Forgetting a birthday or a special anniversary is the stuff of nightmares but we’ve all done it. Friends and family will (usually) understand and accept your failure, but our partners are rarely quite so forgiving.
So if you’ve left it late and are in need of some last minute gift inspiration here are some ideas that should let you see another day.
A Holiday
Opting for a holiday at the last minute may be extravagant but it’s the perfect way to save your bacon. Obviously you won’t be able to plan, research and book a holiday in 24 hours but the beauty is you don’t have to.
Just get to a computer and knock together some kind of invitation to ‘the trip of a lifetime’. It works best if you’ve got a rough idea of where she wants to go, that way it looks like you’ve put some thought into it.
When she asks why you haven’t booked anything yet just say that you weren’t sure when she’d be able to get the time off from work. If she hasn’t got a job it will be harder to blag, but there’s always a way. Just present her with two ‘tickets’ to anywhere, and say you’ll take her wherever she wants to go. Just pray that she doesn’t choose a ‘$400,000 trip into space!
Bake Something
If you refuse to pay over the odds for your last minute gift then you could always bake something instead. It’s certainly not as lavish as a trip into space but it shows thought and effort, even if it has all been done with 2 hours to go.
You stand the best chance of survival if you make something you know she likes. For instance don’t bake a tray of macaroons if you’ve never seen her eat one before. It’s just too random.
Don’t worry if her favourite cake is the particularly daunting triple walnut cake with pecan and buttercream frosting, because yours doesn’t have to be good. Just attempting to bake it will show how well you know her and that a lot of thought has gone into your gift…even if it hasn’t.
Flowers
How often do flowers rescue a man when he’s in a difficult situation? They’re a gift you can’t really buy in advance so it’s perfectly reasonable to nip out for a bouquet on the day of the celebration.
But whatever you do stay away from the petrol station! They’re not cheap, but they look it. You’ll get a much better bouquet if you head to a florist or even a supermarket.
If you really can’t get out the house the internet can come to your rescue. There are a load of websites that offer same day delivery as long as you order by midday. Hopefully you’ll be able to keep her happy while you wait for them to arrive.
Craig Evans manages to forget birthdays and anniversaries throughout the year even though he works for Find Me A Gift. Luckily they offer a next day delivery gifts service, which has saved many a gift-giver.