JHAP, It's not that confusing. Most women will tell a man what she wants. It just that why she's telling him, instead of listening, he's trying to figure out how to get away with buying her what he really wants.
A woman, on the other hand, when she buys her man a gift, is looking for something that will keep him busy, out of her hair, and especially - out of her stuff.
Wow, that explains why I got the "Limited Edition Houdini Straight Jacket" complete with the "how to escape straight jackets" instructional DVD for Christmas.
I should have put two and two together when I noticed the instructional DVD was blank.