Answer: This is always a useful topic, Michelle, but your note raises an important ancillary question, one that is sure to keep us up at night: What exactly are "pantygrams," and where might one find out more about them?

But first things first. Gift-wise, a relationship at one year is (alas) past the chocolate-flavored body paint phase, but (thankfully) not yet to the three-pack of tube socks phase.

So you'll want to aim for something fun but not frivolous, useful but not boring. (True, chocolate body paint conforms nicely to all of those parameters, but you can't fall back on that for every gift-giving occasion.) The problem is that without knowing your boyfriend's interests, it's difficult to suggest specific items (with a couple of no-brainer exceptions, which we'll get to momentarily).

We can, however, give you some general guidelines. Avoid: clothing (tube socks come later, remember?); toiletries ( if the Aqua Velva he's using was good enough for his dad, it's good enough for him); picture frames (unless the photo is of you in a pantygram, whatever that is); a gift certificate to a man spa (as if).

If you really want to get your BF something he'll genuinely enjoy, you're going to have to get inside his head and crawl around a while. (Just make sure to stay on the well-lit neural pathways.) What are his true interests and passions? Zero in on one, then do some research. Don't be afraid to interview some of his buddies, who can help with the nuances of a particular gift choice. Because how would you know that your golf-loving paramour would not necessarily be overwhelmed by a slightly used Ginty driver but would be all aquiver unwrapping a TaylorMade r7 SuperQuad. That totally excites even us, and we hate golf!

The first is the Leatherman utility tool. It's the natural successor to the Swiss Army knife, and much cooler looking. The only thing keeping it from a state of perfection is its lack of a corkscrew. (And no, we're not getting a kickback from the Leatherman company. Although we could use a replacement since breaking the blade while trying to open a wine bottle recently.)

The other is a new product, enshrined in the Hall of Fame on the strength of its name alone: the Beer Machine. The sales pitch says is all: "The Beer Machine is a self-contained, single-step brewer that makes brewing your own fresh premium naturally made beer as easy as brewing coffee." And it fits in the fridge.

There you have it: knives and beer. You might be able to do better on your own, Michelle, but we doubt it.

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