It’s that time of year again- you think you *just* survived the holidays and then BOOM. Valentine’s Day comes out of nowhere and you’re desperate for a non-generic gift for your man. For this post, I’ve enlisted the help of my wonderful hubby, Domenick. I wish I could take credit for coming up with these ideas, but I cannot. Here are great suggestions for your boyfriend/ fiance/ hubby, straight from a fellow guy (it doesn’t get more fool-proof than this!).

1. A [thrilling] experience to do together
   Domenick first suggests tickets (or the like) to do something exciting together: go to a game, concert, theme park, movie, comedy show, etc. The only real rule is that it has to be something that he will enjoy (i.e., no buying him tickets to the ballet if he doesn’t love the ballet!). The other thing to note is that you want the experience to be somewhat exciting/thrilling. Getting the blood pumping while you’re together will strengthen your bond as well as create meaningful memories.
2. Write a letter of gratitude
   Last year for Domenick’s birthday, I wrote him a letter detailing all of his accomplishments from the past few years and thanking him for the ways he had impacted my life. He still mentioned the letter months after his birthday, so it definitely had an impact on him! According to Domenick, all guys would appreciate a heartfelt token of thanks from their girlfriend/ fiance/ wife. Speaking for myself, I know that being vocally thankful is something that I need to do more often, so this gift is always so appreciated by him! The key to making the letter good is to be detailed and genuine.
3. A functional gift
   A clipboard isn’t a very sexy gift. However, when your hubby has been mentioning over and over again that he wished he didn’t have to use his clinic’s old, wooden clipboard for his testing, it means something different. This is a true story- I bought Dom a clipboard for Christmas a few years ago, and he LOVED it. Like seriously- he told me at least once a month for the first 6 months how much he appreciated me getting him a plastic clipboard with a case to store papers in it. He brought it up first thing when I mentioned this blog post; it was super impactful! The key to this gift is that you have to be paying attention!! Listen to him- what is a pain point in his life and how can you make it better? Does he hate cooking dinner for himself after a long day at work? Maybe gifting him a two-week Blue Apron subscription to give him a break would be nice! Does he have a long commute to work and nothing to do? An Audible credit to buy a new audiobook might cure his boredom. Or maybe he’s like Domenick, where he keeps mentioning that his coffee never stays warm before he can finish it, and you swoop in with a Swell or Yeti to save the day. Whatever it is that he is casually bringing up now is your ticket to a gift that says, “I hear you and I care about you and your needs.”

Best of luck with your gifting, friends! I’m always curious what people decided to go with for their gift. Let me know what you end up getting him in the comments!