Special Gifts Elite

Posts Tagged ‘gifts for him’

Well not if you’re US President Obama it would seem.Having just cancelled NASA’s “Constellation “ project with its spacecraft that looked like Apollo on steroids launched by a stick- thin Ares rocket that should have been blasted from a giant milk bottle, it’s going to be some time before Americans set foot on the Moon again.  The irony is that just as the US scrapped its plans for manned spaceflight to our nearest celestial neighbour, Iran announced that it had sent some mice into orbit.  What are the odds on the Chinese being next on Luna?

Gifts for men who want to reach for the stars, but can’t quite afford to do it for real, come no better than the “Moon in My Room”.At just £25, it’s certainly cheaper than your average NASA or ESA budget and although it may just be one small step for technology, it’s a giant leap for lighting.  The Moon in My Room is an accurate curved relief of the real thing and is designed to be mounted on any convenient wall. Using a mini remote, you can control the Moon’s appearanceto suit your mood or leave it on automatic running through all 12 phases from waning crescent to waxing gibbous.  There’s even a CD with a 15 minute guided audio tour of all the Moon’s craters, seas and places of interest. Birthday gifts for the occupant of the oval office come and go, but at least with this one the Americans can “take it on home” while China or India actually go there.

Better yet, as gadgets go, Moon in My Room is also incredibly cheap to run.   It’s powered by just four AA batteries (with 2 AAA’s in the remote).  Those cost a lot less than tons of kerosene or liquid hydrogen and oxygen propellant and they’re certainly safer than the solid stuff the space shuttle boosters used.You do have to careful in disposing used batteries nowadays, but at least that would give NASA something to do for the next few years.

Shopping for him is a little trickier than we’re led to believe. If we believe the hype of television ads, all we have to do is buy some huge and expensive piece of electronic equipment and we’ll have the happiest guy in the universe. What if we can’t afford some huge and expensive piece of electronic equipment? Fortunately for us, there are some items that are sure to please, just as sure as they won’t break the bank.

First off, he doesn’t mind gift cards. Sure, magazine articles and etiquette advisors might tell you that gift cards are impersonal, but he really doesn’t care. He loves taking that little piece of plastic, putting it in his wallet, and going to pick out whatever he wants (at his own leisurely pace, mind you) at the store. If he’s a handy type of guy, give him a gift card to a store that carries lots of tools and equipment. If he’s more of a tech-savvy guy, get him a gift card to a store that is full of gadgets and gizmos.

He might be a music-lover, so instead of that expensive guitar he’s been eyeing, get him a gift card to a musical equipment store. An iTunes or other online music gift card is always well-received, too. Amazon.com gift cards cover the gamut, because he can get books, music, DVDs, tools, gadgets, and pretty much anything else he could imagine on that site.

If he’s fashionable, you could splurge and get him some great silver cufflinks, or a nice silver or platinum watch. Think of something you could totally see him wearing, but he’d never buy for himself. The same goes for personal items. He might never walk into a bath and body store, but most have a whole section of men-specific goodies that smell great and make him feel pampered…but still manly. Pick him up a set and he’ll be happy.

Believe it or not, a little bit of whimsy works when you’re shopping for that special man in your life. He might not want to tell you that he’d fancy a remote-controlled helicopter for a gift, but if you get him one you might find yourself gently prying the control out of his hand as he snoozes at night. And don’t forget his video gaming system. If he’s got one, you can be sure he’ll appreciate anything that beefs it up. If he’s into playing one of those band-simulation games, a new instrument or the latest version of a game would be a great present. Even better might be credits to whatever online game system he uses so he can download games, previews, and “stuff” that makes his gaming experience that much more fun.

When all else fails, ask. He’s not likely to get huffy if you tell him that you’re really having a hard time picking the perfect present, and that you could use a little help getting pointed in the right direction. He’d much rather spoil the surprise if that means getting the gift he wants.

What gifts do you get and what should you give in these times of depression?It’s hard, almost as hard as figuring out why, when we bailed out the people whose greed caused this whole bloody depression/financial system collapse thing, they now seem to be getting away with paying themselves more of the money that we gave them while charging us more of our remaining money for getting at what is our money.

Keep your cash under the bed, or better yet in a jar, because then you can see it, love it and watch it grow.  Gifts for him in these credit-crunched times don’t come any smarter than a clever little money jar that has an intelligent top (if only the banks could say the same!).  Every time you pop loose change in through the slot in the lid, it tots up the total, so you always know how much you’ve got stashed.    In weak moments, when you fancy luxuries like food or toilet roll or even fancy gadgets like cups or shoes to cheer up your otherwise humdrum, cash-strapped existence, when you remove the lid an LCD screen insists you enter the amount you’re snaffling.It automatically deducts that amount from the total and you don’t get charged for any letters from the bank.Pay attention to to the lid and you’ll be surprised how fast you save cash.

However, these things are mere toys beside the real cost-saving present that’s practical and reliable.Correct – we’re talking Unicycles!OK, it’s half as useful as a bicycle, but then there’s only half the bits to buy and half the bits to go wrong.  Twice as much fun though and they are a cost effective means of transport, fitness and entertainment rolled into one.  If your sense of balance is more developed than your sense of self-preservation, then the Unicycle is for you. In these times of downsizing it’s true there are no handlebars, but you still get a wheel, a comfy seat as well as anti-slip pedals for half the running cost of a bike and ¼ the running costs of a banger.

Fathers, brothers, sons, uncles…you name it, guys can be pretty hard to buy for. On the one hand they like practical stuff that they can actually use, but on the other hand, find a toy they like and they’ll play with it so much you won’t see them for weeks. Here are 5 gifts for men ideas that are guaranteed to put a smile on his face.

RC Helicopters. Most men have dreamed of owning one of these since they were a young boy. The cost of toy helopopters has fallen considerably over the last five years and as a result the number of different ones have exploded, so now any man can have the chopper of their dreams

Driving Day. Providing they can drive, any man will be thrilled to get a driving experience day as a gift. Again, you’ll have plenty of choice as now you can get driving experiences in all sorts of cars, 4×4s and even military vehicles!You can generally go by the rule that the faster and more powerful the vehicle they are driving is, the more they will enjoy themselves.

Beer fridge. Let’s face it, men can be big slobs some times, which is why their ideal place is sitting in front of the TV with food and beer. With a beer fridge they can keep their beverages cold without having to get up to go to the kitchen. (man heaven).

Games Console. Its not hard to see why a games console goes down well with any man. Guys like toys, and ones they can play with by only using their thumbs is their idea of great efficiency. A PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360 is a good place to start and they’re not as expensive as they were when they came out.

BBQ. Depending where you live and what the weather is like, a bbq makes a great gift. It triggers the natural ‘provider’ instinct in men and as soon as they see some hot coals and a bit of meat there is no stopping them.