Guys: Question on gift preferences

In My Humble Opinion
1

I’ve been channel surfing and have seen a bunch of commercials telling women that guys just love getting flowers.

In one commercial, some woman is whining that her previous birthday present for her brother was lame and expensive. Cut to: some guy opening a door to see a kid in a parrot suit tap-dancing badly singing “It’s your birthday, it’s your birthday, cluck cluck cluckitty cluckitty cluck”. The brother is agahst: his sister has brought shame to the family. She must be killed (not really, but he looks pissed). The clueless woman realizing what a wretched, selfish fool she’s been decides that this time she’ll send him something he’ll really appreciate: a bouquet of flowers. The brother, getting the bouquet, is so delighted that he calls off Benny the Nose who he has hired to kneecap her, should she again shame him and the family. (again, not really, but the commercial would have been better my way)

Me, I’d rather have the tap-dancing parrot-man. At least I’d get a funny story out of it.

While I’d appreciate the thought behind a gift of flowers and I’d never denigrate someone for sending me a gift, however little I liked it, if asked in advance, flowers would be near the bottom of my list of desired gifts, somewhere above getting a holistic-astrology-reading-and-aromatherapy-session, somewhere below having her give me 2 dozen pairs of socks.

I’m curious if any Doper guys out there would choose a $50.00-$75.00 bouquet (the ones they’ve been advertising) as one of their first choices for a gift, if asked in advance.

Fenris

2

I’d prefer $50-75 in cash much more than a bouquet of flowers. I guess I’m just unromamntic :rolleyes:.

3

If you really, really want to win a man’s heart, send him a bouquet of tools.

4

I’ve received flowers (well, a flower) from a woman once, and it was a great feeling - but it owed everything to the circumstances. From my girlfriend of two years, flowers aren’t really on the list of desirables, though I buy them for her now and then.

It was a blind date, you see - with a girl who lived alone in a sort of farmhouse, where she kept her two horses. She had a rumbling old truck with which she would drive these horses to competitions throughout the south.

Anyway, we (my idea) thought it would be fun for her to pick me up at the bus stop outside my apartment complex, where a bunch of other college kids were usually hanging around, for their (and our) benefit making it look impulsive - a la The Eagles’ “Take it Easy” ("…flatbed Ford…")… you know, like she just spotted me there and figured that that boy would be a good addition to her afternoon…

It was sorta like an actor being taken in by his own make-up: when the truck pulled up to the curb and the pretty blond girl leaned over to swing the door open, I felt a heady rush of excitement - I don’t think anyone at the bus stop even noticed, but I was freakin’ thrilled! When I climbed up, she topped -that- by handing me a yellow flower she had picked from atop her horse earlier. I don’t know what word to give the combination of happiness, excitement, and satisfaction rushing in - I don’t think I could say how much I liked it then, either.

Man, that was the best opening two minutes of any date I’ll ever have. The rest of the date was like a slow leak, or maybe extended drowning, and there was no second date, but the flower stayed on my wall for months.

So to women who think their guys might like flowers, it’s a good idea, but make a flower a touch on top of something they’ll really like, and it’ll mean much more.

5

I wouldn’t mind getting a flower, if it was all she was wearing.
But seriously… I never could understand why women enjoy flowers so much, and I’m pretty sure they’d do nothing for me. (I’ll gladly buy them for any lady of mine though.) I’d rather have something really cool, like a .45 Automatic or a 2-years subscription to Sports Illustrated. Something that says she cares. :slight_smile: Something personal wopuld be okay, like if she just cooked for me, then gave me a full-body massage. It’s the thought that counts.

6

My girlfriend sent me a dozen roses which I sold to my co-workers at a dollar each to take home to the missus.

7

I’ll second the big bouquet of tools as a great gift.

Lola doesn’t understand my predilection with tools but she understands that they make me happy. Getting a mag-lite for Christmas was excellent.

Mrs Feynn should know that if she wants to get lucky, tools are the key…LOL

8

Tsk, tsk. Guys. Please. We women like flowers because we have been conditioned to like them. When we give you men flowers, you are supposed to realize how important they are to us and be touched that we would actually think well enough of you to give you something we hold so dear. Really, you should be honored. The equivalent is you men being so in love with a woman that you send her some power tools. Got it now?

9

I like getting flowers as a gift from Mrs. ricepad, because that usually means I’m gonna get some crazy gorilla sex that night…other than that rather significant detail, I’d much rather have the Gift Bouquet by Craftsman.

10

I’ve never understood the logic that states “dead plants = romance”. I play along with it because my wife likes it,but in reality I don’t see the point. It’s sweet when she buys me flowers, but no, I’d rather have something practical. Like chocolate.

11

But I’m not sure they would be my first choice. Maybe for certain occasions like anniversaries or to make up after an argument.

I also like the tools idea, but I’m so picky about them that I would probably not approve of another person’s selection. For example, it seems that most people picture cresent wrenches when they think of tools. I have so many damn sets of cresent wrenches I don’t know what to do with them. I’d much rather have some jeweler’s screwdrivers or needle files.

12

I think money is on the very bottom of my list of gifts I want. Sure, it’s great to get, but it seems like a last resort or thoughtless gift. However, I prefer gifts that have some sort of useful function like an Palm Pilot or binoculars… you get the idea. :slight_smile:

13

If someone absolutely had to give me a bouquet, please make it out of arrows.

The reason we give flowers to women is because of the similarities. Flowers and women are delicate, pleasing to the eye, fragrant, colorful and beautiful.