Get out the Kleenex, ladies: This one's a five-tissue weeper. We asked iVillagers to share the stories of the very best presents they'd ever received from their husbands, boyfriends and partners. From sweetly practical solutions to grand gestures of generosity and love, our guys give good gifts.
My husband was deployed to Iraq just seven days after we got married. It was a very hard, emotional time for us. He hid slips of paper all over the house that said sweet little things, and I found one almost every day throughout his deployment. Every once in a while I come across another one, and it always makes me smile and feel very loved. He hid them everywhere!
I fell in love with a Cocker Spaniel in Maryland that I saw on a Website — but we live in Canada. For Christmas my husband took two trains to the States, rented a car, picked up the dog and then drove all the way back (in a very bad snowstorm) to Canada.
He gave me a set of golf clubs! Not romantic sounding I know, but my SO is a total golfer and he got the clubs so we could go out more together. I'm not a great player, and I always thought that he was just tolerating me tagging along. But this let me know that he really did want me there, sharing something that he enjoys so much.
Three years ago at Christmas, he jury-rigged a special water hose that I needed for my darkroom work. None of the available models fit our taps, and he found all the fittings necessary to make me one. I treasure it like you wouldn't believe.
My husband is a writer, and for my birthday this year he created a wonderful short story just for me. And it's no romantic drivel; it's quirky and deeply insightful!
My husband and I once took a magazine quiz that asked: "If you had a choice of white or red roses to give to your SO, which color combination would you choose?" He chose 10 red and 2 white. The quiz claimed that the red roses symbolized how much you are willing to give in a relationship, and the white symbolized how much you expect. So he was willing to give quite a bit without expecting much in return. The very next day when I went to work he sent me a dozen roses: 10 red and 2 white.
We had a really small wedding budget, and I found a dress I loved but couldn't afford. As I did the wedding planning, my husband was always busy in the garage tinkering on an old antique motor. He'd toil in there for hours, and sometimes I got frustrated. One day, he took me to the bridal shop, and hanging on the wall was the wedding dress I loved, wrapped beautifully with ribbons, all ready to go. Without my knowledge, he had sold his antique motor to buy me the dress. All those hours he spent in the garage, he wasn't just tinkering, he was getting it ready to be sold.
My husband never planned on getting remarried; he made that quite clear from day one. But this past Valentine's Day he gave me a completed and signed marriage license application. We were married just last month. I have to admit I love the diamond necklace and the many other expensive presents, but this one made my heart pound like never before.
His Army sweatshirt, so I could wrap myself up in it whenever I need a hug.
Shortly after we were married, my wedding ring set broke and had to be returned. I can't even tell you how upset I was. We looked for a replacement but nothing seemed right. One night, just before Christmas, we were at church choir practice when our wedding song, "I Believe in You and Me" by the Four Tops, began to play over the sound system. Someone told me to turn around, and there, coming down the aisle, was the pastor that married us and all of our daughters, each carrying a single red rose. My husband took my hand and led me to the altar where we were "remarried," and repeated our vows to each other. When it came time for the blessing of the rings, I saw my new wedding set for the first time.
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Read more about the amazing things iVillagers' loved ones have done for them, and do a little bragging about your own SO.
