Guys have it easy on Valentine’s Day. There are many well-defined, traditional Valentine’s Day gifts for women: dinner, a movie, cards, flowers. But what do the girls do when it comes time to give their guys’ Valentine’s Day presents?
A girl’s gift choices are not so well defined. Gifts for men are a minefield of inappropriate choices, especially when the relationship is new. Why scare the snot out of your love interest when you don’t have to? When expensive may alarm him, sexy isn’t appropriate, and the usual is boring, then it may help to go with a novelty gift, like funky socks. There are many benefits to this strategy.
Not too serious
If your relationship is still fairly new, the last thing you want to do is scare your guy away with a gift that screams “You’re the one, let’s get married tomorrow!” Gifts in this category include household items, expensive jewelry or clothing, or a gift card to a tuxedo rental outlet. On the other hand (or foot), socks with airplanes merely say, “let’s have fun.” Or possibly, “I like your feet.” In any case, your guy won’t get the message: “I’m hunting you with a big net.”
Not too expensive
Any woman who’s taken an online course on how to catch a man knows that giving him expensive gifts, especially right away, is a big no-no. Traditional wisdom declares that the man should be the one to give at first, and the woman should be the one to receive. A big, honking, expensive gift, the love gurus assure us, will simultaneously frighten and threaten the man. End result: time-consuming gift return process, and — no man. Compare this to what your man will likely say if you give him a gift of bacon socks: “Dang, that makes me hungry. Wanna go grab a burger?” End result: more quality time with your squeeze. And bacon cheeseburgers. Win-win.
Not too sexy
If you’re not ready to give your man a honeymoon-level Valentine’s gift, you can still communicate your desire to play footsie with a pair of mismatched socks. When he wears them with a suit, these socks give your guy an opportunity to protest against the culture of soulless conformity in corporate America. Or, you might merely suggest that he wear one sock, that you wear the other, and that you toe wrestle. When you go with the socks, you’re signaling playful, rather than playmate.
Not too shabby
A pair of funny socks may not be the obvious choice for Valentine’s Day, but they have a lot going for them… They’re a practical gift, and guys like gifts they can actually use. A gift of funny socks shows off your sense of humor and is sure to make your guy think of you and smile whenever he puts them on. That’s always a big plus. They’re affordable, they’re appropriate, and they won’t scare the snot out of him by sending the wrong message. This Valentine’s Day, consider giving your guy the gift of funny socks.
