While this probably won't apply for some of you here whose wives are pretty nuts (won't comment on mine, fwiw), but......
Ordered a gift for her this year from our son that was pretty neat. Nothing crazy or too expensive but I'm finding I might go this route in the future.
We ordered an electric crepe maker from Amazon for ~$30. Why? Well, whenever we go on a trip or vacation, we invariably find a crepe place as a snack or breakfast one day and always enjoy it. So I figured why not pick one up for home. It's otherwise something we would never buy.
She opened it yesterday and we all took turns trying to make crepes for the first time. Batter is super simple. You can fill it with anything. And it's pretty "fun" without making too much of a mess. And yes, I know you can make them on a frying pan, but it turned out as a nice little gift.
A couple years ago, we did the same thing with a panini maker. Again, like $25 on Amazon so not a big deal but it's just a nice small appliance you can whip out and make stuff you usually don't make at home. It's gotten use and we've enjoyed it.
So, if you're looking for a gift and enjoy doing anything in the kitchen, find a "niche" appliance that you otherwise would never buy and gift it.
There's a whole bunch here