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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