gave me pause, just for a minute – I decided it was the second, right Joanna?!

I don’t think it’s weird – I’m a native English speaker (and part English) and it took me a while to realize it’s the band, not the expectation of pampering!

Totally here for this! A couple years ago I gave my dad a gift certificate for improv classes in his home city. He absolutely loved it.

Love this idea! It would be especially relevant for little ones, who seem to get so innundated with *stuff* from well-intentioned grandparents at every holiday.

Yes please!! For my kids I’ve suggested to the grandparents/aunties:
– classes (one or multiple. music, circus, climbing – so many options! Bonus points for volunteering to get the kids there and back)
– dates – early pick up from school and the chance for some 1:1 time – for my six year old, maybe also the chance to invite a friend – on a trip to the local board game cafe/ escape room/ aquarium etc
– donations to help another kid/family – Doctors Without Borders, or a local shelter, or an organization that supports refugee kids.

Any ideas to sell non physical/wasteful gifts to both givers and recipients much appreciated! I love physical things myself as gifts (the tactile experience if not their environmental impact). It’s hard to figure out how to give these things so that it feels as substantial as a $30 scarf that’ll get lost in a year.

My husband and I decided this year not to give any physical gifts but instead we booked tickets to see the Nutcracker between Christmas and New Year’s. I have been wanting to go for years and I am really excited to get dressed up and go to the theater. This would also be a great family event. The theater we are going to also has family showings and someone told me that at the family showings the kids can even meet the actual ballerinas beforehand :)
We have had a tradition the last couple of years of making each other advent calendars. Which is very sweet, especially this year since we live apart. It’s nice seeing that someone is thinking of you even when they are not there. I try to get him his favorite bottle of beer or I make little coupons for back rubs and put it in his calendar.

For my brother-in-law we bought local products this year for their gifts: seeds for their garden and they can even reuse the seeds in the following years, plus a bottle of oil olive only available from the town that he lives in plus a bottle of vingear, so that they can make tomato mozzearella.

You should check out @kwohtations work! Lots of inclusive work reflecting life as it is – the absurdity and the joy.

It would be nice to see some smaller companies being mentioned on this list. Especially a coffee subscription that isn’t to stumptown, which is a giant company. There are so many small roasters to support.

Yes!!! We bought a Leaf razor a few months ago, and absolutely love it. I cut myself pretty badly with a straight razor because I tend to shave quickly. Haven’t had a cut yet with my Leaf. And it pays for itself pretty quickly since the blades are so cheap.

I have to say that a meal service (we use good food but you can choose blue apron etc) was a game changer for us! My husband seemed more comfortable with a lot of the ground work done and step by step instructions with photos! It has made such a big difference for our dinner routine especially! Good luck:)

Get him some cooking classes!

Trade him in… or send him on a kitchen bootcamp.

Hi Courtny:
Yeah, I can see how that would be stressful/frustrating. Have you thought about a meal delivery like blue apron? Or make a plan assigning meals to each of you for different days of the week? Your husband doesn’t have to “cook” – some of my husband’s meals are tuna melts, simple salads, pb&j sandwiches, frozen pizza, or getting take out. It’s more splitting the burden of providing the food. And maybe he can help with meal planning too?

You could definitely start by asking him to do the shopping to even out the chores.
Cooking is a skill that needs to be learnt so I guess it can be quite daunting/shaming to have to cook something and serve it to your spouce who is a good cook if it’s turned out a bit rubbish. Anya’s point about dividing up the days and then he is just responsible for sorting out food even if it’s not “cooking” is good, and then from there be sure to always thank the EFFORT. He may well get more confident over time and eventually start cooking more elaborate meals.

Let him know he has to pitch in somehow and suggest he pay for a shopping/meal delivery service. He might even enjoy selecting the meals each week for the service. Hope he at least does the dishes every night or pays for a housekeeper.

meal kit delivery was a game changer for my husband on this front! He is a great cook, which I didn’t know until we started getting Blue Apron deliveries (there are tons of options if BA specifically isn’t your jam). Once we started getting the boxes, having the shopping and menu out of the way meant that he could just focus on following the recipe directions and his confidence in the kitchen has gone WAY up as a result. It turns out the overwhelming combination of planning, shopping, AND cooking (the same thing that was crushing me every week) was paralyzing for him too.

No problem! And not to be nit picky but Hatch would take a capital letter, since it’s the name of a town ;)

Thank you for beating me to that comment, Shannon. :-)

Yes thanks for sharing, Shannon! I live close to Hatch, NM and got excited to see their chiles represented! Wooo!

Native New Mexican and Cup of Joe lover here! Thanks for featuring a New Mexican product made with Hath green ‘chile’. ;-)

I use a safety razor, too, inspired by my husband! I find it has significantly cut down on the razor burn and post-shave irritation I always get on my legs from a disposable razor. Def would recommend!

Yes! I love seeing which list I prefer each year. This year the List for Little Brothers really spoke to me, even though I’m NOT a little brother ?

I have one too and cannot recommend it more! I use one from the brand LEAF which I find so easy because it has a pivoting head. It’s a great one to get if anyone is nervous about how to use a safety razor!

Yes! I bought a safety razor from Oui Shave about 5 years ago and am still so happy with the purchase.

The ONLY downside is not being able to travel with it in my carry-on, but I keep a Venus razor in my travel bag for those instances and still have reduced my waste from shaving significantly.

For intimidated womxn, I promise the switch is worth it! Total game changer in terms of post-shave smoothness and shave experience.