My ex-girlfriend is visiting me for six days around New Year’s Eve. We have chosen this time to exchange Christmas presents. Now, we’ve both admitted there are still a lot of feelings between us and, were it not for the 1,000+ miles that separate us, we’d likely still be dating. She’s even trying to spend her summer and fall where I am through a mix of internships and special programs offered by her school.
So, I want this gift to totally sweep her off her feet, to show her that I’m THE guy. [geek mode] See, I like my gifts to be like a well placed torpedo aimed at a thermal shaft in the Death Star: Small, quick, but with explosive results [/geek mode] So, here’s what I did:
When we were both interning in DC from Feb. to May, we would constantly exchange e-mails at work all day because our jobs were kind of boring. I’m talking hundreds of LONG e-mails. She loved them and, since we were separated, has commented on how she missed them, how she should have saved some of them, etc. They were all on her work account, so they’re not around anymore, as far as she knows.
Well, I saved all of those e-mails on my school/Hotmail accounts. ALL of them. So, what I’ve done is copied and pasted them down, cleaned them up, and I’m getting them made into a leatherbound book, with gold lettering on the cover and all that jazz.
The reaction I’ve gotten about this gift has been VERY good so far, but I wanted a more broad-based sample of some smart women… and what a better place to find that than here. So, is my gift going to flip her head over heels, or is it going to fall flat?
Well, my fiancee has every card, letter, note, and photo I’ve ever given her in a box in her closet. We’re talking seven year’s worth! So I suppose you’re on to something here.
I think it’s a very sweet and thoughtful idea, SNenc! I have lots of letters stashed away from my teen and dating years and I cherish them all. (No email back then; I’m such a fogey at 38!)
I’m no lady but in my opinion that’s the sort of thing she’ll have to hide from future partners. I’m not saying she won’t like it but let’s face it: 1000 miles apart and you’re not really going to hit it off. That would be a good present for a current girlfriend, someone you were going to marry etc. I don’t know her though.
I think it’s a great idea. Thoughtful, meaningful, time-consuming, and it proves that you really do care about what she has to say. (Or why would you have saved the messages?)
Sounds like the kind of thing my husband would have done, back when we were in the early dating stage.
my SO, (call her as “vidient” for the purposes of this posting) and I completely fell in love over email. weeks of intense volleys of email flirting and exploration. I’ve always meant to go back & rearrange those first emails into an album. It’s quite the chronicle of our first bonding. I reread them sometimes & just say, “damn, we were good…”
I think it’s a sweet idea. However, I do think this is a gift that depends a little on the presentation. Since you say you want to “sweep her off her feet,” I assume you’re planning a special day or evening alone together to present this to her? I think that’s probably the way to go, since you want this to be as meaningful as possible and more special than if you were giving her just, say, a sweater or something.
Thoughtful, sweet and highly individual. The sort of gifts that knock me off my feet are exactly like that; it shows that she is important to you and that you’ve spent time thinking about what she likes. I think you’ve got a winner there.
Underlining mine. Mind if I ask, but why must the two be mutually exclusive? Just because they live far away from eachother, doesn’t mean one of them can’t move. And it especially doesn’t mean that they won’t hit it off. They already have, read the OP dearie.
I’m thinking that if you two need just a little push to get back together, to tell he you’re serious and you hope she is too, this might be it. Go for it, and ignore dissenting opinions. It is a very heartfelt idea, and it is the thought that counts. She’ll love it.
Good job SNenc.
SNenc, I’m not your typical girly girl but, with the right presentation, a gift like that would do a fair amount of sweeping-off-the-feet. It’s taken time, put some thought into it, and it’s a unique gift. I think you’re on a winner there.
A few of you have mentioned that presentation is key… any good ideas? The setting is Washington DC, so do with that what you will. One thing of note: Surprises drive her nuts and there’s no way she’ll let me hold off on giving her this gift any longer than is necessary. That means I’ll have to give it to her the first night she’s here (the 28th). She also loves daisies, but I have separate flower plans anyway.
ladyfoxfyre, you hit the nail on the head. She does indeed want to move to the DC area after graduation from college, and I’m hoping this gift, and her whole trip, will further strengthen her resolve. We’ve both thought of what might happen with our relationship in the long term, but we’re so young and so much is left to happen, that nothing is certain. Still, we’ve both considered the idea that we’re meant to be more than just good friends.
