Is this normal behavior for men?

This is my daughters first Christmas that she will remember and beable to participate in.(she is one) I figured he would be so excited about this. He did not want nothing to do with decorating our apartment. (I really did not mind this though) What is really bothering me is that he wanted nothing to do with wrapping our daughters presents. He did not wrap a single one of them. I just don't get it. I think its sad.

Different people can be different... Maybe that christmas is a hard time for him. Brings up bad memories and stuff. Maybe that people in his family were very particular about how the decorations go and about what perfect wrapping should look like. Have you tried asking him how come he isn't into any of that?

twirls, my husband never wrapped any of the presents in our house. It was just one of those jobs that was mine. On the other hand, he did many things I didn't such as change the oil in our cars. Even though he didn't wrap presents, I did share the presents I had bought for my kids with him and he seemed interested in that. I also "encouraged" him to do some shopping of his own for our kids so that he would feel more included. Anyway, I was never offended he didn't wrap presents, and he was never interested in decorating either. But he always helped to go pick out the tree, saw off the bottom so it would fit in the stand, and put up the Christmas lights outside. After you are married a while, you find a division of labor that works for you. This especially happened to us once we had kids. (Before kids, I changed my own oil!) If you really want your husband to help with the gift wrapping, can you ask for his help? And is it just the gift wrapping and decorating, or does he seem totally uninterested in anything Christmas? Maybe it is just not an important holiday to him.

sweetie... men are all different... really....like the husband's of my friends... they wouldn't know how to wrap a present - meaning they all have been married forever.. and they've never wrapped a present... it's "woman's" job..

And my son.... (23) just said "grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.. had to wrap some presents"... in other words... not real happy about the whole thing.. he when he gives his gf a present.. sticks it in a gift bag... and says "ahhhhhhhhh done"....

I think... that some men do not place a sentimental value on decorating... and things like that... but it doesn't mean they don't care..and also that they do not enjoy it when someone else makes the effort to do it..

I know my son cares... he just doesn't like to wrap presents...and he does love a decorated house... but his mind... heis ADHD... is racing to "wanta go ice fishing"..

((((hugs))).... I know you are hurting...

hon you will find men leave the shopping wrapping and the christmas cooking to us ladies in most cases. thankfully I have one of those hubbies that likes to do some of it though. but he is the first one I have had that did lol

My husband doesn't purchase or wrap gifts (he does provide most of the $). Nor does he bake cookies or cook the holiday dinner. Its his preference, and I really don't mind. To each his/her own, IMO.

My husband like to purchase gifts and gets excited watching the kids open the gifts on Christmas morning. However, he does not participate in decorating the house, or wrapping gifts, or paying for the gifts afterwards. The decorating thing bugs me a bit when it comes to putting up outside lights mainly because this really a two person job and the kids aren't much help yet.

for me, gift wrapping and decorating has fallen under the category "crafty things" ... i was always more into shop, mechanics and carpentry... maybe its a guy thing... but Christmas meaning has been so toxified for me that, i'd rather just have a Love Day now...

I guess you all don't want to hear about a husband who will do whatever he's asked, cheerfully? :-) I bought the wrapping paper and he doesn't like it, is very critical of its "structure" (he's an engineer) but that's because he's been very up close and personal with it the last day or two. He doesn't bake but he also doesn't complain if he gets store-bought baked goods either. He doesn't like all the driving, necessarily, and can get cranky at the end of a long trip :-) He's an electrical engineer so is happy to put up the outside lights, makes sure they're "safe", etc. He loves all the presents I buy for us to give other people and thanks me for doing that so well. He's really a dear, sweet man and I think I love him!

my hubby will do anything for our daughter ( maybe too much, she is a little spoiled) but I think he is an exception to the rule when is comes to buying and wrapping presents for kids

I too have a wonderful hubby now. he will do whatever I ask him and sometimes I don't even have to ask lol I am truely blessed

I don't do gift wrapping because i make such a botch job of it.
When my late wife became ill i took over cooking the Christmas dinner(made an ok job of it but nowhere as good as her). Used to enjoy helping her make the mince pies and sausage rolls and would make a few bits myself like cheese straws/short bread and a Christmas cake except for the icing which she did.

me and my wife went shopping together for our sons christmas presents. i tryed to rap some of them but it came out all crappy so my wife re did the ones i did

i didn't decorate though. she did. i never lived anywhere that decorated before i just came home and it was done. if she wanted me to help or do it to though i would have. i put the tree up though.

i think woman find it more exciting wrapping gifts so children can rip the paper of to get to there gifts, my hubby has helped me wrap this year but he doesnt every year it depends when i decide to do it and what hes doing,
but he did put up the tree and the children decorated it and he hung the decorations
im lucky hubby does do xmas dinner and we both dish up and i do dishes, but hubby is a good cook
but down to buying pressies for the kids joint money bought them but hubby still will go and buy something especially from him

each man is differant maybe asking for a hand to do something like putting gifts by daughters bed after shes asleep hubbys are great at this

I have to admit, I only do what I'm asked to do. The reason? My wife LOVES xmas and really, there's no way I could keep up with it. Most of the shopping is done before it ever crosses my mind. As is the wrapping, etc. So my job is to sort of pick up the slack. Help when and where I'm needed.

One thing I do insist I get to help with is choosing presents for our kids but as I said, that conversation happens in July. She's crazy that way and it's kind of cute.

In your case, perhaps he just doesn't feel like he knows what he's doing? I shy away from activities that make me feel like an idiot.

Cyran0

Yes, my husband is a little "slow" about what needs to be done by when sometimes. I had two years of change I put through a CoinStar but instead of having them take some of the money I had it converted to an Amazon certificate, they give it all to you then and I live on Amazon so that's fine. Well, I gave it to my husband since most of the change was his over the years and suggested he buy the other two boys books, we had one picked out for the oldest. Well time passed and nothing seemed to happen so I bought the other two boys gifts and shared them with my husband, etc. but then books arrive. . . he was still on the "old" plan :-) So now I have to figure out some other little "toy" for the oldest boy (who's 41).

One thing my husband and I both get into is we each take one child out on Christmas eve so they can purchase a small gift for the other parent and for each other. We make sure we don't influence what they choose other than it has to be something inexpensive. The kids then wrap the gift themselves, it is so funny to watch.

Thank you everyone. I feel much better now. I did finally talk to him. He just don't like wrapping presents. We have a bit of a communication problem we are working on. I don't know why I am afraid of talking to my own husband sometimes.

mckell, that's adorable.

twirls, glad you two talked.

Cyran0

Maybe Cyran0 should be our resident expert on, "Is this normal behavior for men?".

Cyran0, you may be able to answer all those previously unasked questions.

EJ

While I'm happy to share the insights I have, I don't know that I'm the expert on all things male. There are a number of points where I haven't a clue. Read the self hatred thread in the male support forum and you'll see exactly how screwed up I can be on the topic.

But I appreciate the compliment.

Besides, I am but the village idiot. And it takes a village...of idiots. lol. I have no idea what that meant.

Cyran0

It meant you're a good man and not voting for Hillary but a different village idiot? :-)

It is great to be able to get feedback like this. I really don't understand my husband somedays. It can be hard to talk to my husband when I assume he already knows what I am thinking. Things that are obvious to me, he is oblivious.

Linda

Cyran0,

Oh come on, go along with the gag.

EJ

Hope, I have brothers and when I think about it, we, as women were taught to scan rooms and see what needed doing, to offer to help the hostess, etc. but they just sit and "enjoy" the party. They were never "taught" how to do stuff so of course they don't know! My brothers had to do dishes and chores like I did but our day was before guys took home economics so what they learned was "survival" stuff that they didn't imagine doing all the time! I was lucky because my husband is the oldest of 4 brothers and was the "babysitter" and dishwasher! He worked as a dishwasher in a club too as a teen so he's "into" doing dishes so we have a pretty good arrangement where I cook and he does the dishes. Of course, he does the dishes when he feels like it rather than when the cook needs the dishes :-) but I'm still working on that LOL