Shopping-Guides for Husbands, Wives
a By LYDIA BICKFORD
ANY man with money in his pocket can buy his wife exotic perfume
at $50 an ounce, and deck her out in plum-colored velvet lounging
pajamas.
But the husband with sensitivity will take time to plan his Christ
mas gifts with more on his mind than a price tag.
This Christmas he might well give his wife something continuing,
that will last long after the Christmas wrappings have been thrown
IN THE family excitement over Christmas for the children, father is
likely to be low man on the totem pole—paying the bills, but put
ting his own wants last.
This situation can be remedied if the wife takes a little time to
analyze just what the head of the house yearns for, but never says.
What would he enjoy alone, away from the family? If he’s a fixer,
she can add to his collection of cherished tools so his projects can be
away it could oe a suoscrip
tion to a concert series; mem
bership in a monthly gourmet
club, where a surprise pack
age from countries far away
arrives each month, or mem
bership in a monthly record,
book, or art club
If she’s avid foi culture, and
feels her brains are stultifying,
he could underwrite a course
at the community adult school,
or a book and author luncheon
series If she’s housebound most
of the time, it might be the
price of a once-a-week baby
sitter, so she can count on get
ting away from children and
chores
f'AN he give her something
^ to make life easier? A horde
of labor-saving devices are on
the market, which will grind,
blend, beat, sear and turn with
no manual effort involved. But
keep the household’s kind of
living in mind before making
a heavy investment in gadgets
They will be labor-saving only
if they are used.
Give her something for fun.
expanded. If he’d like to be a
fixer, but has no place to call
his own, perhaps she can dedi
cate a part of the basement or
a corner of the garage where
he can putter undisturbed.
What would he like to enjoy
with the family? Christmas is
a game-giving time, so con
sider the merits of croquet or
horseshoes. Or choose from a
horde of table games which all
can enjoy.
IX7HAT would help him in his
work? If he’s a man who
must drive a great deal, a car
map case—with pockets for
cigarettes, flashlight, notebook
—is an efficient organizer. Or
if his brief case has had it, in
vest in a new one, perhaps the
attache type which will make
him look as successful as he
would like to be. If much of
his work is done at the desk
at home, give his work place
a new lease on life with an
attractive desk set.
What would he like to add to
his collection? Whether he is
interested in old maps, putting
It can be a surprise evening out, with husband arranging all details in secrecy,
even if the evening is nothing more than the drive-in movie and a stop for
pizza after the show. It’s the surprise element that’s important here. If she’s
sports-minded, give her that new badminton racket she would like, or a
membership in the local bowling team. Or be completely uninhibited, and
stick a flute or a drum from the 10-cent store in her stocking, for some after
Christmas merriment.
Something of glamor is an inspiration for any woman. Buy her the kind
of gift she thinks she can’t afford for herself. This requires being on the alert
through the year for those moments when the wife says: “I’d love to have
a. . . .” The glamor may be nothing more costly than a big bottle of pine
bubble bath or a veil-hat sprinkled with rhinestones. But it can make the
wife feel more like a woman than a slave.
LJOW about a present for the spirit, a gift that is neither efficient nor
* -* practical? Inexpensive reproductions of masterpieces are readily available.
Museums offer bargain copies of pieces of sculpture that are as faithful in
feeling as the original. A piece of beautiful glass or a pewter pitcher may not
be used, but can be lovely to look at.
And since Christmas is not just for today, give her something for her
dreams. She wants to travel, and there are too many family obligations. Let
her travel vicariously with a sheaf of cruise folders and package plans. Or
she wishes the family could have a boat . . . someday, maybe. There are books
and magazines galore on family cruising for escape reading.
Doaxs in Domes, or running moaei trains, mere s always more xo De naa, xo
make his leisure-time pursuits more fun.
What would he like that’s totally different? The world is filled with hus
bands on their way up who’ve never stopped for hobbies. Christmas is the
time to introduce a new lease on life, to suggest-*-subtly—that a little leisure
is good for any man. An experimental—and inexpensive—set of oil paints or
charcoals may startle him at first, then interest him as a relaxer. Music may
be the answer, and a ukelele—shades of his youth!—may be fun, once he stops
being self-conscious about it.
ll^HAT would he like to keen him young at heart? Bread-winning takes a
* ’ lot out of a man, and responsibilities make him forget he was ever carefree.
Sign him up for a ballroom dancing course, so he and the samba can get
acquainted. If there’s dust on the golf bag, buy him a new club as a gentle
suggestion. Or if he complains that his muscles are tension-bound, underwrite
an executive-type session at the YMCA, where the punching bag and the
steam table will take years from his life.
What can she give to pamper her husband? Christmas is a good time to
indulge his whims, a time to throw good sense out the picture window.
It might be a tobacco he doesn’t buy for himself, a striking tattersall vest,
a really elegant travelling kit, or a good-looking bottle of spicy cologne.
Even the most Spartan father will find himself relaxing on Christmas Day,
St he finds these surprises waiting for him.
—What to Get the Person-—
Who Has Everything—Who Wants Nothing
By .—. _wiD
IN THE desperate hours of Christmas Eve, as one shop
door after another is closed and locked, the wail rises
on the wind: “But what can I get him? He’s got every
thing!”
Nonsense.
Has Nelson Rockefeller got
the Empire State Building? Has
Barbara Hutton got Kresge’s?
Has CBS got Jack Paar?
With a little thought, the
imaginative shopper can find
something for anyone.
Consider the “yard of ale,”
an oddly-shaped glass. It’s one
yard long, holds two English
pints (or their American equiv
alent), and you can’t set it
down until you empty it. It’s
the perfect gift for the fellow
who admires English ale or
Texas martinis.
There’s certainly nothing dull
about a boar-hunting spear.
The six-foot wooden handle,
decorated with leather thongs,
is tipped with a gleaming metal
point Just the thing for a girl
with too many boor friends.
Or people who try to be
punny.
\ f AYBE you have an employe
whc comas to work late.
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He’s listless. He just can’t get
up on time. What about a gift
for him?
Give him a sun dial.
One sun dial has a magnify
ing glass in the middle. Under
the magnifying glass is a little
cannon. You fill the little can
non with black powder. When
the sun hits the magnifying
glass just right. . . .
He’d never be late again.
What about an Italian friend
who climbs mountains? Or a
Girl Scout who takes hikes?
Or a suburbanite who com
mutes? A leather wine bag
with a shoulder strap will solve
their common problem.
'T'HE summer skier and the
* sunshine patriot will not
shrink from the ski bike, you
can bet It’s nothing on snow.
But behind a motor boat on a
spacious lake it’s an entertain
ing respite to the hurly-burly
of the water ski world. It’s a
bicycle-like contraption built
on one water ski.
A Blue Cross policy makes a
nice companion gift.
Perhaps you have a friend
who fractured a leg and three
vertebrae while driving his (or
her) Ferrari in a recent Grand
Prix.
Bring him out of his shell.
Speed his convalescence. Give
him an auto racing game. It
works like an electric train.
Two cars race around a figure
8 track and over bridges. They
have separate controls so you
can race them. And they will
wreck.
For the outdoor man and
woman who like to get away
from it all, but not too far,
may we suggest a water bag
with a shower fixture on the
bottom or a Coleman lantern
with a lampshade?
And for the boss, ah, the boss,
there is the Executive Chair.
When he turns a switch, the
chair vibrates gently, soothing
away his tensions. Keep the
switch close at your hand,
ready to throw in case his ten
sions are aimed at you.
Better still, keep the chair.
Next Christmas you’ll be boss.
(By a wife who prefers to r,.anonymous)
Jj\ACH Christmas, my husband makes his annual plea to Santa
Claus, and any members of the family who happen to be
listening.
“I don’t want anything for Christmas.”
For a good many years, I thought this was his self-effacing
way of saying “Anything you buy, I’ll like,” and searched the
stores for rarities on the founding of our country and the best
(copies) of Currier and Ives.
I bought handkerchiefs with hand-rolled hems, cowhide bags
of distinction, and sports shirts in becoming maroon.
They all went back to the store.
I tried jokes—chocolate-covered caterpillars, a handy text on
how to regain your memory, and a packet of toy money (in
case he ran out of the real variety.)
'T'HEY all went into the wastebasket.
1 One year we forced him to attention a few weeks before
Christmas, and asked him what he wanted. Amazingly enough,
he rattled on about socks, tie clasps, shirts. We divided the list
and prepared to sally forth.
That evening, he came home laden with boxes and spread
them out with the air of a man who had brought home a boar’s
head, neatly speared. “Pete can give me this. Tom can give me
this. Why don’t you give me this?”
If there is one person in the world who can thoroughly de
stroy the meaning of Christmas, he is that man.
He is not a man who has everything He doesn’t want every
thing. He doesn’t want anything.
And that’s exactly what he’s going to get this Christmas
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THE EASY, MODERN WAY OF WISHING EVERYBODY -
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