Hi, it’s Craig, Alison’s husband, a.k.a. Mr. GYPO. You may remember me from this post that she twisted my arm to do earlier this year. When she asked if I could guest post and create a gift guide of items that men really want for Christmas, she didn’t like my answer much. I told her that all men want just one thing…their wife under the Christmas tree wearing nothing but a bow. Sorry if that’s offensive but ask your husband, it’s true.
Since she made me put together something family-friendly, a lot less fantasy world, and much more realistic, I decided to list out some of my much more attainable favorites/wish list items and here they are.
What Men Really Want for Christmas
First on my list has to be the new Nike Air Max 2015 iD running shoes. I love to work out and these have been, by far, my favorite shoes over the past few years. Maybe not the lightest shoe in the world, but what they lack in weight they make up for it in style, comfort, and cushioning. If your husband is over 40 like me, he’ll appreciate the extra cushion. Not to mention, they look amazing and you can customize them any way you like on the Nike website. You can be over 40 and not be outdone by the old guy in dress socks and 1985 New Balance sneakers at the gym…or anywhere you go for that matter.
Next on my list has to be Invicta watches! I’m a huge fan of watches and I’ve been through many over the years; Seiko, etc…as well as a few el cheapos. I am very hard on watches and Invicta has been the only one that can take the beating I dish out. I own several Invicta watches that I have used and abused, yet they have been very scratch and shock resistant. Not to mention, these watches look incredible. I love big watches and Invicta offers up some monsters. No fear though, if your wrists don’t take well to large watches, they have smaller offerings as well. These watches are, hands down, my favorite watches of all time…not to mention they are very reasonably priced. My three favorites are this Invicta Men’s 1433 Russian Diver Black Dial Rubber Watch, this Invicta Men’s 6977 “Pro Diver Collection” Stainless Steel and Black Polyurethane Watchand this Invicta Men’s 1537 Reserve Venom Chronograph Silver Dial Stainless Steel Watch.
Even though I stay active, I also thoroughly enjoy my down time and there’s nothing that helps me with that more than my next two items. These items are the Roku 3 and the Xbox 360 with Call of Duty Ghosts. I’m not a couch potato or big gamer, but I do love occasionally relaxing and getting away from the stresses of life by watching a good movie or TV show on Roku or showing some 10 year-old boys who’s boss online while playing Call of Duty. The Roku 3 makes streaming TV shows and movies so simple. I can easily connect to Netflix, Amazon instant video, or a bazillion other channels offered on Roku. It’s so easy to watch an entire television series with no commercials and with much better speeds than the crappy built-in wifi on your TV. As far as Xbox 360, there’s no need to buy the Xbox One for some occasional gaming because the Xbox 360 is just as capable at a much lower cost. Disclaimer: Both of these items can be habit forming, so if your husband is prone to that, buyer beware.
The last items on my list are clothing items that I think are both comfortable and stylish. They allow you to look trendy, yet not look like you’re trying to dress like a teenager.
Buffalo Jeans are my favorite brand of jeans because I think they look good, are well made, comfortable, and fit well. To each his own, but these are my favorites.
My go to daily shoes are my Cole Haan Santa Barbara loafers. I absolutely love these shoes! Proof of this is that I’m now on my third pair. They are made very well and with their Nike Air insoles, they are super comfortable.
I live in Texas so it never gets super cold for any extended period of time, so I like to have a nice in between jacket that gets me through Fall, Winter, and early spring. The jacket that does this for me is my The North Face Canyonwall. This jacket is warm, comfortable, and in style. I can’t say enough about it, it’s perfect and I love it. Plus it doesn’t attract dog and cat hair like a magnet unlike my fleece North Face jacket.
Lastly is the Banana Republic Lux-Touch Button-Down shirt. I like shirts like this that don’t look old-manish (is that a word), are stylish, and are comfortable. Not much to say except that this shirt fits my style and works great with my Buffalo jeans. Of course, Banana Republic isn’t the only place to find a shirt like this…just an example of one that I like.
Well, I hope you found my list useful and I hope you have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Oh and by the way, if you liked these suggestions, Alison has convinced me to help her out with the Menswear Challenge coming up in 2015.
Alison,
I finally did what you asked…please refrain from any similar requests…at least until after the New Year. Unless you’re prepared to be under the tree wearing a bow on Christmas morning. Then you can get pretty much anything you want.
Love,
Craig