All other things being equal, which of the following would you prefer to receive as a birthday gift?
I voted Other, but I always failed at being a proper female. 
I’d prefer books, music or electronics/video games/computer stuff to any of that.
I am another strange female, liking books, computers, give me a turbine card for LOTRO or a plex card for EVE Online …
That being said, mrAru made a date afternoon out of seeing the final Harry Potter movie at one of those reserved seating/drinks and a meal movie theaters and it was fantastic. The reserved seating was way more comfortable than general seating normally is, and being able to sit and enjoy pub grub and a drink while watching was great. It was worth the drive to get there and back!
That type of ‘extravagant date night’ works for me =)
I voted an experience, though at one time or another, all of the answers were the right one. Jewelry was always my least favorite, I think. Well, except for that one necklace I have.
I voted for experience, but must admit my most recent birthday included vouchers for my favourite nursery because I’m developing a new garden. A lovely gift - they thought about it and so it wasn’t just money, but combined to give me something I really wanted and had so much fun spending.
My birthday is in December and that’s the time of year when the travelling broadway plays, concerts, and musical acts from the past roll into town. Also, there are things that come along in January, like Riverdance, Stomp!, the Three Tenors. I would LOVE to get tickets to any of these things for my birthday, instead of another damn coffee mug/bouquet of flowers/bottle of wine and generic birthday cake grabbed from the grocery store. Unfortunately, since it IS in December, the chances of a blizzard or ice storm happening on that very day we plan something is no joke. We went to see a play downtown one year and the highway was solid ice - we missed getting killed by a truck by an inch. Spoiled the whole evening, and there was still the ride back home to worry about. So…(sigh)…bring on da cake and ice cream and let’s all pretend I’m 10 and all excited about blowing out the candles. What do I need to see The Lion King for, already saw the Disney movie, right?..(sigh)
I’ve never gotten any of the options in the poll for my birthday (at least, not since childhood), so YES. All of 'em 
So I voted “other,” although I’d give a slight edge to jewelry.
I don’t like getting cash as gifts because all I end up doing is paying bills with it; I can’t bring myself to spend it on myself.
I voted other because I’m with the other geek girls - I would prefer geek toys or ebooks to all of the items listed.
I don’t wear much jewelery, I never wear perfume, I don’t mind occasional clothes as a gift but usually only my daughter manages to select items I would wear.
Experience dates are nice, out of your list that would probably be my first “non other” choice, followed by an extravagant date night.
I voted for the experience, but I also love getting gift cards to stores I like. I’m really, really picky, and unless I tell you exactly what to get me, you’ll probably get it wrong. I also rarely spend money on myself for non-essentials, so for me, it’s a real treat to be able to go to a store I like and spend money “frivolously.” I know a lot of people hate gift cards, though.
This is basically me (only I don’t have a daughter), but I think even with women who’d really love to receive jewelry, perfume, or clothing, it would have to be the right jewelry, perfume, or clothing. And I don’t necessarily mean expensive, I mean something she would actually want to wear. Jewelry/perfume/clothing you don’t like is a pretty awkward gift. I can see how it might seem really romantic if your partner knew your tastes well enough to get something you liked, but if the gift-giver isn’t confident in being able to pull this off then another type of gift would be better.
I said Other but my real answer is None. The idea that I should get gifts just for surviving another year makes no sense to me. Feel free to say Happy Birthday, and if you give me chocolates, I won’t refuse, but then I’ll take chocolates any day for any reason or no reason. I’m pretty much a birthday grinch.
I voted for “experience” because at my age there’s not many “things” that I want. A close second would be jewelry because you just can’t go wrong with diamonds. 
Electronics! I got the iPhone 4 for my 40th birthday. Failing that, some kind of awesome kitchen toy, like my beloved KitchenAid stand mixer (which was actually a Christmas present), or a dinner at a fabulous restaurant.
I voted for an experience. Clothing is tricky because nothing seems to fit right. I only wear one scent for perfume and I don’t wear a lot of jewelry.
The two best gifts I ever received were both from my boyfriend - a guitar and a Kindle. Oh, I just remembered another one - tickets to a Rufus Wainwright concert.
I love the opportunity to share an experience with a friend. It could be just a drive in the country, or visiting Axman to polk around the shop. To me, it’s the best.
However, one upon a time, I was in dire need of financial support. My birthday treat from my new boyfriend at the time was a tankful of gas and a grocery shopping trip to stock up on staples. Man, did I appreciate that!
I said experience, but I’ve had handmade gifts given to me that are treasured as well.
Generally, there are very few people who can buy clothing that fits / I’ll wear, I have a metric shit ton of jewelry that sits in the box most of the time, I’m fussy about perfumes and I live in a pretty small home, so more stuff (unless it’s something I’ve been saving up to buy for myself) isn’t really the answer. An extravagent date night sometimes fits the bill, depending on where the man in my life and I are in our relationship, but my birthday tends to get lost in the Xmas holidays and I’m usually over committed that time of year.
I voted “Clothes/Shoes” (well, really, gift certificate for same, so I can shop and buy exactly what I like and what fits), but this year my birthday present is going to be two tickets to see Prince in concert - best present EVER!
I’m another other. Before Amazon came along with its wish list, I’d go down to Bookstop (oh, how I miss Bookstop), pick out several books, and put them on hold. Then I’d tell my husband about this, and he’d go and pick out some of the ones that I’d had on hold.
I have as much jewelry as I really need, and my husband sucks at picking out jewelry that I actually LIKE. Clothes? He’s likely to get me a peignoir set, which I find to be uncomfortable. More to the point, such a thing is a gift for HIM, not for ME.
If I’m low on perfume, I’ll tell someone if they want to give me a gift, because I only wear Opium.
I might enjoy a great night out, with or without dinner. Back in the 80s, I loved to go out and get pizza and then play in the arcades. Nowadays, well, I can cook better than most restaurants. And I have an arcade in the spare room, I have a PS2 and several arcade game collections.
What I’d really like is probably a good massage, and someone ELSE to clean up the house for a few hours.
I think one theme has emerged and that is that people appreciate presents that reflect that the person giving has thought it through. Don’t give jewelry to those who don’t wear it. Clothes are almost impossible to get right (no-one ever has for me …) unless it’s a daughter (… except her). The right experience is precious.
I am sometimes given jewellery, which is a real hassle as I only ever wear spiders, and then they must be anatomically correct. Beautifully styled is great - but not if the legs come from the abdomen or it has three body parts like insects. But when someone close gets a piece of spider jewellery right, it is simply wonderful and acts as a reminder of them every time I wear that piece.
So I think the answer is that the gift I want is the gift that shows how much care has been taken to choose just for me.