How to choose a gift for New Year and Christmas: dad, friend, boyfriend, husband

The statistics are merciless: more and more money is spent every year for gifts and food, the sums reach trillions. New Year and Christmas is one of the ways sellers make money. This is neither bad nor good, it is just a fact. To prevent spending from escalating into a race of fast and stereotyped consumption, the Bowandtie editors have made a selection of what to give a man for New Year and Christmas. And in order not to be mistaken in the choice, we will tell you how to choose the right gift.

In this post, we'll talk about life hacks, how to choose a gift if you want to make a surprise, and therefore you can't ask directly.

Editorial staff – for a personal approach to gifts

What gifts should not be given

Traditionally, he recommends a personal approach to the selection of gifts. We have written hundreds of articles, and in order to write them, we studied thousands more, and, as our experience suggests, the best gift is personal. This is not always possible, and we recognize the value of ready-made gift sets for congratulating a large number of people. However, a gift to loved ones should always be personal.

The gift should evoke sincere and positive emotions

It is also a reminder that a personalized gift does not mean handmade. Personal = desired by a specific person. I.e:

• If you know that a person wants a gingerbread baked with your hands, this is a personal gift and it will bring joy.
• If you think that any, even unwanted, gift acquires value if it is made with your own hands, then this is not so.

We understand that this is a cynical approach. However, we also understand that the donor is important not so much the act of attention as the emotion from him. And it is better to let it be sincere than forced and feigned joy.

How to choose clothes for a gift, determine the size by eye

The main problem when choosing clothes is size and style. If there is no way to ask, and there is no desire to limit yourself to our advice, follow the following life hacks.

It is impossible to determine the exact size by eye, but you can compare it with your figure and trust the seller

It is almost impossible to determine the size by eye. You need to proceed as follows: compare the figure with your own (as a rule, your size is known), then tell the sales assistant in detail about this. One of the articles will help with this.

So that the clothes after washing do not become large or small, violating the already fragile balance of sizes, take into account the properties of the material:

• shrink – cotton and wool;
• stretch – jersey and synthetic fibers.

Offtopic: to prevent the wool from shrinking, it must be dried horizontally and on a dry towel, not drying.

What clothes can I take one size up or down

You can not be afraid to buy cozy sweaters and pullovers made of wool one size larger. First, the wool shrinks after washing. Secondly, a tight-fitting thing warms those who sit freely.

Loose wool sweaters keep you warm better than tight-fitting sweaters

Sizing will no longer damage cotton clothes, such as T-shirts and underwear. This material shrinks a lot, so 'size-to-size' can be a controversial decision, especially if the gift is intended for an overweight man. Do not buy a cotton item that contains elastane – it will look organically exactly at its size.

The jerseys will stretch anyway. It makes sense to buy knitted clothes half a size or one size less. The same can be said for polyester. This synthetic fabric stretches, especially at the hem, in the sleeve and collar areas.

Gift shirt – cotton, trousers – tweed, jacket – wool

There are many options, but 100% cotton is a guarantee of the quality of the shirt (Tencel is also good, but lacks the old-school status). It is advisable to choose Non iron cotton – a shirt made of it does not wrinkle and does not require steaming.

Choose cotton:

• Albini;
• Egyptian;
• Sea Island;
• Supima.

The classic materials used for trousers are tweed and wool, but the product from the former is easier to choose, and wool also stretches, it needs the exact size. Tweed also keeps you warm. Expensive trousers may have a cutout at the back in the waist area. This shouldn't confuse you. Just the opposite. This neckline is called the Split Waistband, and it adds comfort to wearing.

The jacket should be chosen from Super 100 ”s wool

The jacket should be chosen from Super 100 ”s wool. This means that the diameter of the sewing fiber is 18.5 microns, and the wool itself is natural. The index is higher – Super 150 ”s – these are already premium class jackets.

There are many good materials for the production of shirts, jackets and trousers, but the ones we specify guarantee 100% quality.

How to choose a gift for a man who spends a lot of time at the computer

A great gift for a gamer is a collector's edition of your favorite game. Also a good gift are accessories: mouse, keyboard, headphones, rug.

How to choose a keyboard

As a gift, Bowandtie recommends considering two types of keyboard (always backlit):

• membrane – for 'office' guys;
• mechanical – for gamers.

There are no rigid elements in the construction of the membrane keyboard, so it is practically silent and is barely felt during feedback. The service life of the membrane keyboard is from 1 to 10 million clicks.

The backlight will not interfere with any gaming or work computer

The mechanical one has an instant response to the press, and the keys return to their original position just as instantly – ideal for gamers, but due to the noise and cost, it is hardly suitable for work. Mechanical keyboard life is 50-100 million clicks.

How to choose a mouse

When choosing a mouse, it suggests relying on the manufacturer and dpi. For work, dpi is not important, but for gamers it is very much. To determine what indicator is needed, you need to know what the man is playing:

• Shooters (shooting on the screen, explosions, everything flickers) – 8200 dpi, for a high reaction speed.
• MMORPG, MOBA (someone runs / drives on the screen) – 6400 dpi and additional keys on the mouse.
• Strategy, RTS (something is being built on the screen, armies are fighting) – 4000 dpi for accuracy of clicks.

For the job, the manufacturers Logitech and Genius are suitable. The latter is known for its excellent price / quality ratio specifically for working mice without excessive functionality.

The mouse from the manufacturer Razer has an extended set of buttons

For gamers, Razer is the perfect choice. Mice from this manufacturer have the necessary set of functions and buttons to solve any task.

How to choose headphones

When choosing, you need to pay attention to the assembly:

• The presence of surround sound (for example, imitation 7.1).
• USB connection type, only wired, detachable cable at least 2 meters (this is easy to replace in case of breakdown).
• Frequency – 20-20000 Hz.
• Semi-open type – this will allow you to hear not only the bass, but, for example, the doorbell ringing.

A microphone is only needed if a man plays online computer games, participates in online conferences or streams. Earbuds or wireless headphones will be inferior in sound quality to their wired counterparts.

How to choose a book as a gift

A book as a gift is useful not only for reading people

He wrote about this in detail in the post 'what to give a man for the New Year 2020'. It remains to add a few more prominent representatives of the classics of their genres:

• The 'Black Obelisk' by E. M. Remarque is a work about a man of his time without embellishment.
• The Tennessee Williams' Glass Menagerie is an outstanding example of drama about a person tired of life, the fragility of beauty, the collision of inner and outer worlds, and the inevitable disaster that follows such a collision.
• “Human is too human” by Friedrich Nietzsche is a classic of philosophy, covering the issues of family, religion, children, society and state.
• The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams is an ingenious satire on life, towels, and the number 42.
• 'Solaris' by Stanislav Lem is a book from the maestro of 20th century science fiction, and this says, if not everything, then a lot (do not confuse it with a film about nothing).
• Harry Harrison's 'Steel Rat' is one of the rare pieces that reveal the 'negative' character as the main one. It teaches that not all situations can be categorized into 'black' and 'white', and that even villains should have their own code of honor.

The editors also propose to conduct an interesting and useful social experiment, presenting one of the recommended books to young people under 20, even if they are not inclined to read. There is no 'toilet reading' here. Only the highest quality mental food for the mind.

How to choose a gift for the New Year and Christmas – briefly about the main thing

When choosing a gift for dad / friend / boyfriend / husband for New Year and Christmas, be guided by the principle of a personal approach. Give something that is interesting to a specific person, because spam can be treated accordingly with the same type of gifts.

How do you choose a gift for New Year and Christmas? Please share your life hacks with us in the comments.