No excuses: Men’s Night Out helps gift-impaired with presents, wrapping

By Dixon Bledsoe

This article is for intended for a male audience, only.

OK, men. If you think “Coach” is that great show with Craig T. Nelson and Jerry Van Dyke as his sidekick, that “Hermes” is that guy who yelled “Da Plane” on the series, Fantasy Island, and that a “brilliant” cut is a perfect pass route in football, you are in huge, huge trouble.

Better mark down Dec. 7 on your calendar.

The second annual “Men’s Night Out” at the Seven Brides Tap Room is the perfect solution for the shopping-challenged man of the house.

The event, which drew more than 200 men and attracted 15 vendors in its inaugural year, is Dec. 7, 6 to 9 p.m. Guests can arrive any time during the event.

Jeff DeSantis, co-owner of Seven Brides, said he knows a lot of men who either procrastinate shopping until the last minute or dread it.

“The whole goal is to help the guys get their shopping done in a fun way while shopping local. Face it, as men we only have to buy our better half gifts because so many of them do the shopping for the rest of the family,” DeSantis said. “We are tasked with buying just a few gifts, remembering anniversaries, and just taking care of the ladies at holiday time.”

Twenty local vendors will be on hand as will several “personal shoppers” to guide men through a maze of triangle scarves, hand-crafted truffles and “fig jewelry.”  (Don’t ask, guys. Just let your personal shopper explain the concept).

An added feature will be all participating vendors contributing prizes instead of paying a booth fee. Twenty vendors, 20 guy prizes.  And at the end of the night, a half-carat in diamond earrings will be in one lucky guy’s pocket.

Chris Devito of Silverton had a blast last year.

“It surprised me. I enjoyed it much more than I expected. They had good vendors with some really nice merchandise, there was wonderful camaraderie, and hey, we’re guys – the great beer didn’t hurt, either,” Devito said.

He took care of a lot of his shopping all in one night, and looks forward to going this year.

Tim Jennings of Salem echoes Devito’s sentiments. “I can’t wait to go again. My son-in-law and I are going to make a night of it. I got most of my Christmas shopping done because there were several different options for gifts. The beer was terrific, of course, but there were also some beautiful hand-made soaps, hand-made scarves, and some wonderful gift baskets.”

The trick to a successful night, in DeSantis’ experience from last year, is simple.

“Ladies, make sure your Christmas lists are up to date, because we need all the help we can get. Gents, this is your chance to get your shopping done for Christmas in one night, bring home something your significant other or daughter is gonna love because it came off of her list, enjoy your favorite beverage, hang with your friends, and the best part – have the gifts professionally wrapped, complimentary,” DeSantis said. “We all know how guys wrap presents. It isn’t pretty.”