When shopping for your Mother....

[aurelemsrealm]

I'm very particular about colognes and perfumes. I guess it's just because there are too many clueless wonders who bathe in it and reek so strongly that it takes hours for the taste of the fumes to dissipate. Plus, my wife likes some of those Bath and Body Works sprays which about gag me first thing in the morning. They don't bother me the rest of the day if she uses them then, but first thing in the morning just about suffocates me. I have to bury my face in the pillow since she usually gets up before me.

[Racket_Man]

boy am I glad my Ex would only wear one and only one brand of perfume. yes it did suit her and I only had to remember that one brand/type

[MoxisPilot]

Likewise, I'm sorry, but I do not know what your mother would like to read.

Dude, this one's easy! Either she likes romance novels or she does't (and even the most unobservant man in a household should know what his mom's bookshelf conatins more of).

If she doesn't, grab her something off the Best Seller stand.

...Works for me for book-loving friends and family, anyway.


I'm so glad my mom's easy to shop for. She collects masks, and I live in Italy (land of the Carnivale mask!).

[Kirachan]

So my mom ended up making me dinner on Mother's Day.

For mothers day my dad went out and bought some lobsters and i prepared them, it was very yummy and cheaper than all 5 of us going out to eat some where nice.

[Rapscallion]

My theory is women can pick cologne for men because they just have the nose for it, but for men, it's just not their forte.

I think it's more fundamental than that. Women and men - in general - work very differently. Women know what they are looking for in a potential mate, and have a fairly good idea about their requirements. They know what they want.

Men don't really care as much about appearance - often 'good enough' is enough. You get people such as the metrosexuals at one end of the bell curve and the people who think that rain is a marvellous method of bathing, but they're the minority. If it wasn't for wanting to attract women, most men wouldn't bother.

Rapscallion

[tamezin]

My brother and I were supposed to take my mom out for dinner today. My dad's been sick all week and she woke up with a sore throat yesterday so she felt we should cancel in case she got worse (which she would have been if she had followed his course). So I cancelled the reservation. She still has a sore throat but she felt OK to go out yesterday and pick up a prescription for my dad, and she went to church this morning. I came over to surprise her and bring her her card and a box of chocolates (which was my Mother's day present from work) and I decided to risk my health () and do my laundry. So my mom ended up making me dinner on Mother's Day.

BSE,

tsk..tsk..tsk..you should have made her dinner while you did your laundry. That was just wrong. I bet she would have liked some chicken soup.

[XCashier]

I just thank my lucky stars no one has ever attempted to buy me perfume. I wouldn't like it. Gift cards, I like gift cards, especially if they are for a book store. And shinies.

Jewelry, I rarely wear, but gift cards = win. Don't know what to get me, a gift card to a good bookstore or fabric store is usually the best bet. Heck, even a Target gift card would be fine; I can use it to buy household stuff.

Also, you can't go wrong with really good chocolate.

[BlaqueKatt]

If you asked me what smell my wife likes, I would only be able to state what was on the bottle label.

Thankfully my spouse has it easy-I wear exactly 3 types of perfume

1-shalimar
2-Tragedy
3-hello Kitty

[KnitShoni]

Oh, my husband got REALLY lucky: I don't wear perfume, and both my mother and mother-in-law are allergic to it.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

I'm glad my husband buys me neither cologne nor jewelry that I have not picked out myself. Of course, if he did, I'd have enough to class to be gracious and thankful that my husband cared enough to at least try.

No, my husband is a practical man. He ordered me a netbook for Mother's Day.

What? I don't think it has a power cord. (Oh, I cannot wait till it gets here! )

In my family, we just blatantly ask what the person might like. I grew up dirt poor, we didn't have enough money to waste it on stuff the recipient might not like. That, or I'd rifle though their toiletries when they weren't looking to find out what exactly they were using.

I can often tell by just giving a big hug and taking a deep breath. I have that kinda sense of smell. If I am familiar with the scent, I will be able to identify it. Or at least get close.

EDIT: husband drives me a little nuts in the other direction, though. We have a very dapper gay buddy who smells amazing. Aqua Di Gio. Very nice. Actually asked the husband "Do you like that stuff V wears?" He said he did. So I splurged and got him some, because frankly, I really like the idea of a straight man that smells like that. You think he's wear the damn stuff? "It's too nice to wear all the time." Gaaaah!

[lineswine]

you can almost never go wrong offering Chanel #5.

My missus would brain me if I got her that, she loathes the stuff. Also, 4711 cologne reminds her of old ladies, so that is RIGHT out.