You are a dear, sweet man and your wife is a lucky lady. Let me first say that I would never trade anything for any of my three featherweights. BUT!!! You must know that the FW has only one basic forward perfect stitch. I love mine for piecing my quilts and basic sewing projects. If your wife is truly a beginner, I'd surely let her in on the choosing of her first machine. A FW may not be what she's thinking of. And really - does any man know what women think? Ahhhh-NOPE! LOL!! For a basic first machine, she'll most likely want at least a reverse stitch as well as zig-zag and a couple of others (including a button-hole capability). If she does want a Singer Featherweight, the average price is about $250 - a fair price for most areas. Merry Christmas to you and your lovely bride and please let us know how this all works out.