The perfect holiday gift for couples in love

November 10, 3:15 PMGay Weddings ExaminerJay Johnson

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Are you making out your holiday gift list yet? There aren't many serious shopping days left before your partner gets overwhelmed with excitement about the Big Gift you'll be getting her or him. Looking through closets, under the bed, and in the backs of drawers, your mate will search for where you've hidden presents.

Would we recommend any Big Gift that wasn't truly romantic? Tis the season to snuggle up with your lover in a romantic winter getaway, a lavish meal in a fancy restaurant, or something totally out of the ordinary. We went to Rony Tennenbaum, our romance expert, for his take on holiday gifting.

"I can’t help but get excited each year to see which of my friends starts a new relationship, who's moving in with their significant other, or -- better yet -- who's popped the question. The buzz starts sometime after Halloween. Suddenly November arrives and the holidays are only weeks away! I find the search for the perfect engagement and wedding rings becomes a hot discussion among loved ones. Even more exciting is a Surprise Ring that will take top prize for Big Gift this year!"

Rony told us that he "gets all tingly inside" when people approach him for rings. Then he gets right down to business. "So what’s it gonna be? Gold bands, diamond rings, solitaire engagement?” Though many of the couples he's worked with in the past were looking for something nice to symbolize their “commitment," the trend today is to puchase a more important set of rings. Gay couples want to get MARRIED, not just show "commitment," so the ring-giving occasion has acquired higher stakes, more cache, and weightier symbolism.

True there are still more states where our friends and family cannot get legally married, but Rony encourages the obvious: “Why not GET ENGAGED!" The laws to marry will follow, and you'll have already had your extended engagement.

Rony advises that the best gift you can give your loved one this holiday is an engagement, a proposal, an engagement party where you invite your family and friends, and a setting for the exchange of your Big Gifts . . . engagement rings. Rony has a theory that ties in with his eagerness to see GLBT couples getting engaged: "I think that the more gay and lesbian couples get engaged, the more the laws will have to accommodate those waiting for that certificate that legally binds them as a couple with special rights and responsibilities."

Celebrate the Holidays with the Perfect Gift: Get engaged and go to the Hudson Grove & Co. website to find fine jewelry of the engagement and wedding variety -- all Made in the USA and created by a GLBT artisan, Rony Tennenbaum, specifically for members of the community.

Also visit the Tweed Gay Wedding & Gift Registry, an online collection of gifts hand-selected by style-setter Fred Root.