Do you tell your partner what you want for Christmas?

[SofandaCox]

My friend sends links to her husband and he buys it and wraps it. Surely this isn’t normal? I’d be so upset if I had to do this for my husband! What’s the point in wrapping a present when your partner already knows what it is? What do you do?

I show my DH several things I’d like and he can buy any/all of them or anything else he thinks I’d like. But he’s rubbish at gift buying and after years of crappy gifts this works better for us both. It doesn’t bother me that it’s like this as he has other skills and qualities I value more.

I can top that. If I see something I love in the shop, I will buy it with his card and give them to him to wrap and gift.

Nothing expensive - for example I saw two beautiful hardback notebooks that I knew would give me joy every time I looked at them, plus a pair of gorgeous purple gloves. I realise I should have expected him to go to the shop and be telepathically drawn to these as otherwise it's oh so unromantic.

Yes of course I could have bought them myself but I like presents, he likes knowing I will choose things I love and it will be a surprise when I open them because it's so long since I, I mean he, bought them..

I have a new DP, second Xmas together.
i know he stresses out a bit around Xmas and is really worried about “getting it wrong” and that his late wife was very ‘easily disappointed’ (his words) and he’s used to being told what to get. So I’ve told him; because I’d hate to think of causing him stress it, and tbh I’m always worried about getting surprises and being watched for my initial reaction! A little surprise on top would be nice but it doesn’t really matter

Haha it's the imagination which is dangerous! Have you read the pp's description of the dog made out of a car exhaust pipe? 😆

lol, brilliant.

Does make me feel a bit guilty about my mom when we were growing up though!

Might send it to the kids! : )

Hmm if I didn't send DP a list I'd end up with jewellery every birthday and Xmas. Which is all very nice but I rarely wear jewellery.

By speaking my mind I got an osprey backpack I wanted for my birthday which will be used far more often that jewellery. Need some clothes so will send him links soon.

We do both get each other token gifts as surprises

I wouldn’t see the point in this, I’d just buy whatever it was for myself.

My DP is not good at gifts so often I don’t get anything of he’ll suggest a biggish purchase and say ‘we could buy this for your birthday!’. I don’t get wound up about it these days. He’s fantastic in almost every other respect.

This is exactly what we do. That way both of us end up with what we want, and there is no risk of disappointment.
A trip to town, Christmas shop and a nice lunch or a few cocktails 😀

I send a few ideas and DH chooses from the list. Same for my gifts to him too. We don't have much money so don't want to risk any waste.

We do a list with ideas. I know my presents will come from that list and therefore be things I actually want but I won't know which he decided to get so it's still a bit of a surprise.

Here we BUY our own Xmas presents and give them to "the other half" to wrap and give back on Xmas day.

Xmas Day is never marked by disappointment on the present front.

We send a list to each other but each get an off-list surprise from the children. We always list more so there is a bit of a surprise in which item will be bought. My mum likes to get my husband a decent present so his list is useful for her. When we had less money when the children were smaller, he bought me things like new glasses or winter boots. Now it’s more frivolous. He is good at the surprise bit and I’ve had some lovely things but he wants the security of knowing I will like at least one present.

Yes, with links! It seems a waste to me to get something that you quite like when the money could be spent on something that you love!

We are in the extremely fortunate position of stuff we want, we buy, but I wouldn't usually buy myself really expensive perfume, and I want my DH to know exactly which perfume I want. I would hate him to guess and just buy me a random expensive perfume that I won't wear.

Simarly, I always ask him what he wants that he wouldn't buy himself.

Admittedly a bit boring, but satisfying on the day

I give him a few ideas, if I want something specific I might mention it but more along the lines of telling him I want a new scarf/mug/pair of earrings and he then chooses which one so that there is still a surprise. But he also always gets me some surprise gifts and he's very good at choosing lovely thoughtful gifts.

I send ideas and let people surprise me with what they pick - adult DC are great for this as they know my tastes
DP will ask what I want but often just prefers that I choose and he pays, which suits me! This year I’m getting jewellery, new gloves, a scarf and a dress - I might get small surprise but not bothered if I don’t

I give my wife a few ideas and my presents end up being about a third things I suggested and two thirds surprises.

I wish she would give me some ideas but she never does, so I do my best to choose surprises that she likes. Usually some of them seem to go down well but there have been a few failures.

we don't get each other presents. married 22 years 3 kids. doesn't seem worth it when we have 1 pot of money anyway. if i want something i buy it myself and christmas is very much based on our kids and not us

I need to or I would get a pile of stuff I didn’t want, or in the wrong size etc.

Hi kindred spirit 😁

My husband and I make lists for each other, with more things in them than we plan to buy. So it's still a surprise what we get, but everything is something we'd want.

I've never really understood this "oh, you should know me well enough to choose something for me". Do people who think that have really rigid tastes or “main present” level staples they don't really vary from? I'd expect my husband to know things like I favour yellow gold or I like certain types of scents but beyond that, I don't even know what I'd like half the time until I see it 🤷‍♀️ He knows my favourite small things like chocolates, small toiletries etc but for anything bigger than that, I wouldn’t expect him to guess.

I buy my own tbf

Don't have a partner but I usually tell DH what to get.

I do an amazon list for DH and send him links to other places. He does sometimes buy me stuff that I haven't asked for and usually gets it right but he's very uncomfortable with that.

I do exactly that. I'd rather have something I like than the rubbish my husband would get me.