Many men, including myself do not enjoy Christmas shopping or any kind of shopping at all. While we may generally dislike Christmas shopping, we especially dislike Christmas shopping with our wives. We may love our wives dearly but the thought of purchasing Christmas gifts for our wives seems like a daunting task. Our wives most likely have no idea that we deal with the stress associated for Christmas shopping for them each year. They likely assume they are easy to shop for and that it is a piece of cake to select a gift for them. This hub will examine why so many of us men have trouble Christmas shopping for our wives and will offer some tips for gift ideas our wives are sure to love.

We all have to attend a number of parties with our wives throughout the year. We may go to birthday parties for nieces and nephews, baby showers for cousins or friends and housewarming parties for friends. We also likely arrive at most of these occasions bearing gifts, however, in most cases it is our wives that do the gift shopping. Most women enjoy shopping and do not mind always tackling this task. However, the women cannot help their wives when it comes to shopping for them at Christmas. Most men, including myself, have no practice shopping for presents and then all of a sudden we find ourselves having to purchase Christmas presents for our wife without any help from her. Following are a few gift ideas your wife is sure to love.

A scrapbook is a great idea for a Christmas gift for your wife, especially if she is always complaining about never having time to organize the family photos. This idea may scare many of us men because we are afraid we have to be artistically talented to give our wife this type of gift. Fortunately for us there are many individuals in the business of making scrapbooks. All you have to do is round up several photos and sit down with the scrapbooking consultant to discuss what type of book you are looking for and your wife’s favorite colors and preferences. With this information the consultant can create a lovely scrapbook from the pictures that you provide.

A spa gift certificate is another excellent idea if you find Christmas shopping to be difficult. Most women enjoy being pampered and receiving treatments such as manicures, pedicures, facials, massages and other rejuvenating treatments. Even if you are not sure where she would like to go to receive these treatments you can purchase a gift certificate from a service which works in conjunction with a number of spas around the country.

One year I tried something different and had a star named after her. The International Astronomical Union does not recognize these "name a star services" as official. In reality, I did not really name a star-I simply supported a company that came up with a great marketing concept. However, "name a star" companies assert that nobody owns the galaxy or the universe, so their suggested names are just as valid. The gift was more symbolic of the love that I have for my wife than the authenticity of the documents. She was thrilled to receive it.

The package included:

-- A full color parchment certificate personalized with the star name, date and coordinates

-- A personalized sky chart containing the star name, star date, the constellation and the location circled in red where the star is in the sky.

-- A booklet on astronomy written by a professional astronomer with additional sky charts.

-- A letter of congratulations/memorial for the recipient.

I did this through the International Star Registry: http://www.starregistry.com

Another gift which many women will greatly appreciate is a homemade coupon for anything you think she would appreciate. This can be helping out with things that are usually left to her, or even better, something romantic to make her feel special. When I was particularly broke, this idea was a lifesaver and a hit with my wife. She cashed in ALL of her coupons.

This has been such a tough year for us financially-- I may have to get creative and come up with some more homemade coupons as the small amount of gift money we have is going to the kids' presents. Hope you all have a Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday season. Best of luck to you in the coming year!