Christmas is just around the corner so here are some gift ideas for those special men
in your life!

Buying gifts for men is not nearly as complicated as it is for women. Follow these rules
and you should have no problems. Rule #1: When in doubt – buy him a cordless drill. It
does not matter if he already has one. I have a friend who owns 17 and he has yet to
complain. As a man, you can never have too many cordless drills. No one knows why.

Rule #2: If you cannot afford a cordless drill, buy him anything with the word ratchet or
socket in it. Men love saying those two words. "Hey George, can I borrow your
ratchet?" "OK. Bye-the-way, are you through with my 3/8-inch socket yet?"
Again, no one knows why.

Rule #3: If you are really, really broke, buy him anything for his car. A 99-cent ice
scraper, a small bottle of deicer or something to hang from his rear view mirror. Men love
gifts for their cars. No one knows why.

Rule #4: Do not buy men socks. Do not buy men ties. And never buy men bathrobes. I was
told that if God had wanted men to wear bathrobes, he wouldn’t have invented Jockey
shorts.

Rule #5: You can buy men new remote controls to replace the ones they have worn out. If
you have a lot of money buy your man a big-screen TV with the little picture in the
corner. Watch him go wild as he flips, and flips, and flips.

Rule #6: Do not buy a man any of those fancy liqueurs. If you do, it will sit in a
cupboard for 23 years. Real men drink whiskey or beer.

Rule #7: Do not buy any man industrial-sized canisters of after shave or deodorant. I’m
told they do not stink – they are earthy.

Rule #8: Buy men label makers. Almost as good as cordless drills. Within a couple of weeks
there will be labels absolutely everywhere. "Socks. Shorts. Cups. Saucers. Door.
Lock. Sink." You get the idea. No one knows why.

Rule #9: Never buy a man anything that says "some assembly required" on the box.
It will ruin his Special Day and he will always have parts left over.

Rule #10: Good places to shop for men include Northwest Iron Works, Parr Lumber, Home
Depot, John Deere, Valley RV Center, and Les Schwab Tire. (NAPA Auto Parts and Sear’s
Clearance Centers are also excellent men’s stores. It doesn’t matter if he doesn’t know
what it is. "From NAPA Auto, eh? Must be something I need. Hey! Isn’t this a starter
for a ’68 Ford Fairlane? Wow! Thanks.")

Rule #11: Men enjoy danger. That’s why they never cook – but they will barbecue. Get him a
monster barbecue with a 100-pound propane tank. Tell him the gas line leaks. "Oh the
thrill! The challenge! Who wants a hamburger?"

Rule #12: Tickets to a Vikings game are a smart gift. However, he will not appreciate
tickets to "A Retrospective of 19th Century Quilts." everyone knows why.

Rule #13: Men love chainsaws. Never, ever, buy a man you love a chainsaw. If you don’t
know why – please refer to Rule #8 and what happens when he gets a label maker.

Rule #14: It’s hard to beat a really good wheelbarrow or an aluminum extension ladder.
Never buy a real man a step ladder. It must be an extension ladder. No one knows why.

Rule #15: Rope. Men love rope. It takes us back to our cowboy origins, or at least The Boy
Scouts. Nothing says love like a hundred feet of 3/8" manilla rope. No one knows why.