Christmas Gifts for a Husband Who Says He Wants Nothing

When your husband says he wants nothing for Christmas, he usually means he does not want more stuff to find a place for. A Christmas gift for a husband who says he wants nothing should take something off his plate, replace something he will not replace himself, or give him time back. None of the ideas below will sit in a closet. Our top pick is a song about him, because there is nothing to store and nothing to return.

Hear a finished Songbond song

This one was made for another family. Yours would carry his name and your stories.

11 Christmas gifts for a husband who wants nothing

1. A song he never has to find a place for ($39.90). It needs no shelf and no batteries. You share the stories, the nicknames and the things he always says, and Songbond turns them into an original song, ready within 24 hours.
2. His car, detailed inside and out. The coffee rings, the dog hair, the fries under the seat. Usually $100 to $250.
3. A restock of his favorites. The exact coffee, razor blades and socks he already buys, in a quantity that lasts until spring. Usually $40 to $90.
4. A free Saturday. No chores, no errands, no one asking him where anything is. You take the kids and the phone calls. Free.
5. A night out with his friends, paid for. Dinner and a game with the guys he never sees enough. Usually $60 to $150.
6. New work boots or everyday shoes. The ones he wears have a hole he thinks nobody has noticed. Usually $80 to $200.
7. Dinner at the place he keeps mentioning. The steakhouse he drives past, the diner from his college town. Usually $80 to $200 for two.
8. A donation in his name. To the cause he quietly cares about, like the animal shelter, his old school's sports program or a veterans' group. Any amount.
9. The sports package he will not pay for. A season of the league he follows, streamed to the TV. Usually $10 to $20 a month.
10. A good multitool or flashlight. Something he will clip to his belt or keep in the truck and reach for every week. Usually $40 to $100.
11. The course he keeps talking about. Guitar lessons, a welding class, a fly-tying night. Sign him up so he stops saying one day. Usually $50 to $150.

How to choose when he gives you nothing to go on

Listen for the complaints. The man who wants nothing still mentions what annoys him, and that is your shopping list. Keep a note on your phone from now until Christmas and write down every small gripe: the squeaky truck door, the dull razor, the friend he has not seen since summer. By December you will have more ideas than you need.

• If he complains about chores: the car detail or the free Saturday.
• If he complains that he never sees his friends: the night out or the course.
• If he complains about nothing at all: the restock, the donation or the song.

What nothing usually means

In most houses, "I don't want anything" means one of three things. He does not want you to spend money. He does not want clutter. Or he honestly cannot think of anything, because he stopped keeping a wish list years ago. Each one has a fix. If money is the worry, set a limit together and stick to it. If clutter is the worry, give something he uses up or something he does. If he cannot think of anything, give him something about him rather than for him: a letter, a framed photo, a song. Those are never the wrong size and never need a receipt.

Give him something with nothing to store

Make a Christmas song for your husband. It is ready within 24 hours. If he is still insisting he wants nothing on Christmas Eve, express delivery gets it to you in about an hour.

Also in the Journal: a personalized song as a Christmas gift and anniversary song ideas for your husband.