Sealed with a kiss for the holidays

December 19, 2008 3:50 AM

Help me think of cute ways to show my new boyfriend that I'm thinking about him over the holidays!

My boyfriend and I are about 4 months into our very fun and happy relationship. We will be spending more than two weeks over the winter holidays apart, so during that time I want to do something sweet for him, especially because he won't be able to see his family this year.

Ask Metafilter, I thought I'd ask for some help because I'm quite new at the relationship thing and he's much better at showing affection than me! My current idea is to send him a little note via snail mail and tell him I miss him and am thinking of him. Ladies, what have you done for your men if you've been in similar situations? And gentlemen, what would you want to read/receive if you were in this situation?

posted by catburger to human relations (16 comments total)

A telegram. The real kind that Jake Barnes would have gotten from Lady Brett.

Polaroids.

Forget little notes, what about a full-on WWI-style love letter?
posted by luckypozzo at 4:58 AM on December 19, 2008

a little crafty gift box filled with things he likes (favorite candy, or some little items that reflect a unspoken joke you both understand)...

Buy him a nice shirt (or a cool tshirt he might like / has been wanting)... wear it for a few days till it smells like you (or otherwise make it smell like you) and then send it to him. Might be especially effective if you take a (suggestive?) picture of yourself wearing it. A girl did this for me once and I wore/smelled the shirt for almost a week. it was awesome.

make a short video. Could just be you talking to him, or a silent video but with small visual cues (sticky notes,etc) with love notes or words related to him. ( like of you watching a movie perhaps pointing to the empty spot next to you ..making forlorn eyes.

do something that shows you cant wait till he gets back. (or something that he can expect when he gets back .).. for example, go to his favorite local hangout (bar, coffee shop, whatever and buy a gift card or something but arrange with the shop that he must pick it up in person.

random ideas.. not sure how good they are.. just throwing them out for consideration
posted by jmnugent at 5:27 AM on December 19, 2008 [1 favorite]

If you're parting ways before Christmas (and here I'm assuming that you're both celebrating it, but...), how about hiding a present for him to open on Christmas Day?

You may want to do the big gift exchange before you leave, but sneak something into his place (if he's staying there for the holiday) or his car/luggage (if he's traveling) and then call him up on Christmas Day and let him know where it is.

This may work best if the hidden gift is something on the personal/romantic side.
posted by backseatpilot at 5:47 AM on December 19, 2008

I'm strange when it comes to relationships but after 4 months I would not make a big deal out of it. Just get him something small that you know he'll love. Next year do something larger and crazier.
posted by Mastercheddaar at 5:52 AM on December 19, 2008

Treasure hunt! Set it up before you part ways and then one day send him the first clue by text message. He'll spend all afternoon hunting for clues/gifts and thinking about you.
posted by 0bvious at 6:08 AM on December 19, 2008

unusual candy

art postcards

mineral samples from a cool toy store (the polished rock kind)

MP3 file of you talking to him

If it's possible to give these as gifts: individual songs that you purchase online
posted by amtho at 6:16 AM on December 19, 2008

a little crafty gift box filled with things he likes

Yes, and a cute little handmade box would be even nicer. Patterns are easy to find.
posted by mrmojoflying at 6:30 AM on December 19, 2008

I'm actually with Mastercheddaar. 4 months isn't long and I wouldn't go too all out or do any huge grand gesture.
posted by gwenlister at 6:46 AM on December 19, 2008

One thing my husband still remembers very fondly is the time I secretly slipped my (uber-sexy) panties off and stuck them in his coat pocket at the airport just before we parted. It still makes him smile after 9 years.

Along those same lines, he mailed me a T-shirt he had worn while running and it smelled of him so sweetly. I loved that shirt and kept it under my pillow and sometimes put it on.

He wrote me a poem, and each stanza was on a different piece of paper (back of a business card.) He laid it down in a trail that went into the bedroom, but you could mail each card in a separate envelope.
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 6:46 AM on December 19, 2008 [3 favorites]

A (short) letter for each day that you'll be apart. Include a drawing, photo, amusing article/comic strip/etc. Put each one in an envelope with the date on it and hand them to him in a stack so he can open the appropriate note each day.
posted by VioletU at 7:28 AM on December 19, 2008 [1 favorite]

Similar to VioletU, when I was in high school, a girlfriend compiled a package of 14 notes in separate envelopes- one for each day I'd be away. Each was dated and included a note, a puzzle, a joke, a quote, a picture or something else to make me smile. The final day was a package that had a t-shirt in it.

I found that the notes kept me thinking about her, and I would stay up past midnight so I could open the next day's note. It's still one of the sweetest things a girlfriend has done for me.

But if your situation allows, the panties mentioned by Secret Life of Gravy sounds awesome.
posted by JuiceBoxHero at 9:27 AM on December 19, 2008 [1 favorite]

Bah, 4 months can be enough time -- every relationship has its own pace.

I was going to suggest the note-for-every-day thing. The anticipation will definitely keep him thinking about you all day.
posted by penchant at 9:49 AM on December 19, 2008

World's Smallest Postal Service - cute and unexpected!
posted by alice ayres at 10:21 AM on December 19, 2008

Naked cell phone picture messages.
posted by Jacqueline at 10:42 PM on December 19, 2008

I ended up buying him Thanks to the people who said not to do anything too big.. I like him a lot and I wouldn't want to scare him off! Cheers.
posted by catburger at 2:31 AM on January 19

I ended up buying him a little snack I knew he'd like. Thanks to the people who said not to do anything too big.. I like him a lot and I wouldn't want to scare him off! Cheers.
posted by catburger at 2:32 AM on January 19