Gifts you shouldn't give a man on Valentine's Day

Boxers are some of the commonest gifts women give men on Valentine' Day. [File, Standard]

Gifting is an art dependent on many factors, including one's financial position at a given time.

Valentine's is one of the days on the calendar that gifting takes centre stage, from Africa to the Americas.

Naturally, men are deemed to be gift-givers while women are gift-receivers.

However, this pattern tends to be defied on Valentine's Day, with women increasingly being encouraged to embrace gifting.

Some of the common, quick-think gifts that women usually give the men they love include pairs of socks, neckties, handkerchiefs, vests and boxers.

They are good gifts, yes, but are predictable, and show some lack of creativity from the giver.

Many men won't tell you, but the gifts, though received, don't spark the excitement in us.

Instead, they leave us wondering: 'Mmh, so she thinks my worth, year in, year out, is Sh700 spent on two pairs of boxers'?

It's okay to gift someone boxers, but vary the gifts' range. The boxers, however, shouldn't be coming on Valentine's Day only.

On a day that only comes once in a year, you have the remaining three hundred and sixty-something days to save and buy us something memorable like a good watch, it doesn't have to be expensive.

You can get us a nice car perfume - they are never expensive.

How about you tell me: 'Dress up, I'm fueling your car today, and taking you out on lunch or dinner'. Men's food is never expensive, so long as there's some meat and ugali or chapatis as accompaniment, and some affordable beer or whiskey, we're good to go.

Let's say you spend Sh2,000 on fuel, and Sh4,000 on food and beverages. With that, we'll be good to go, and you'll have cemented your place in our hearts, forever.