No man engaged in a healthy and flourishing relationship wants to be remembered as the “gift certificate guy” by his beloved lady on December 25th. To do your best when shopping for your partner for the holidays, nothing kicks off the actual exchange process with your girlfriend like a new pair of women’s shoes. But how does a man choose a pair of shoes that he would never wear on his own feet? These simple tips will keep you from tripping on the wrong shoes.

What is your style?

Sure, you can choose what you’d like her to wear, cross your fingers for good luck, and save the receipt. But why not research your girlfriend’s current collection (it’s probably extensive) and take note of all the style similarities? What colors keep appearing? Is she a leather lover or does she wear suede? To which brands does she seem to show the most loyalty? Do high heels lift your girlfriend’s mood or is she more laid back in loafers? Follow your buying patterns. Being too creative can lead to a fake smile and a trip back to the mall the next day.

Shoe sizes?

There are two easy ways to determine your girlfriend’s shoe size without offending her or implying that you’re buying her a pair of shoes. As you do your aforementioned research to discover the shoes you like to wear, simply write down the shoe size for each brand. Be prepared to make this happen as soon as she goes to take a shower.

But let’s be honest, he might not give you enough time alone with his prized shoe emporium to pick up each pair and read the faded numbers inside them. Don’t worry, just ask him, without asking. “Your feet are perfect babe. What size are you 7?” When she answers, your response should be: “In high heels or flats?”

Compare prices.

Now the fun part is choosing the perfect pair, at the perfect price. With an online search, you can quickly cross over your favorite picks and find the nearest retail stores that carry them. You can obviously order your shoes online if time permits. But if inventory suddenly runs out or shipping is delayed for an unexpected reason, “Merry Christmas” will become “Happy Crisis.” Also, why not get in the Christmas spirit physically instead of virtually?

Now you can be sure that you’ve made an informed decision about which pair of shoes will look fabulous on your sweetheart’s feet. He may even give you extra credit for knowing his favorite brands and colors.