Give her the gift that sucks year round.
Seriously, mid-century man, were you even trying? I guarantee you that no 1950s woman got down on the floor and gently stroked her new Hoover. She may have been grateful to get rid of the old canister vac that belched a huge cloud of dust every time she stomped on the foot switch, but that’s a long way from “just what I wanted, honey.”
That being said, my Roomba just died, so yeah. I’d be pretty jazzed to get a new vacuum for Christmas.
I generally tend to give gifts that the person wouldn’t get themselves. I try to listen all year long to what people say they would like but not enough to justify buying for themselves, then file it into the “get ___ for Christmas (or birthday, depending on what time of year)” section of my brain. Generally works. I’ve been wanting to replace my really old and tired blender with a VitaMix for a couple of years now (just waiting for it to die) and am always met with “A $500 blender? Why?” 7 year warranty, that’s why. And it can… Read more »
Maybe women should buy vacuum cleaners for men. Better yet, maybe someone could write an article about whether to buy vacuum cleaners for men. Not sure why the discussion is always around whether or not to buy homemaker appliances for women, and not for men, as if women do (or should do) all the cleaning. As for power tools, I’d love some. Let’s not have these gender boxes.
The question is not about men, because cleaning tools for them are not considered controversial. In fact, the more you treat a man in a stereotypically female fashion, the more smugly progressive you can allow yourself to feel. That being said, if you give a man a vacuum cleaner, take care not to do it in a patronizing way, as in “Haha, you big manchild who lived in dirt until now, if you don’t know how to use it, don’t be ashamed to ask!” Men will usually not take this well. 😀 One question I have, is what to give… Read more »
Amen, Florian! I also love chocolates (the more, the better) and flowers are great, too.
How about you buy for the actual person, and not for a stereotype? Each person is an individual with unique needs and wants. If you want them to smile, you need to show you actually listen to their interests and their needs. Can we get over the “traditional woman” vs “modern woman” box thing? The box is dehumanizing.
Maybe I’m weird, but my Christmas “list” (I haven’t actually made a list in 15 years…) is full of things like:
1) vacuum cleaner
2) New crock pot
3) Rice cooker
4) New coffee pot (and not one of those Keurig deals either, just a nice regular coffee maker that I can program to start brewing at about 5am…)
My family makes fun of me for these things, but honestly gifts like this make me giddy!
I don’t think you’re venturing into weird territory until you lie down on the floor and stroke your new vacuum like a puppy. But hey, different strokes and all that 😛
I probably wouldn’t stroke it like a puppy, but I may hug it out of excitement. I’m a really expressive person that way though LOL!
I hugged my Farberware pots the Christmas before last, I had been asking for new pots and pans for a year and my dad FINALLY believed me when I told him “YES, that really is WHAT I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS!!”
So would it be just as insulting for a man to give him a power drill? Interestingly, for the last 5 years there has not been a Christmas where I did not get kitchen tools and cutlery as presents. Every time I could not help thinking that this was only acceptable because I am male. Crazy old world. In the same way I strongly feel that in this day and age cooking is a man’s job, because modern women would never allow themselves to be caught doing something stereotypically female. My fiancée is the first woman since my mother who… Read more »
Maybe I’m weird then, because I bloody love a good power drill. Seriously get excited about it. I realised when I had a TV bracket to put up that the cheap one I originally had wasn’t up to the job so gave myself permission to spend a little more on a decent one; and then I went putting up shelves crazy for six months. I am not joking. Wherever there was room for an extra shelf I put in a shelf. The wife would catch me staring at an empty bit of wall and read my mind. “You’re thinking of… Read more »
Hey, now! Don’t knock the vacuum. My husband got me a beautiful, fat Dyson for Christmas two years ago and I was freakin’ delighted. That sucka cost upwards of $600 — considerably better than some awful perfume or a tacky handbag (now, you wanna get me a Kate Spade handbag? That’s different. Kate before vacuum any day).
That’s a pretty awesome hunk of hardware and a great gift. I’m intrigued by Dyson products, though I own none. I’ve always wondered if they live up to their great styling and marketing.
I want a Dyson SO BAD! They just look awesome! And I would love a purple vacuum! I wouldn’t even put it away in the closet, I would leave it out as a conversation piece!!
I wouldn’t put my name on many products, but I’d definitely be a spokesperson for Dyson. This vacuum really is worth the cost. It’s just me and the hubs in the house and I vacuum about once a week. The amount of dust that this purple monster picks up surprises me every time. My only criticism is that the retractable hose/wand-thingy can be a bit cumbersome in tight spaces.
Kathryn, I would bring it out during parties and let people try it but I think my pals would just assume I’m trying to get them to do housework for me.
Okay, I guess to today’s standards giving a vacuum to your wife would be an insult, but maybe not? You have to understand that back when Hoover ran this advertisement, it was post war, the goal for many families was to have a house in the burbs with all the latest appliances so as to make the life of the housewife/mom easier. Whereas I am an outstanding cook, my wife is an outstanding baker. My wife makes an average of 30 different cookies around for the holiday. Several years ago I gave my wife A KitchenAid mixer with all the… Read more »
In this age of political correctness everything is a social statement. Just look at how we expect commercials to do progressive social education work (in terms of race and gender). I mean, getting angry at companies for missing out on a chance to promote non-traditional gender roles in their commercial clips? I am sure you have seen it as often as I have. It’s crazy. Companies are not in business for social activism. They want to sell stuff.
One thing I learned from my parents:
Never give a household appliance as a gift (birthday, christmas, whatever) to your partner.
Flyingkal, As I mentioned in my other post, gifts are for the individual and in the case of my wife, the appliances were greatly appreciated. Not at all unlike my appreciation when I receive things like electric drills, saws and in general any tools.