in search of the perfect gift

i've always been a big fan of christmas and shopping malls and the holiday rush. i used to start with my christmas shopping as early as semestral break, buying tons of gifts along with christmas wrappers and ribbons and little knick-knacks to make the gift a little more special for the receiver. i'd make sure that everyone i cared to buy a gift for would find the gift tailor-bought (is there such a word?) for him or her.

over the years, the list got shorter, eventually including only the closest friends, family members, and of course, the boyfriend.

and believe me, the boyfriend is the toughest one to buy a gift for.

as it is, it's difficult to buy him a gift for any old occasion, much less christmas. i remember the first booboo of sorts i made - i bought a week-old boyfriend a watch. now, it was only a timex watch, not a very expensive one at that. a hardbound book would cost just a little less than what i spent for the watch, but the look on the now-ex boyfriend's face said it all: too much, too soon.

so now i'm faced with a dilemma. christmas, a two-month old boyfriend (two months today!!), and no idea what to buy him.

watch? gym membership? a year's subscription to fhm? a kenneth cole belt? shoes?

but he doesn't wear a watch, and he's in nueva ecija so i doubt if they have gold's or fitness first over there, and his mom might not appreciate seeing fhm in the mail every month, and he already has a kenneth cole belt, and his shoes, well, i can't afford the shoes he wears.

not even oprah's favorite things has anything for him.

help.

post a suggestion in the comments box please.

thank you.