Television has made playing Santa a snap. My kids have been programmed by the consumer culture so well that they can spit our their Christmas lists while still taking off their Halloween costumes. It's my wife that's the problem. What on earth do I get her? She loves to cook, but cooking gifts seem self-serving (as it were). It's time for me to at least start thinking about it, so I ask you: any great ideas for wifely gifts? What are you thinking about? What has worked well (or failed miserably) for you in the past.

I usually try to find something that she spies and come up with a reason to have a conversation about it. I convince her that it would be a waste of her money for one reason or another, usually bad customer service, and then go back and buy it for her, all secret-like. The last time it was a ring she saw in a jewelery/coin shop while I was looking for a source for some things for my coin business. They treated me like I was wearing a sign that said This Man Does Not Exist. That was until I want back and asked about something that cost enough to get their attention.<br><br>This year's different, though. My killer idea was to take the tot to a paint your own pottery place and make her a replacement candy dish for her desk at work. Then I thought about what was likely to happen to glaze with a 7 month old. So we're back to the drawing board. I'd really like to make her something, but time is of the essence in that case.

My go-to idea: Night on the town in the big city - including a nice dinner and a show at the Kennedy Center. Something that allows her to get dressed up and feel sophisticated.

My problem actually isn't trying to think of what to get her, but how to get it into the house without her knowing. We live about an hour from a town that has something other than a Wal Mart. So actually I have had to resort to ordering online and for the last two years I could have the items shipped to a friend in town. If I ordered it online then it would eventually be at the doorstep and my wife gets home first. So instead I sent it to a friend and they give it to me. I'm in trouble though because my friend moved so I don't know what to do. Normally it wouldn't be a problem to just go shopping, but my wife is one that really wants to know her gift so I can't trust her with her gift just laying around. I have to sneak it into the house and wrap it quickly.<br><br>As for what to get her we are still somewhat newly married so I go with some type of jewelry still for her. She also has been having a problem where she gets hooked on some show that only has one or two seasons and then gets cancelled. So I have bought her some of those shows and she enjoys watching them even though they didn't last long. I think though I could just as take her to a casino and give her cash and she would be just as happy. Sorry, I don't know if this is helpful. I'm sure it is just more specific to my wife.

Does she need some well-deserved Mommy time? How about a gift certificate to a spa? No monetary amounts, just the services. Ex: My husband gets me a manicure, pedicure, massage, & facial gift certificate. Awesome.<br><br>Another thing I wanted this year...a little off the beaten path-<br>I wanted one of those remotes that starts the car so it's not too cold or hot when I get in. You could borrow her car & have it installed to surprise her with it.

I'm going with the spa idea. Excellent. The remote start is a great idea, but my wife walks to work! <br><br>I saw a cool looking indoor herb garden, but we don't have shelf space for it. So I'm thinking about getting her more shelf space for Christmas. Seriously. Some new cabinets in the kitchen.

I gave my wife kitchen shelf space for her birthday....she was thrilled. Primarily to hold her cookbook collection. We were in Amish country in PA and found a nice wall-mount shelf for a great price.<br><br>I guess Austin doesn't have many Amish people around, though, right...?

It's all about Ikea...isn't it?

I love this idea of well-deserved Mommy time. It seems every woman on the planet thinks that any woman with a child is overworked as a Mommy. It is not always the case .<br><br>(steps off soapbox)<br><br>Anyway back on topic, I like the car starter concept or something else for the car she tends to drive more. GPS, hands free cell phone, etc.

Rob, daddy's also need well-deserved time. However, the question was posed for what a woman would want. I consider Spa days a nice break for mom. However, I would say that Dad certainly is welcome to a gift certificate to the local bar with his buddies. :-P<br>I mean really, c'mon...<br><br>

My hubby gave me a spa day last year, but since I was breastfeeding I really didn't get a chance to use it until 6 months later, but it was still an awesome gift and I had a GREAT time!<br><br>Another year my hubby gave me plane tickets to visit my college roommate. That was a wonderful gift!<br><br>Every year I ask for season tickets to the opera. Every year I don't get them because my hubby doesn't want to go to the opera with me. <br><br>Here's my Christmas list in case it might give some of you guys ideas:<br><br>Bissel Steam Mop<br>Book: Square Foot Gardening<br>Sugar free coffee syrups<br>New sheets for our bed<br>A composter for our back yard (although I'm not sure that's a super romantic gift for a hubby to give! LOL)<br>Book: Shepherding a Child's Heart<br>A donation in my name to World Vision (Check out their web site! You can specify gifts such as Buy a sheep for a family in the third world or Buy a share in a water well, etc.)

Beautiful, unique and inexpensive homemade jewelry from Between Sun and Moon (great for Rush fans as well and my wife loves the stuff I buy from there).<br><br>And massages from our local new age spa.<br><br>And Rombauer Chardonnay.<br><br>And sex.

Love Rombauer -- actually visited the winery a few years back.<br><br>Sex would also work.

Whatever you get her. Make sure she understands that the gift was your idea. Don't tell her the guys at the office/bar/internet suggested it!!!

Another great craft project idea: handprint shirts! We made sweatshirt jackets (require some sewing skills) for the grandma's this year with their grandkid's hand and foot prints in fabric paint on them. This idea could easily be done by a Dad as a present for Mom! Just buy a t-shirt or sweatshirt with nothing on it in Mom's favorite color, then pick up some fabric paints at your local craft store. Put a piece of cardboard inside the shirt so that the paint doesn't seep through. Squeeze some fabric paint onto a piece of aluminum foil, then put your kid's hand or foot into the paint, and place it onto the shirt. EASY! And this can be done with babies up to teenagers if you want, no age limit to this craft! With younger ones you'll want to only do one hand or foot at a time and then take them directly to the sink to wash off before you start with a different appendage. Then you can write the child's name and the year the shirt was created under the hand/foot prints.<br><br>There are ALL kinds of creative sayings you can write on the shirts too, just do some google searches for ideas. One idea is to create a hug shirt. You put the hand prints on the BACK of the shirt with the fingers pointing towards the middle of the shirt as if the child has hugged the person wearing it. And then on the front you write, This is my huggin' shirt.<br><br>Or another idea (perfect for mom! Made one of these for myself because I liked the idea so much), put two hand prints together so that the thumbs slightly overlap and the fingers point outwards. And then after the hand prints dry decorate the hands so that they become 'butterflies' by adding antenae and other dots of color in the 'wings'. Then write the kids names under their butterfly in puffy paint. Then you can write something like Mom's butterflies or Mom of Many or Mom of Twins or whatever might be perfect to describe your wife.

My wife hinted that she wanted warm socks. So I have been on a mission to find the best around, but normally my safety store has been redenvolope.com. Some of the best stuff for the lazy guy in me.

Seriously heavy hiking socks are the best. SmartWool makes some of the very best. I have a pair of Expedition socks that work wonders. www.smartwool.com

Good tip. I'm going to try out smartwool.com!!

I suffer from poor circulation in my feet (which equals cold feet all winter long). My absolute favorite Christmas present is high quality wool socks. Unfortunately, it has become harder and harder to find 100% wool socks...nowadays the hiking socks are all various blends of wool and other synthetic stuff. They keep the feet warm, but they do not do a good job of letting the sweat evaporate in my opinion. It's especially difficult to find the really good stuff in the relatively benign climate of Wash DC.<br><br>Recently, we were in Amish Country, PA, and we stopped at a Gold Toe factory outlet. I bought a couple of their wool blend dress socks, and they turned out to be great. You might want to give them a call. (they told me that they can ship). Phone is: 717-390-3066

I've had good luck with hiking socks sold in outdoor stores like REI and Cabelas. The hiking socks you find at Target or the other box stores don't seem to hang in there. I must have five or six brands we've bought all over and they all do great at wicking and warming. You can tell when they are good quality because your feet never get too warm. Once they hit the right temp, the air keeps them regulated.<br><br>Who'd think we'd spend time on here talking about socks and cold feet? Someone turn up the testosterone!

Oh, you know the usual go to presents....<br><br>Cordless power drill (she keeps losing hers)<br>jumper cables<br>case of toilet paper from Costco<br>Paint rollers<br>floor jack<br>large flat screen tv<br>black, lacy 'bedroom' clothes (for her)<br>ShamWow®<br>various weight watchers books & diaries<br><br>Not on the list-<br>any high velocity projectile device (Got her a gun one year, and the darn thing misfired in the house just inches from my shoulder. She was just looking at it and checking the safety)<br><br>Maybe this year I can figure out how to keep her from crying most of the day... Women!!!

Awesome list! Some of those ideas are surefire winners! (not sure about the paint rollers, though).

darn thing misfired in the house just inches from my shoulder Are you SURE about that misfire? Yikes! Wonder if it wasn't her way of telling you what she thought of the gift…

My wife knows that hinting does not work on me. She told me she wants one of those robot vacs for Christmas. The ones that automatically run around and clean the house by themselves.<br>I'm a little put off by the price though.

Totally worth the entertainment investment. I'm still working on getting my wife to buy into getting the iRobot Looge. It's the one that cleans the gutters.