GREEN BAY, Wis. — In a stunning act of holiday thoughtfulness, local man Todd Brennaman, 51, has taken the burden of writing a Christmas list off his wife Stephanie’s shoulders by drafting one for her, an 11-item document that includes a pellet smoker, a golf rangefinder, and “quality time together in the garage.”
“She never knows what she wants, so I did the hard part,” said Todd, who wrote the list on the back of a hardware store receipt. “Look at number four: a 30-gallon shop vac. She’s always saying the garage is a mess. That’s a gift for her. Technically I’ll be the one operating it, but she’ll be the one enjoying a clean garage.”
The list has received high marks from Dr. Chad Thornberry, founder of the Institute for Advanced Grilling Studies. “A smoker is the most romantic gift a woman can receive,” said Thornberry, adjusting a lanyard that reads “Doctor.” “Our research indicates 92.6% of wives would choose 14 hours of brisket over jewelry, assuming you only ask the husbands.”
Other items on the list include a mini-fridge “for her drinks, in my workshop,” a heated seat cover for the riding mower, and a framed photo of Todd holding a large fish, which he described as “sentimental.”
Relationship analysts at the Brown County Center for Holiday Logic call the trend “projective gifting” and estimate it affects one in three households by mid-December.
At press time, Stephanie had thanked Todd for the list and handed him her own, which contained one item: a weekend spa trip with her sister, already booked and paid for with the money from the smoker fund. Todd says he is “processing.”
