Tis the season for hours spent roaming through stores for the perfect present to give your significant other. This is definitely is not the easiest task, but it is one of those things that cannot be pushed aside or forgotten. If you are like the majority of boyfriends/girlfriends, who have no idea where to start, then I suggest you start reading and hopefully get some helpful tips while shopping this season.  

1. Set a price limit.  Whether it is 20 dollars or 200, you and your significant other must agree on a price.  The last thing you want to do is to silently agree on a 50 dollar gift limit and find your boyfriend/girlfriend at your doorstep with a 150 dollars worth of presents in their hands … yes, I still feel terrible about this one. This is a crucial step to insure that both of you are fair to one another in the end.  You don’t have to spend a lot of money on one holiday, as long as you put in some effort and treat each other equally.
2. Get something they need or really want. Yes, girls love rings and things, but after being gifted with three rings, five bracelets, and two sets of earrings, I don’t need any more jewelry. I personally would rather have something that I need, and could put use too.  This year, Max is getting me a Fitbit, body pillow, and possibly a checkerboard. How do I know this? I may or may not have looked through the history on his phone when he was in the other room. However, my lack of patience and self restriction is not important right now. What is important is buying the perfect present for someone you care about.  You should try to keep a lookout for things that would make their life more convenient.  Since Max tends to spend more money on his truck’s accessories than on anything else, I am getting some new headlights for his truck. Obviously headlights are not a perfect gift for every guy, but for mine it will go into great use. If your boyfriend or girlfriend does not need new headlights, then there are many alternatives.  Instead, you could get them a watch or a new bag.   
3. Don’t wait till the last second.  This is one of the worst things you can do during the holiday season.  Since some of the best gifts sell out fast during the beginning of December, if you wait till the week before you may not get what your boyfriend/girlfriend really wants.  Just ask Max what happened when he waited till the last second.  Although I really wanted the princess ring from Pandora, I didn’t end up getting it since he waited till the week before. The point is if you wait till the last second there’s a really good chance you won’t get what you were looking for and will have to compromise with something not as great.
4. No gift cards. Nothing screams, “I got you this, because I had to get you something,” more than a piece of plastic. Luckily, Max has never stooped this low before, and I hope the day he get’s me a gift card for Christmas will never come.  However, for people who were considering this as a possible couples gift, please think again. Since a giftcard is not a gift filled with love, time, or thought it should not be wrapped underneath the tree this year, or any year!

This concludes my list of tips for couple gifts this holiday season.  I hope you take my advice, and get the perfect gift for someone you really care about. I also hope my boyfriend is reading this.