I remember my first Christmas with my farmer. We travelled to Indiana that year to spend the holidays with my family. And it just so happens that our most recent tax deduction was being made in Chicago, kind of sort of on the way to my hometown. We packed the pick up as tight as we could get it and then I tried to convince him to exchange our gifts before we left, but my farmer, he is a bit more patient than I am, so we waited until we came back and even then he made me wait a whole day!
I had spent the previous month trying to find the "perfect" gift for my farmer. Christmas shopping for a man who has everything is hard, but the nice thing about being married to a farmer is that as long as it is "tax-deductible" it seems as if you have a happy man on your hands! And it just so happens that "tax deductible" is one of my hubby's favorite gifts. Typically that means tools, new gloves, new coveralls, hats, UnderArmour, more tools. Every year since we have celebrated Christmas together he has gotten some sort of tool from me, and from my family too. And this year I continued on with that trend. I should also mention he tends to give lots of "tax-deductible" gifts as well, like a hose system for my garden, which I loved! And something shiny every now and then.All of his shiny typically involves tools. And lots of them. His tool of choice is DeWault. The yellow and black ones. And also Kobalt. Blue and silver. Ladies, if your farmer loves tools I suggest going out and digging around in his tool box or his machine shed and find what he is missing. It may seem a bit overwhelming at first, and maybe it came more natural to me since I have a degree in Agricultural Education and have had to teach shop to a classroom of high school students, but every year finding the right tool gets easier and easier. And I love when Lowes does sales right before Christmas with lots of little knick knack tool items they don't always carry. They make perfect stocking stuffers!The next item where you can't seem to go wrong with a farmer is some sort of outside gear. Farmers spend a lot of their days outside. If you have livestock it seems you always bring in a sick calf when its about 5 degrees. So, staying warm is pretty essential. Last winter my husband came across Carhart's coverall version of work pants. Basically they are thick coverall like material, but you just slip them on over your jeans. Typical coveralls go up just like overalls and my husband has worn the same brand for years, but decided they looked kind of neat. Well, I was sold. I purchased, wrapped up, and put under the tree. This winter he LOVES them. He thinks they are great and I foresee him purchasing another pair for next season. For other cold gear we both tend to like UnderArmour. Long before they were the "it" clothing my Stepmom was generous enough to spoil me with her hand me downs. Now that they are the "it" items it seems you can find every size and just about every outdoor item you could ever need!Gloves, gloves, and more gloves. Also a great stocking stuffer. I am not a glove wearer myself. When I am watching gates my father-in-law is always telling me to put on gloves, but I have never really been a "wear gloves while working" kind of girl. My husband, on the other hand, wears gloves religiously. Find out his or her brand and buy a couple of pairs. It is another item that will definitely get its use!And if you are looking for something sweet, I recommend an ornament to document your year. Every year since we have been together I buy my husband an ornament that somehow reminds me of him, something we did, or the year we became a family of three... I think this is the perfect way to document your year together and it's always fun to try and find him the "perfect" ornament for the year. One year for a few weeks he was sick and had trouble sleeping and the only thing really on TV was this cartoon called Ben-10 Alien Force. It's some kids cartoon that I actually got sucked into a few times. Well, when I was shopping around for him I came across a Ben-10 ornament. It was perfect! His ornament is always one of my favorite gifts to buy and it's something we now do for our daughter. A nice, simple, thoughtful tradition that can easily become a part of your holiday season.Shopping for a farmer that works all the time can seem really overwhelming at first, or at least it was for me. But, I realized that the quicker I got back to the basics the easier it became. Eventually I will have purchased every single tool made in Kobalt and DeWault, but I bet by then he will tell me he wants two sets. One for the garage and one for his shop!Wishing you the happiest of holidays from our home to yours!