What does a man give his boyfriend for Valentine's Day?

February 6, 2006 8:10 AM

Homofilter: What does a man get his boyfriend for Valentine's Day?

Flowers are a safe bet for a man to give a woman, and there's plenty of "it's for your girlfriend" propaganda about V-day all around... so when a guy wants to do something for his special guy on that Hallmark-holiday for mushy stuff, I'm drawing a blank.

posted by Mozai to human relations (16 answers total)

Not gay myself, but my bookstore in NY's west village is selling the single Brokeback Mountain book pretty well for V-Day, you know, the one with the movie cover.
posted by Football Bat at 8:20 AM on February 6, 2006

Do you have snaphots of you and your sweetie together (vacation snaps etc.)? If digital, go to Kinko's or the like and print them out.

Hit up your local art supply store for a nice photo archive book and mounting corners. Some archive books have a spot for a photo at the front, which can make for a romantic choice.

Wrap it up in some nice ribbon, present it with a bottle of wine and thank me in the morning! ;)
posted by Rothko at 8:21 AM on February 6, 2006

What does a man get his boyfriend for Valentine's Day?

The same sort of things a woman would give her boyfriend. A nice watch, a new tie, a bottle of cologne, a special dinner at a fancy restaurant, a spectacular evening of "whatever-you-want" sex, etc. I don't imagine that it needs to be any different for gay couples.

To get more specific gift answers, you might need to tell us about the boyfriend and what he's into. What does he like to do for fun, what are his interests/hobbies, etc.
posted by Gator at 8:21 AM on February 6, 2006

Not gay myself, but my bookstore in NY's west village is selling the single Brokeback Mountain book pretty well for V-Day, you know, the one with the movie cover.

God, wouldn't that be an utterly depressing-as-shit Valentine's Day gift?
posted by deadfather at 8:24 AM on February 6, 2006 [1 favorite]

Tickets to somethings....a concert or theatre? Maybe something that your bf would particularly like and that you would be happy to oblige him with.
posted by meerkatty at 8:52 AM on February 6, 2006

What kind of things do you get him for his birthday? Think along those lines. It's the idea that someone thought about me and read me well enough to know what I would love that would seem romantic to me.
posted by orange swan at 9:00 AM on February 6, 2006

deadfather: yes. A million times yes.
posted by FlamingBore at 9:01 AM on February 6, 2006

I'm straight, but I like flowers just fine. Most guys probably do. A dozen roses might be a bit much, but a nice arrangement for the dinner table (especially if accompanied by dinner) is great.
posted by aladfar at 9:27 AM on February 6, 2006

I think the only appropriate thing to do is mock the holiday by treating him like a girl – Doris Day and Rock Hudson should be the inspiration here. Invite a single Tony Randal-esque third wheel of a friend along for the ride. Hit a piano bar and demand someone sing Que Sera, Sera! Stage a fight. Let him throw a drink in your face at some point in the evening, preferably as you oggle other mens' asses. Make up. Get married.
posted by anglophiliated at 9:32 AM on February 6, 2006

Well, you could think about what he likes and get him that. I don't see why Valentine's Day should be conducted that much differently from the holidays or their birthday, except the celebration is just between the two of you rather than a whole bunch of people.
posted by schroedinger at 9:40 AM on February 6, 2006

A nice bottle of wine sounds good to me. Maybe cook him dinner that goes with the wine. Something simple and private.
posted by anjamu at 10:33 AM on February 6, 2006

Flowers and chocolate to me seem to reveal a profound lack of imagination and understanding of what I'm into. I like them, but knowing that hundreds of people are getting the exact same arrangement is just, ugh. (I also tend to dread V-day because past relationships always made it hell.)

My favorite romantic gifts were something that were created or selected just for me: mixtapes with custom packaging, a fossil or unusual bit of rock that I mentioned in conversation, found art, an out-of-print book. IMO time spent creating or discovering the gift is more important than the cost of the gift.
posted by KirkJobSluder at 10:49 AM on February 6, 2006

I'm a gay man, and I melted the first time any boy bought me flowers. I still do. But echoing what was said above... look at what you'd get him for his birthday, up the 'specialness' quotient a little, and voila, you're set.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 11:28 AM on February 6, 2006 [1 favorite]

I got mine a Spanish fencing sword from the flea market. So I guess my advice is that you can never personalize too much.

In fact, being in a relationship with few societal obligations, boundaries, and traditions (as opposed to straight people) means that the standard is set by your imagination alone.

Last year we bought each other really stylish hats. This year we are thinking about buying each other's passport so we can travel together. The sword is just a little something extra.

Shoot. I hope he doesn't read this.
posted by hermitosis at 11:57 AM on February 6, 2006 [1 favorite]

I'm a straight man, and I melted the first time a girl bought me flowers. I still do.

I'm a difficult person to buy gifts for -- the gift of something with no store shelf value (vs a television, watch or book) is always my favorite. If I couldn't have purchased that exact item myself, then you've given me something where the entire value is in the giving, if that makes any sense. Art and unique experiences such as WaterFire in Providence would also meet the criteria.
posted by VulcanMike at 12:01 PM on February 6, 2006 [1 favorite]

Speaking only for me, but the gift of dying botanical sexual organs would NOT be something I'd want, ever. But a book on a subject of interest or by an author I enjoy would be wonderful.
posted by mojohand at 12:45 PM on February 6, 2006