Christmas gifts for your boyfriend: 40 ideas he won't see coming
Forty Christmas gifts for your boyfriend that beat another hoodie.
40 ideas ·
Ask most boyfriends what they want for Christmas and you'll get a shrug, a "don't worry about it" or a link to something he could buy himself tomorrow. Which leaves you with the hoodie, the cologne and the gift card, again.
The gifts that land are the ones he isn't expecting: proof that you remember the things he's told you, and a few words about why you like him. These 40 ideas are sorted into sentimental gifts, gifts for a new boyfriend, your first Christmas together, things you can make, things to do together, gifts for a long-distance boyfriend, stocking stuffers and last-minute ideas.
If you'd like words to go with the gift, borrow from our 60 reasons why I love you, for him, or let the free reasons generator draft ten from your own memories. For the card, here's what to write in a Christmas card.
Make it a book: Reasons I Love You This Christmas holds fifty reasons, one per page, written from your memories and illustrated to look like your people. Start yours
Sentimental Christmas gifts for your boyfriend
Boyfriends get told they're great and rarely told why. Spell it out, and it's the present he'll reread when you're not looking.
- A book of reasons you love him: fifty of them, one per page, written from your memories, with the two of you illustrated in the snow on the cover.
- A letter about the night you met, and what you thought of him before he'd said a word.
- A jar of folded notes, each with one thing you love about him, to pull out on bad days.
- A playlist of the songs that remind you of him, with a line about each one: the car, the kitchen, the first trip away.
- A framed map of the neighborhood where you had your first date, with the spot circled and the date underneath.
Christmas gifts for a new boyfriend
A few months in, keep it thoughtful and not too big. What matters is that it shows you've been listening.
- The book or record he mentioned on one of your first dates, with a short note inside the cover.
- A good beanie and gloves, because he insists he's never cold and is always cold.
- Tickets to see his team or a band he likes in January, so there's a plan on the calendar.
- A bag of beans from a local coffee roaster, with a note promising to make him breakfast.
- A photo-booth strip from one of your first nights out, in a small frame for his desk.
For your first Christmas together
The first Christmas you spend as a couple is worth marking. Our First Christmas puts fifty reasons from your first months together into a book, from the first message to the first tree.
- An ornament with both your names and the year, the first on a tree you'll decorate together for years.
- A scrapbook of your first months: the receipts, the tickets and the photos you've been quietly saving.
- The first movie you watched together, wrapped up with the snacks you had that night.
- A Christmas Eve tradition you start this year: the same takeout, the same film, the same walk.
- A letter to open next Christmas, sealed and dated, about everything you hope the year brings.
DIY Christmas gifts for your boyfriend
You don't have to be crafty. These take time and a bit of thought more than skill.
- His favorite cookies, or his mom's recipe for something he misses, baked and boxed.
- A hand-drawn map of your relationship: where you met, your first date, your first kiss, the place you first said "I love you".
- A homemade hot sauce, spice rub or infused honey, with a label that has his name on it.
- Fifty-two reasons you love him, written on the backs of a pack of playing cards. Here are 52 reasons to borrow from.
- A shadow box of the ticket stubs from every game, gig and movie you've seen together.
Christmas gifts you'll do together
Most boyfriends would take a plan over a present. Book it, print the confirmation and wrap it.
- An escape room, go-karting or axe throwing, followed by dinner somewhere he's been wanting to try.
- A weekend away somewhere you've both talked about, booked and wrapped.
- A cooking class for two in his favorite food: ramen, pizza or barbecue.
- Tickets to see the band you both had on repeat the summer you met.
- Love coupons for the small dates you'll actually do: a movie he picks, a long hike, a night of video games where you play too.
Christmas gifts for a long-distance boyfriend
When you can't be there on Christmas morning, send something he can open while you're on the phone.
- The digital book of reasons, sent as a link for him to open while you're on a video call.
- A sweater or hoodie that smells like your perfume, for the weeks between visits.
- Matching mugs, so you're drinking from the same thing on your morning calls.
- A countdown to your next visit, with a short note for each day.
- Plane or train tickets for that next visit, already booked.
Stocking stuffers for your boyfriend
- The candy or snack he loved as a kid and can't find anymore.
- A good lip balm and hand cream for winter, which he'll pretend not to need and use every day.
- Fun socks with an inside joke on them.
- A mini bottle of his cologne, for his gym bag or car.
- A Polaroid of the two of you, with a reason you love him written on the white strip.
Last-minute Christmas gifts for your boyfriend
Left it late? These are ready in minutes or bookable tonight.
- The digital book of reasons, ready minutes after you approve it, sent as a link on Christmas morning.
- A subscription to something he'll use every month: a game pass, a streaming service, a coffee or snack box.
- Tickets to something in the new year, printed and folded into a card.
- A gift card for his favorite restaurant, with a note saying you're coming too.
- A handwritten card with three specific things you love about him.
What to get your boyfriend for Christmas
Start with how long you've been together. A few months in, keep it small and specific, so it doesn't feel like pressure. After a year or more, you can go bigger, but the thought still counts for more than the price.
Then think about what he's mentioned, not what's in the gift guides. Most boyfriends drop hints without meaning to: the jacket he keeps looking at, the band he never got to see, the snack from his childhood. And whatever you choose, add a few words. A new watch is nice. A new watch with a note about the first time he was late to meet you is the one he'll keep.
If you'd like the words to be the gift, Reasons I Love You This Christmas asks about your time together and turns your answers into fifty reasons, one per page, with the two of you illustrated in the snow on the cover. For a newer couple, there's Our First Christmas. The digital book is $12 and the hardcover is $49. For a printed book in the US, order by Wednesday, December 2; the digital book works right up to Christmas morning.
Shopping for the rest of the list? See our 40 sentimental Christmas gifts, Christmas gifts for your husband and last-minute Christmas gifts.
Questions people ask
What should I get my boyfriend for Christmas?+
Something that shows you remember what he's told you: the record he mentioned, tickets to see his team, a weekend away, or a book of fifty reasons you love him. Whatever it is, add a note saying why you chose it.
What do you get a new boyfriend for Christmas?+
Keep it thoughtful and small: the book he mentioned on an early date, a good beanie, or tickets to something in January. Anything too big a few months in can feel like pressure.
What is a sentimental Christmas gift for a boyfriend?+
Anything that points at your story: a letter about the night you met, a playlist with a note for each song, a framed map of your first date, or Our First Christmas if it's your first one together.
When do I need to order for Christmas?+
For a printed book delivered in the US, order by Wednesday, December 2. The digital book is ready minutes after you approve it, so it works right up to Christmas morning.
