Christmas and Birthday Gift Ideas for 14 year old boyfriend

I was recently asked: My boyfriend is 14 and we have only been for a couple of weeks his birthday is next Wednesday what do I get him?!?!?!

Because this is so close to Christmas I am looking at what would make a good Christmas gift for a 14 year old boyfriend as well as birthday gifts.

The first step is to think about what you have in common. What things do you both like to do? What things does he like? Also what type of budget do you have?

For a relationship that is only a few weeks old it can be very difficult to identify a meaningful birthday or Christmas gift. At this point you want something that says. “I like you and I know it’s your birthday/Christmas so I am showing you that I care enough to try and give you something you like”.

Because I don’t have a lot of information I am going to make an assumption, something I don’t usually do. I assume you don’t have a large gift budget, so you want something nice but not expensive. This makes it even more difficult to find the right gift for him. A simple solution is probably going to be the best way to go. It has been a long time since I was 14 but I will do my best here. A lot is going to depend on his personality and yours. You need to think about what you would like to give him, and then figure out what suits him best. The lack of a budget is really what is holding me back.

Here are some Birthday/Christmas ideas for the average 14 year old boyfriend, just keep in mind no one is ever really average.

1) Homemade cupcake with a candle in it, or cake if you like. You can always buy a cupcake if you don’t bake. It is a bit corny but it could be fun, simple and not expensive.

2) Music downloads for his phone, iPod, MP3 player, or computer. CD if he uses a CD player.

3) If he does not have an iPod or MP3 player you can find some inexpensive ones. I have seen some under $20.

4) If you have the budget a video game for a system he already has.

5) A poster or other theme item around something he really likes. Maybe even a T-Shirt or hoodie if you feel comfortable with giving him clothing. It has to be with an image or logo of something he really likes. Sports, music, band, movie or just about anything. I suggested the poster because they are usually not too expensive and you can find a large variety of themes that can fit just about any personality. For example I have in the past found some great unusual theme posters and other items at Think Geek. www.thinkgeek.com. However, don’t limit yourself to just looking at Think Geek. There are tons of theme gift items for just about anything and everything you can think of. Some of them are easy to find, and are not that expensive. Your best bet is to check out what is available at your local store.

6) Theme items that are fun, unique and not too “sappy, committed or clingy”. Again Think Geek has a lot of cool small gifts from clothing to toys that are not for “kids”. There are a lot of items on the Think Geek website that can be great birthday gifts for the right person. However seeing as you only have a few days I would suggest you look at the site for ideas and then find what is available in local stores. You may be able to get a head start on a Christmas gift for him as well.

a. I thought the Led Magnetic digital Graffiti was fun, and not too expensive.

b. If you had been together longer and he was into computers I would suggest the Led flashing Sweetheart kit, though it is corny.

c. The USB plasma ball is something I would actually buy my husband and son, so it kind of fits any age.

d. The Giant plush microbes are different, but fun at the same time.

e. There is the Melodyhorn Air Powered Synth if he likes to play music.

f. The crystal growing kit and the root beer brewing kit both looked interested but would appeal to different personalities.

g. The emergency inflatable brain could be funny if he has a sense of humor, but not very “romantic”.

h. The Pentominoes 3D puzzle cubes are good, but only if he likes that type of thing.

7) Very last resort, gift certificate and a card. Only do this if you just cannot make up your mind. It would be better to get the wrong thing and save the receipt then to give a very generic gift certificate unless it is what he actually wants. Though there are times when this is a great Birthday or Christmas gift. If for example there is a movie he really wants to go to but it is not out yet. You could get him a gift certificate for the movie theater to be used when the movie comes out. So really you are buying him something he really wants that is just not available yet. This also works for any CDs, DVDs, or games that are not out yet, but he really would love to get.

The 14 year old boys I know want cell phones, stuff for their cell phones, video games, money, clothing, skateboards, music, movies and anything that they see as adult and not kids stuff. However, I know for a fact that most 14 year olds don’t fit into the assumed stereo type. They may not be adults yet, but that does not mean they are children. Most 14 year olds have distinct likes and dislikes. I have to admit that I am trying to give you general ideas that may be stereotypical simply because I don’t have enough information to go on and I don’t know you or your boyfriend. Also because you are a couple I am not going to give you the same gift advice or ideas I would to a parent.

When it comes right down to it you need to go with your own knowledge about this young man. Find out what he would like, and go with that. Who cares if it fits into the typical gift category or is not what most people would give as a birthday gift or Christmas gift. What is important is that it is from you, and that you know it is something he is interested in. If he loves cooking, get him a cook book or better yet make him one from recipes you find online. If he likes working on cars find him the manuals for some cars, or tools he could use on cars. If he likes to paint get him paints or a sketch pad. The real secret about finding the right birthday gift is that it is for him and about him, not what other people think he will like or makes a great gift. It is about giving something that is as individual as he is.

Most important is that you do not give something that you would want to take back at a later date, or regret giving later on. This advice is for everyone of any age. It is not a good idea to take or give risky photos. Never give “sexy” pictures, they tend to show up in the wrong places at the wrong time and once they are out there you can never get them back. Never get a tattoo or other permanent body marking with a name on it as a gift. Things change and tattoos are hard to get rid of or change. I say this for two reasons. One a gift should be focused on the person receiving it, sexy pictures and tattoos put the emphasis on you, not them. Second, it is hard to undo some things, like a tattoo and things like risky photos are out of your control once you give them away, or send them by email. There are just some things you don’t want getting into the wrong hands.

Great birthday gifts for your boyfriend

So what do you give that special guy in your life for his birthday? If you have been with him for a while it should be a snap, though not always. But when you have just started dating, it is incredibly hard to know what to get. What you give is going to depend on how long you have been together and what stage of the relationship you are at. So here is a list of great birthdays gifts for your boyfriend to help out when you just don’t know what to get.

Early on in the relationship you may not know very much about him so that can make it hard to get the right thing. You want something neutral that does not say, “I love you” but “I like you a lot”. At the same time you don’t want to give some lame generic gift every one else gives. So what can you give when you have no idea about what he will like? It is not like you can grab some flowers or gift basket. It is a fine line between too much and lame.



1) A card that is nice but not sappy or sexual.
2) Dinner is good option. Keep in mind that some men are not comfortable with their girlfriend paying for dinner early on into the relationship. You may want to go with take out or home cooked meal or go out as a group where every one pays for his meal.
3) Most people like gadgets and there are some very cool ones out there that you can be pretty sure your boyfriend will like. Kinetic Motion toys, Newton's Cradle, also known as balance balls, Mini Digital Camera, Mini Pool Game or Mini Zen garden are just a few ideas under $20.00.
4) You must have some thing in common other wise you would not want to spend time together. Take what little you do know about him and get some thing that is related to that. If it is music getting a CD or DVD but keep the receipt in case he already has that one.

What you do not want to give:

1) Gag gifts
2) Clothing or personal care products (like a moustache trimmer) even if you think he needs it.
3) Anything sexual even if done with humour.
4) Alcoholic or alcohol related
5) Any thing to do with sports or tools unless you know he likes them.
6) Gift certificates

So you have been dating for a bit and have a very good idea of what he likes and dislikes. Theme gifts around his likes tend to go over well. Sports, Cars, bikes, trucks, trains, planes, wolves, comic books, a band or type of music, tools, any type of theme works.



1) A card with a theme around whatever theme he likes.
2) Two tickets to a sports event, though you may be expected to join him unless you can arrange for one of his friends to go with him. Now it could be a concert or an art show, or even a cooking show, what ever he likes.
3) A collectable, maybe signed such as a baseball, football, jersey from the sport or team he likes. One year I gave a rare collectable card (not a sport one but a game one). It was some thing my boyfriend had been looking for. It was only $50.00 but you would think it was made of gold the way he acted.
4) It is very easy to find all types of home and car accessories or memorabilia with any theme. There are mugs, plates, tablecloths, bedding, wall hangings, clothing, video games, movies, car seat covers and more. There is no end of what you can give, and you can find things to fit any budget. The good thing is men will usually say at some point, I want that. It makes it very easy.
5) One lady gave her boyfriend a night out with the boys. She told him to meet her after work at a bar/road house restaurant. When he got there she was waiting out side, dressed to the nines. She told him she already had a table. It was a booth full of his friends. She gave him a birthday card. It held a ticket to a sporting event that night. He had wanted to go but decided to spend his birthday with his girlfriend instead. All the guys had tickets. They had time to eat and then head off to the sporting event. She told him “Have a great time but don’t drink to much because your night ends with me!” Then left him to eat with his friends.

The real problem is that it gets old quick if you always give the “theme” gifts and to be blunt it is some thing any one can do, no real thought needed for the most part. Sure it is nice to be given some thing you like, but not if you know you’re going to get it or some thing like it every year. It is like giving some one a tie all the time. There is a point were it becomes too much, how many wolf cups or figures, towels, pictures do you need. Also there are just some people who just go out and buy what they want and you never know what they have or want. It is nice to have a gift that is unexpected and appreciated. So sure if there is a band he likes get him a CD or DVD but don’t make it the main gift. What you need to figure out is some thing that has special meaning to him. This involves listening and asking questions and is not easy. You have to be creative these days.



1) One lady bought her boyfriend a small chest freezer and then filled it with home cooked meals portioned into individual meals so all he had to do was use the microwave. He loved her cooking, could not cook himself. He used to spend all his money on take out, fast food or frozen dinners. As a bonus he saved money and actually lost some weight because he was eating good food.
2) One lady gave her boyfriend his own domain and web site so he could do a web site about his hobby. Then had a friend help him make it. It was some thing he had been talking about ever since she met him; he just never seemed to get around to doing it.
3) One ladies boyfriend loved dragons and wolves and had statues, figurines, stuffed toy wolves and dragons, pictures, cups with them on it. Just every thing you could think of with wolves and dragons. He never put thought into displaying them. They were all over the place, when he got a new dragon or wolf it went were ever it would fit. She bought him a lighted glass display cabinet/case for them. Most of them fit. I liked that solution, not to buy him yet another dragon or wolf but a way to store and display the things he loved.
4) The same lady came up with a great gift idea the next year. She gave him some bisque pieces of wolves and dragons. This is a ceramic piece that is unpainted. In the birthday card was the receipt for the 4 ceramic classes she had signed him up for. It was so he could make the dragon and wolves his. He painted the two pieces himself. They may not have been the best pieces in his collection but they were displayed as if they were. They meant more to him then any of the other ones that he had bought or was given to him.
5) There is always some new technology creating unusual gift ideas. The new digital picture key chain makes a great gift, especially if you download some pictures that have good memories for him.
6) Unusual gifts that are growing in popularity are Divination of the future like Tarot readings, Palm readings and physic readings. Well being gifts like Reiki are also growing in popularity. Though they are not usually the main gift.
7) There are a lot of spas that cater to men and ladies now. They have become very popular. Men love to be pampered too. It may not be some thing he would buy himself but not many people do not enjoy hand, foot and back treatments.
8) I do not recommend tattoos on your self as a birthday gift for your boyfriend. But if your boyfriend is into tattoos get him a gift certificate for one of the better tattoo parlours, to have one of his own choices done.
9) As fun as they can seem I also do not recommend risqué pictures, even professionally done ones. They always seem to end up in the wrong hands. However one lady gave her boyfriend a big box full of lingerie she had picked out for herself. He was a little confused and worried when he opened it. She explained that she knew threw conversations with him that he liked the idea of her in lingerie but had never been comfortable about buying her some or asking her to wear it. So she took the initiative and removed all the uncertainty. This way she knew it fit and that it was some thing she was comfortable wearing. The lingerie was not the gift though. The gift was that she would wear the lingerie at least once a month and he got to pick what it was she put on.
10) The best birthday gift for your boyfriend is to find out some thing that he has always wanted to do but has not done yet. Then find a way to give it to them. Things like lessons for scuba diving, racecar driving, photography or the camera to take great pictures. Participation theatre is a great way to be a CSI, Sherlock Holmes or a Klingon. There are lots of ways to create unusual gifts if you hear what your boyfriend talks about.

You must have some ideas of what he likes, what he does not like, and what he would love to be able to do. What would he like more, something you did for him or something you bought for him? It is a real question. Some people don’t like anything made, or only want a purchased item. Others love it when someone goes out of their way to make a moment special by what they do, not what they give. Only you know what your guy would like more. A simple gift from the heart can go a long way whether it is purchased, made or created. It is about knowing and understanding what a loved one likes. Talking with each other is the best way to learn what your boyfriend would like. And I don’t mean just ask him what he would like. Talk to him. Find out what he likes, what he wants out of life, what is missing in his life and then see what you can do. It could be as simple as finding him a copy of a movie he loves but does not have. Or tickets to a show, concert, or event that he might not be able to afford to go to, or wants to go but does not think you would like to go. What would make his birthday special to him?