A REMINDER, THE SEASON WILL SOON BE HERE.

Buying gifts for men is not nearly as complicated as it is for women. Follow
these rules and you should have no problems.

Rule #1:
When in doubt - buy him a cordless drill. It does not matter if he already has
one. I have a friend who owns 17 and he has yet to complain. As a man, you can
never have too many cordless drills. No one knows why.

Rule #2:
If you cannot afford a cordless drill, buy him anything with the word ratchet
or socket in it. Men love saying those two words. "Hey George, can I borrow your
ratchet?" "OK. By-the-way, are you through with my 3/8-inch socket yet?" Again,
no one knows why.

Rule #3:
If you are really, really broke, buy him anything for his car. A 99-cent ice
scraper, a small bottle of deicer or something to hang from his rear view
mirror. Men love gifts for their cars. No one knows why.

Rule #4: Do not buy men socks. Do not buy men ties. And never buy men bathrobes. I was
told that if God had wanted men to wear bathrobes, he wouldn't have invented
Jockey shorts.

Rule #5:
You can buy men new remote controls to replace the ones they have worn out. If
you have a lot of money buy your man a big-screen TV with the little picture in
the corner. Watch him go wild as he flips, and flips, and flips.

Rule #7:
Do not buy any man industrial-sized canisters of after shave or deodorant. I'm
told they do not stink - they are earthy.

Rule #8:
Buy men label makers. Almost as good as cordless drills. Within a couple of
weeks there will be labels absolutely everywhere. "Socks. Shorts.Cups. Saucers.
Door. Lock. Sink." You get the idea. No one knows why.

Rule #9:
Never buy a man anything that says "some assembly required" on the box. It
will ruin his day and he will always have parts left over.

Rule #10:
Good places to shop for men include Northwest Iron Works, Parr Lumber, Home
Depot, John Deere, Valley RV Center, and Les Schwab Tire. NAPA Auto Parts and
Sear's Clearance Centers are also excellent men's stores. It doesn't matter if
he doesn't know what it is. "From NAPA Auto, eh? Must be something I need. Hey!
Isn't this a starter for a '68 Ford Fairlane? Wow! Thanks."

Rule #11:
Men enjoy danger. That's why they never cook - but they will barbecue. Get him
a monster barbecue with a 100-pound propane tank. Tell him the gas line leaks.
"Oh the thrill! The challenge! Who wants a hamburger?"

Rule #12:
Tickets to a NASCAR race are a smart gift. However, he will not appreciate
tickets to "A Retrospective of 19th Century Quilts." Everyone knows why.

Rule #13:
Men love chainsaws. Never, ever, buy a man you love a chainsaw. If you don't
know why - please refer to Rule #8 and what happens when he gets a label-maker.

Rule #14:
It's hard to beat a really good wheelbarrow or an aluminum extension ladder.
Never buy a real man a step ladder. It must be an extension ladder. No one knows
why.

Rule #15:
Rope. Men love rope. It takes them back to our cowboy origins, or at least The
Boy Scouts. Nothing says love like a hundred feet of 3/8" manilla rope.

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This was posted as a joke and I laughed when I read it. But there's a lot of truth in this. My husband's favorite day of the year is Christmas because he generally finds some new power tool under the tree with his name on it. He has a pretty well supplied workshop... and the sweet thing is that he uses the stuff. It's nice having a handyman around the house, and I'm all too happy to keep him stocked!

We've been married 28 years, and so far he has (from the list)... power tools out the wazoo, ratchet sets with a healthy supply of sockets (both metric and SAE), tool box for his pick-up truck, a gas-fired barbeque (a Father's Day gift from the kids and I after the demise of out little charcoal hibachi), a chainsaw, and the extension ladder. Not to mention all the tools NOT on Baack's list. The man has tools like Carter has little liver pills...

One thing not mentioned, though, is a honkin' video/graphics card for gaming. And memory -- as much as the board can handle.

As for the socks? As kids, my mother always replenished our supply of socks and underwear at Christmas, and I have continued the tradition here with my husband and son. It's become a joke type thing, and it wouldn't be Christmas without the requisite package of socks and briefs.

So gals -- pay attention. There's a measure of truth in just about every joke.

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I thought the same thing DUCKS when I read it.

More truths then anything here........lol

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Hey,..I don't mind getting socks,...Good warm wool socks!!.....Have to keep my feet warm while I'm outside trying out the chainsaw...

Hey ducks, I agree with the socks thingy here too....hahaha even my 12 year old nephew says it ISNT christmas without a big box of socks and underware under the tree!!.....

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LuvMyHubby
PROUD Mom of an enlisted man currently in Iraq
"The Truckers Report..helping newbies avoid the shams and scams, providing support for driver families and just a GREAT place to hang out,laugh and learn!"

This is so true! Currently my husband has 3 cordless drills and he's lusting over my red & black one. Because of his deep love for his tools I went and got my own so I'd have them to use. Now he's working on reasons they should be mixed in with his.

Maybe I'll get him his own new cordless drill. Every man needs four drills, right?

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Ohhh, Nana -- get him a Sawzall! That was one of my husband's favorites, and he's gotten his money's worth out of it.

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It's good to know I'm not the only one who does this. But you're right -- if the socks and undies weren't there, they'd be disappointed. It's tradition, ya' know!

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This reminds me of shopping with my sister when I was a kid and she was in her mid-teens. There was a department store in Pottstown -- Ellis Mills -- and they had a bargain basement in which we found much of our "dress" clothing.

Mom had given us some money to get socks to keep our tootsies warm while playing outside in the snow, but my sister decided she wanted a padded bra instead. I was concerned -- after all, Mom told us to get socks and I didn't want her to get in trouble.

My sister's explanation for getting the bra instead of the socks? She explained it very succinctly by saying that her toes don't come to a point when they get cold.

We pulled the money. I got some socks and she got her bra.

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haha so true. my mom is getting my dad a cordless drill for Christmas

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Breaker one nine, breaker one nine this heres red riding hood; i need a smokey report and i need it bad!



my Australian Shepard belle