Forty-Something Father’s Day Gift Ideas

My dad graciously accepted our gifts. Year after year, my siblings and I would give him the de rigueur ties, shirts, monogrammed handkerchiefs. There was the occasional mug or T-shirt with “The World’s Greatest Dad” printed on the front. He appreciated the cakes and the barbecues. He loved gifts of chocolate and caramels and fancy peanuts.

He always thanked us for remembering. He came to expect certain things. He could always use another nice dress shirt. He lived in the day that gentlemen carried handkerchiefs in their pockets. He was health conscious so he depended on us to supply him with foods he would not buy for himself.

As a wife and mother, I always find it difficult to shop for the men in my family. I have an easier time buying for the women because I usually get what I would enjoy. It also helps to keep eyes and ears open for what they might need or want. Listen and watch all year long and you will be better prepared when it comes time to choose gifts.

Here are some suggestions that might spark some gift ideas for the men in your life that do not include a gift card or some expensive electronic device, something other than a mug or a T-shirt with “The World Greatest Day” monogrammed on the front. Those are still fun, but you might want to leave that for the card that accompanies the gift.

* Two tickets to a game, regardless the future date

* A sports jersey, a nice polo, or pajamas of his favorite team, favorite sport, or favorite college/university

* One of those huge, multipurpose flashlights, or a spray gun, or a sander, or that one necessary tool that always gets lost (at our house it’s the Phillips head screwdriver.)

* For the computer/techie in your life, get those mini-sets of tools or Allen wrenches that one needs for those tiny spaces.

* For the cook/head barbecue master, that one utensil he has always wanted or the knife that slices like butter through roasts; or spices, especially the new trendy, “manly” grill spices

* For the fisherman, a new pole, or reel, or fish finder, or a new fish scaling knife

* Camping gear or survival gear, especially things that do not require batteries. They make crank flashlights and crank emergency radios. How about netting, bird calls, sleeping bags, etc.?

* For the hunter, scopes, and motion-detector cameras, or gun cleaning kits

* Shoes. A comfy set of slippers or slip ons. New gym shoes or hiking/hunting boots. How about rain boots?

* Games. Not necessarily a new video game, but board games or card games.

* Hair trimmers, beard and moustache trimmers, new shavers, handheld shower massagers.

* Food. Besides the traditional dinner, either home cooked or dinner out, find what Dad likes that would be a real treat: pistachios, meats that come packaged with specialty mustards, fruit baskets, or specialty cakes.

*Kitchen appliances like smoothie makers, or single coffee machines, or juicers. We certainly want to keep Dad healthy after all that Father’s Day food.

What does the Father in your life like? What are his hobbies? What would you suggest would make a thoughtful, different Father’s Day gift? We could all use your ideas to help make this Father’s Day a success.

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Raquel Martina Martinez

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