How to Celebrate Your Girlfriend's Birthday

Listen up, men! Whether you realize it or not, women place a lot of importance on their birthdays. While some men are content to let their own birthdays pass like ordinary days or to celebrate with a simple beer-and-bros party, women want more. And as a boyfriend, we expect you to remember and help us celebrate. Here are some tips for how to celebrate your girlfriend's birthday and to keep you on the road to another happy year.

1. Women want presents.

Every woman is different, so the type of present you give to celebrate your girlfriend's birthday depends a lot on her. The best advice anyone can give you about birthday presents is to make sure (no matter what) you have one ready on your girlfriend's special day.

For a more traditional girlfriend, feel free to give a traditional and heartfelt gift. Many women appreciate jewelry, and even if your relationship is not serious, a pretty necklace or pair of earrings makes a great gift. Men, you already know the drill here.

If your girlfriend is the adventurous or spontaneous type, celebrate her birthday with an experience-based gift. Take her on a weekend getaway, take her on a day-long canoe or rock-climbing trip, or take her on a hot air balloon ride. Take her to a Broadway musical or to a cooking class. Come up with something that she might not have chosen on her own but that suits her interests and personality.

For couples who choose to not give birthday gifts because of financial hardships, you still need to give your girlfriend something on her birthday. Give her the gift of your time and effort instead of a material object. Back rubs, long moonlit strolls, and hand-picked bouquets all show you care about her birthday and don't cost a dime. At the very least, make her a darn card.

If your girlfriend insists that she doesn't want a present for her birthday, make a small charitable donation in her name to a cause that she supports. She can't blame you for buying her something (because you haven't), but she still gets a gift that she can feel good about.

2. Women want to feel loved on their birthdays.

Some of us are a little sensitive about getting older, especially if our boyfriends are handsome young things that only get better with age. Other women just want to feel completely adored. Celebrate your girlfriend's birthday by making her feel like she was the best thing in history to happen on that day.

If your girlfriend wants a party, give it to her. If your girlfriend wants a romantic evening with you, give it to her. It's only one day out of 365, so suck it up and make it happen. Now is not the time to ask for a favor. Save the complaints about your bad day at work and the petty arguments for the day after.

3. Women want to ignore mundane details on their birthdays.

Women have to be responsible for so many things in our own lives, and yet we try so hard to take care of the people we love. Celebrate your girlfriend's birthday by taking care of stuff so she doesn't have to. On her birthday, your girlfriend shouldn't have to make dinner, wash the dishes, write the rent check, or weed the garden. That's your job. Sometimes the best gift of all is a little time that doesn't involve a chore of some kind.