The only gift you need for the boyfriend who’s hard to buy for
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My boyfriend’s birthday was quickly approaching, and I was fresh out of gift ideas. We were traveling to Germany for Oktoberfest, and I hoped to find a special gift for this extra-special occasion. The only problem? My boyfriend has a lot of hobbies and passions..which means narrowing down the perfect gift that he doesn’t already have is really tough.
I poked around some of his favorite sites like J. Crew and Bonobos, but couldn’t find anything that felt original. Those sites offered plenty of things I knew he would like, but nothing all that special. Finding something really personal felt like searching for a needle in a haystack.
And then I stumbled upon Treehut.co, a website that makes gorgeous, handcrafted watches and jewelry. I was instantly obsessed with their selection of beautiful wooden watches. Each one was like nothing I’d seen before–not the basic bro watch every guy in my office is wearing now.
First thing, I went to the reviews on the website…there were a ton. Almost every single one I read was from a happy customer — usually, a woman who’d purchased the watch as a gift for a guy. The one that really sold me was “This watch is exactly my husband’s rugged style! Well made and really sharp looking. He loves it!!!”
After scrolling through all of the watches, I loved how the classic designs were mixed with natural materials. I looked at some lighter wood watches, some with leather bands, and some with stripes (it’s called Zebrawood, and it’s super cool!). I also liked that there were stainless-steel options. When reading about the company, I learned the watches are all hand-made in San Francisco. I knew my boyfriend would like that—he’s always saying that we’ve lost our craft in America. This gift would show him it’s still alive.
I kept going back to the All Wood Watch — Zebrawood + Olive Ash (the striped wood) watch and I knew it was a perfect choice. My boyfriend loves working with his hands — he brews his own beer, and he’s always tackling DIY projects like building shelves and painting. This watch was rugged and masculine, just like him.
But the best part? You can customize your wooden watch with a personal message. It was fun deciding what phrase to have engraved, and Tree Hut’s website and Instagram page offer lots of visual inspiration. Ultimately, though, I decided that my boyfriend’s watch should carry on the theme of our upcoming trip to Germany. So I had “Ich liebe dich” — ”I love you” in German — engraved on the back.
The watch arrived (shipping was super fast!), my boyfriend and I packed our bags, and soon, we were off to explore Germany. On his birthday, we were touring Neuschwanstein, the towering, romantic castle that inspired Sleeping Beauty’s Castle in Disneyland. As we walked the grounds under its turrets and balconies, I pulled my boyfriend’s gift out my bag.
He unwrapped the package, a huge smile spreading across his face. He took it out of the box and admired it from every angle. “I’ve never seen a watch made of wood…this is so cool!” He said he liked how it was masculine without being bulky or heavy on his wrist. Then he turned it over.
He read aloud “Ich liebe dich”, he kissed me and thanked me for picking out something thoughtful and personal.
“This is the coolest watch I’ve ever seen,” he said. “I like that I can wear it anywhere, so I’ll never have to take it off.”
He was so excited, he took a picture of it with the castle in the background. When he posted it on Facebook, his friends started commenting right away. I knew I really picked the perfect gift!
He wore his striped Zebrawood Tree Hut watch for the duration of the trip, and has barely taken it off since. I think it’s safe to say Er liebt es (he loves it). So, danke (thank you), Tree Hut, for helping me find a personalized gift to make my boyfriend’s day extra special!
Aw, this is a simple idea but perfect! Just what I needed at the right moment!