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“I Legit Bawled”: 30 Gifts That Made Men Feel Truly Understood And Loved By Their Partners
Even if it’s not their love language, giving and receiving gifts can really lift up a person’s spirit; especially when they’re well thought out and personal. Be it a hand-written letter, a homemade dessert that the recipient loves so much, or an addition to their favorite collectables, knowing them well can really play to the gift giver’s advantage.
Since such gifts usually play with people’s heart strings, they tend to remember them for years to come; at least some of the redditors on today’s list did for sure. The male members of the ‘Ask Reddit’ community were asked to reveal what was the most thoughtful present they have ever received from a woman, and they shared quite a few wholesome stories. If you’re a softie like me, get ready for some seriously heartwarming accounts, and if you’re not, well, you might just become one after reading the netizens’ answers. Scroll down to find them below.
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#1
I got hit by a car 20 some years ago and my brain is a bit scrambled from time to time. Memory comes and goes.
My wife got me a little booklet of receipts and clippings and photos of all these dates/outings we’ve had over the years. She’ll mention to me in conversation and I can’t really recall but seeing the physical memories really brings me back to those moments.
Excuse me while I cry.
Somebodys grandmother 4 months ago
I would love that... I have a concusion and sideeffects... what a great idea ❤️❤️
RELATED:
#2
My wife's birthday is 2 weeks apart from my mom's. Before this past year my mom had never been to Europe before. My wife was turning 30 and my mom turning 60. Instead of planning her own 30th birthday trip, she instead planned a trip for the two of us to take my mom on a trip to Europe for her 60th birthday. It was such an incredibly selfless thing to do and it was a trip of a lifetime for all of us.
#3
My wife is a portrait artist - and an incredibly talented one, at that.
For my first birthday after we met; she went way back through my IG for reference photos and painted a portrait of my beloved dog that'd passed away several years before we met.
It's one of my most very loved possessions.
#4
When my 30th birthday hit, my wife had just left me for the man she had cheated with, my family was on vacation out of the country, and none of my friends remembered what day it was. What should’ve been a milestone celebration became one of the bleakest days of my life.
Then I met a woman who lived on the opposite coast. We didn’t really click until our mutual friends got married. That night, we sat on the beach talking until the sun came up, and after she flew home, we kept in touch by phone every morning and every evening.
A few months later, as my 31st birthday approached, she called to say she was coming to stay for two weeks—that was my gift. She also said she’d make up for my 30th. She didn’t lie—those were two of the happiest weeks of my life. And at the end of her stay, we decided to get married. That was over 30 years ago. She’s sitting by the fire as I write this.
#5
I used to work building maintenance at a daycare and was the only man in the building. During my time there I had to put my dog down and ended up taking 2 weeks off work afterwards. When I returned, 4 or 5 of the women I worked with called me into the supervisors office and handed me a bag. They had all chipped in some money to have my late dog’s picture put onto a stone plaque. I immediately broke down and hugged them all. To this day it’s the kindest, most thoughtful thing anyone has ever done for me.
#6
This may seem like a little thing compared to some, but recently I'd been going at 150% for months. Between work, family obligations, all sorts of stressors in life, I desperately needed some down time and saw no chance for it in the near future.
Then I noticed on the calendar my wife had cleared an entire week and wrote in "khendron is a vegetable" with a cute sketch of a different vegetable every day. Each day I'd ask if there was anything that I needed to do, and she'd just say "No, you are ... an asparagus today. Go do whatever you want." Love that woman!
#7
When I was younger I only made 5.15/hr at a non-profit org... I worked really hard 40+ hours a week. The struggle was real. Lived in my car for a minute. I cashed my paychecks into 20s, cuz once you break a bill, it's gone... despite being poor, I refused help from anyone. Felt like I had to earn everything.
Somehow I was finally able to get things together and get a place and a dependable car. I wasn't completely worried about where my next meal was coming from....
Found out years later, my girlfriend was slipping 20s into my wallet. She knew I couldn't stomach to count my money all the time, and I would never accept the help... Roof over my head and food in my belly... sneaky b***h touched my soul a little bit.
#8
There was these Christmas ornaments that my family had when I was a kid. It was a set of 1980 Avon gingerbread man and woman. Their smell always reminded me of Christmas. When I was a teenager our dog ate them. I mentioned this to my wife one day and this last Christmas she somehow found the two ornaments online and gave them to me for Christmas. It was the only gift I ever received that made me cry. I love those ornaments.
#9
My MIL had an uncanny ability to find shirts and jackets for me for Christmas. I usually hate people giving me clothes and I'm difficult to shop for. I never expectied a gift from her but she always found something so I wouldn't be left out of gift opening. Everything she got me always ended up as some of my favorite stuff. I'm still wearing a jacket with a rip in the shoulder because it's one of the warmest most comfortable jackets I have ever own. She passed away 15 months ago and it makes me sad to think of getting rid of anything she got me. F**k cancer.
#10
My girlfriend gave me a little bullet necklace that contained the ashes of her deceased child who passed away from terminal illness before I came into the picture. Her actual father is a d**g addicted, abusive a*****e. She gave me that and told me I was the father her little girl deserved.
I wish I got to meet you A
Colleen Glim 4 months ago
If there really is a heaven, she will be waiting for you with open arms
#11
A backpack
we never had that much money at home and so I had to make due with a backpack that had me cursin more often then not, broken zipper, pens slipping out through cracks, the works
and then one day out of the blue, a clasmate presented me with a new backpack, almost same colour as my last one
I never knew why she did that, I still have that backpack and it vexes me to this day.
Margaret Shannon 4 months ago
I'm sorry the backpack vexes you. Your classmate clearly enjoyed being kind, and that’s nice.
#12
My wife gifted me an incredible watch when I earned my masters degree. I’ve worn it proudly and gratefully for 45+ years.
#13
Bit of backstory; I'm a widower and spent a year living with my parents in a depressed rut. Then got a new gf and over the past year or so things have progressed to the point where I stay with her at her house more often than I'm at home, but I don't LIVE there just yet. I have two drawers and a section of the closet but I still officially live with my parents.
So I just had my birthday recently. I came home to her that day to a pile of presents... all amounting to making me more comfortable and at home at her place. Among other things there was a pair of slippers for around the house, my very own coffee mug, and a robe embroidered with my initials.
It didn't bring me to tears but I wasn't too far off. All I could do was to stand there and hug her for a while. Might be the sweetest and most thoughtful gift I've ever gotten. We're still trying to take it slow-ish and not rush to that point but we've both come to the conclusion that I'll be moving in sooner or later. Love that girl.
#14
Tickets to my favourite band that was on my bucket list since a teenager. The concert was in a different country and she hated the genre but went anyway.
Bat cat in a hat 4 months ago
It's great OP has such a supportive person in their life, but I personally wouldn't enjoy a concert if I knew the person with me wasn't enjoying it too (and not just being happy for me)
Dreaming Spirit 4 months ago
The partner could have enjoyed it as well - good concerts have this amazing atmosphere and it's easy to join in, even when you don't really care about the artist.
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#15
My most cherished item is from my late wife. It's a throw blanket with a custom inscription that talks about my dedication to her and how I stuck to my vows. I can barely look at it without getting emotional, let alone talking about it.
Gifts from the heart mean SO much more than toys and c**p bought from Target/Walmart/Amazon, etc. Etsy seems to be the place for meaningful gifts IMO.
Edit: 2nd favorite: Etsy. A custom painting of us sitting at a lake with our current 2 dogs and our other 2 late dogs. The late dogs have wings. The outfits of her and I matched our standard camping outfits. It's still hard to look at these days.
#16
When I was in 11th grade I was really sad that all the guys in my class had girlfriends and were exchanging gifts on valentines day and I joked about it to my mom not thinking much of it and the next day my mom bought me chocolates and a teddy bear with a heart. My heart melted and I started crying a bit it was really sweet of her.
MalibuClassicMan 4 months ago
Moms are always sweeter than chocolate and last a lot longer, you're a lucky person to have her!!
#17
I was living in Alberta in the winter.Broke as f**k.Living in my van -20 Celsius.My ex girlfriend gave me a blanket/comforter that thing kept me alive.That was 12 years ago.She passed away in 2021. I still sleep with that blanket.
#18
I have epilepsy and thanks to that and my meds, i have a horrible memory.
My girlfriend started making my one year anniversary gift the day we started dating. She wanted me to remember everything we did in our first year, and secretly scrapbooked absolutely everything.
Movie tickets, room keys, hundreds of photos, inside jokes, texts we’ve sent eachother, dreams and goals we have, etc. Aside from the blank scrapbook, she made everything herself. All the artwork, design, and layout was original.
It is easily one of the most precious things I own. The fact somebody literally took a year to build something for me without saying anything was unreal.
#19
My wife is the best gift-giver, especially around Christmas. Here are a few of my favorites:
When the Wii first came out, she got up at the butt-crack of dawn, very pregnant, didn't wake me up or tell me she was going anywhere. I thought she went out grocery shopping or something and let me sleep in. When she got home, she told me to go out to the trunk to bring in the groceries and there was a Wii sitting in the trunk. She'd waited in line pregnant all morning to get me a first wave Wii.
Last year or the year before, she gave me a copy of Jay and Silent Bob's Mall Brawl and she made me a custom Clerks comic strip to go along with it that she drew completely by hand on her ipad pro (you can actually see this on my post history).
This year my wife got me really good seats to see Foo Fighters when they come to Seattle, and since tickets are all digital now, she made me custom "tickets" and encased them in an acrylic frame.
#20
It's sitting right here in front of me. It's an small wooden box that is filled with hand-written cards, each one telling me something she loves about me. It's hard to read because I get emotional.
#21
An ex girlfriend knew how much i loved bubble wrap and when getting to her house greeted me wearing nothing but bubble wrap. i still think about it.
#22
She sent me a birthday card full of glitter and it went everywhere and I was initially so pissed but the card said “this is me being with you always and forever” and omg.
#23
My wife is presently overseas awaiting a spousal visa, which could take a year perhaps, so I'm living alone in the interim and we can only communicate via WeChat, or if I travel to see her. I spent Christmas alone (not that I don't have a family: we did Christmas on Christmas Eve instead, so my sister could spend Christmas Day with her in-laws), and I kinda felt like Christmas was cancelled this year because it just felt odd not having my wife be there for the celebration.
Anyway, she got me a calendar. I know that sounds like a minor thing - but she peppered it with notes and drawings and our in-jokes, or the lyrics to songs we sing together. It would've taken her a few hours to fill it in. A lot of it is silly little things: telling me that today might be the day I get that rare mount I've been farming on WoW, or that I should make today a take-away day, or not to share the snacks she packs for me with my bandmates because she packed them *for me* (she's very defensive about food). But it was very sweet, and I bawled my eyes out when I opened it and read it, alone in a house that feels very empty and quiet while I wait for her to come back.
My only hope is that come 2025, she won't need to do the same thing: that she'll be back in the country, visa-approved. I love this calendar, it's truly a beautiful present - but I don't want a second one.
#24
A hug from my dispatchers
I hadn't hugged anyone in over a year.
#25
Early in our marriage, my wife researched, sound-tested and purchased a vintage tube amplifier for this budding young guitarist.
Twenty-five years later, and it’s still a privilege making music through that beautiful piece of sonic engineering. Such an incredible gift!
#26
My wife for our first year anniversary got me VIP tickets to a metal festival. She knew I loved concerts and being near or on the stage. She did not want to go but wanted me to have fun.
I got autographed stuff from godsmack and a bunch of other bands like nonpoint and ect.
#27
A roll of aged Gouda cheese.
I f*****g love it, but even a slice is expensive, and as we just moved in together, I was not really earning well, and struggled to make ends meet taking my equal share of the costs.
#28
Flowers. 33 years of buying flowers haven’t ever been given flowers so it was .. really nice and surprising.
AtMostAFabulist 4 months ago
A lot of guys say they have never been given flowers. And they are always soooo appreciative when they get them. At least, my guys are.
#29
A friend I met on Reddit sent me a gold necklace as thanks for being her friend. I still keep it in my nightstand to this day… it was always too small to wear, but it meant a lot to me, being the best gift I have ever received and all…
Edit: she gave me a note with the necklace as well. It reads as follows “My sweet ——, wish I could fit everything I love abt u <3 U the gentlest person I’ve ever met and i’m honored to know u and be loved by u. U cute n loved “ :)
#30
A coworker bought me a giant bag of candy on my birthday.
It was the most thoughtful because I didn't expect her to get me anything. It was my favorite candy, and one of my favorite foods. It lasted me a long time. She didn't spend a ridiculous amount of money on it. And most importantly, it was all for me.
I've had plenty of "gifts" that were given to me, but weren't meant for me. Or things that were cheap knockoffs that don't last because they didn't actually want to spend money on me. Or something slightly related what I said I wanted, but different enough that it was completely useless to me because it sounds or looks similar so it's good enough, or because they weren't paying attention to what I said.
What do you think ?
Tempest 4 months ago (edited)
I used to make handmade cards for those closest to me. I have a creative flair so those cards aren’t just basic ones but ones that take me hours to days to make, cause I’ll be making everything from scratch, including writing personalised messages. (Check out box cards, they’re what I made last, themed for each friend’s interests). Anyway nobody really appreciated them and I felt like they just wanted physical or monetary gifts (I did sometimes add a physical gift but usually nothing extravagant). This totally dissuaded me from ever making cards again for anyone. Only my mom seems to love them and always asks one for her birthday (but I’ve never made). Came across photos of the ones I made over the years and it makes me so sad. (Attached: one of the easier cards I made)
Tobias Reaper 4 months ago (edited)
a pair of socks i was staying with my best friend after she split up with her long term partner to help her out with her little one until she got settled. She was taking her little boy to nursery i was working and she texted me that she bought me some socks as thought i needed some warm ones as it was kinda cold. The fact that she thought about me and something i needed meant so much to me.
Myoviridae 4 months ago (edited)
I used to send care packages to my brother when he was deployed in the military. I had very little money at the time, but would save up to buy any type of packaged food that I thought he would like (think anything "weird" or spicy). He never told me if he liked any of it. It has only been in the past few years that he has told me how much he appreciated most of them (and didn't like some, lol).
The Phantom Stranger 4 months ago
Every years for Valentine's Day, my wife gives me a stack of the little pocket notebooks I like to carry, only she has customized them with Kim Possible valentines (originally they were store bought, but now they are artwork she has printed off from fansites). It's meaningful for two reasons--first, Kim Possible was one of my favorite cartoons, and second, because my wife is a smoking-hot redhead and I'm kind of an uncool pop culture nerd, so it's a good reflection of our relationship.
Fight Hypocrites 3 months ago
I hate to shop, always have. I used to let my sister pick out my school clothes. Part of it is from always having to watch money very closely, but even now that things are much easier, it's overwhelming. Grocery shopping is an hours long job (clean out refrigerator, do those dishes, drive 45 minutes, try to find cuts of meat that suit me --raised on a farm meat snob--choosing produce that won't all be ripe on the same day, pay a shocking amount of money, load it in the car, drive 45 minutes again, carry it into the house, put it away, then it's probably time to cook something, wash dishes...OMG). Our oldest daughter watches all year long and at Christmas and on my summer birthday, brings me a shopping bag with usually 8-10 tops, shirts, sweaters, maybe a jacket or some pjs, matching socks...it's usually sale stuff which is cool and she's proud of her bargains, as am I. Youngest son realized women have to try on pants every time, so he gives me a gift card to a clothing store.
Tempest 4 months ago (edited)
I used to make handmade cards for those closest to me. I have a creative flair so those cards aren’t just basic ones but ones that take me hours to days to make, cause I’ll be making everything from scratch, including writing personalised messages. (Check out box cards, they’re what I made last, themed for each friend’s interests). Anyway nobody really appreciated them and I felt like they just wanted physical or monetary gifts (I did sometimes add a physical gift but usually nothing extravagant). This totally dissuaded me from ever making cards again for anyone. Only my mom seems to love them and always asks one for her birthday (but I’ve never made). Came across photos of the ones I made over the years and it makes me so sad. (Attached: one of the easier cards I made)
Tobias Reaper 4 months ago (edited)
a pair of socks i was staying with my best friend after she split up with her long term partner to help her out with her little one until she got settled. She was taking her little boy to nursery i was working and she texted me that she bought me some socks as thought i needed some warm ones as it was kinda cold. The fact that she thought about me and something i needed meant so much to me.
Myoviridae 4 months ago (edited)
I used to send care packages to my brother when he was deployed in the military. I had very little money at the time, but would save up to buy any type of packaged food that I thought he would like (think anything "weird" or spicy). He never told me if he liked any of it. It has only been in the past few years that he has told me how much he appreciated most of them (and didn't like some, lol).
The Phantom Stranger 4 months ago
Every years for Valentine's Day, my wife gives me a stack of the little pocket notebooks I like to carry, only she has customized them with Kim Possible valentines (originally they were store bought, but now they are artwork she has printed off from fansites). It's meaningful for two reasons--first, Kim Possible was one of my favorite cartoons, and second, because my wife is a smoking-hot redhead and I'm kind of an uncool pop culture nerd, so it's a good reflection of our relationship.
Fight Hypocrites 3 months ago
I hate to shop, always have. I used to let my sister pick out my school clothes. Part of it is from always having to watch money very closely, but even now that things are much easier, it's overwhelming. Grocery shopping is an hours long job (clean out refrigerator, do those dishes, drive 45 minutes, try to find cuts of meat that suit me --raised on a farm meat snob--choosing produce that won't all be ripe on the same day, pay a shocking amount of money, load it in the car, drive 45 minutes again, carry it into the house, put it away, then it's probably time to cook something, wash dishes...OMG). Our oldest daughter watches all year long and at Christmas and on my summer birthday, brings me a shopping bag with usually 8-10 tops, shirts, sweaters, maybe a jacket or some pjs, matching socks...it's usually sale stuff which is cool and she's proud of her bargains, as am I. Youngest son realized women have to try on pants every time, so he gives me a gift card to a clothing store.
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