Gift Guide: Men

If you ask my husband, he thinks that guys are really easy to buy for.  I tend to disagree.  When it comes to trying to figure out what to get him for a gift (whether it's Christmas, birthday, Father's Day, anniversary), it usually takes a lot of thinking on my part to come up with a gift I think he'd really like.  Thinking back on the types of gifts I give him, I realized they generally fall into three categories: practical, interest-based and sentimental.

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I think if you can decide what type of gift you'd like to give, it's (a little) easier to think of a gift they'd like to receive, or vise versa.  I've compiled a list of ideas within each category to help give you a head start on your gift giving for whatever holiday or occasion you're celebrating.

Note: Keep in mind, some of these suggestions are geared more towards husbands, while others could be given to fathers, fathers-in-law, sons, brothers, etc.

Practical: These gifts are given to help solve a problem or make life easier.

From my experience, guys really like to solve problems and simplify.  So a practical gift is great when you know of an area of their life that needs one of these things.

• Hygiene Items: 
• Ear and nose hair trimmer
• Electric Razor
• Cologne (I love this one!)
• Tools: 
• Power Tools: cordless power drill, circular saw, compound miter saw
• Ladder (My husband loves this one!)
• Power washer
• Air compressor
• Socket set
• Clothing: 
• According to my husband, most guys will like to receive clothes (even if they say they don't).
• Vehicles: 
• Car wash punch card
• Emergency Roadside Kit or roadside assistance tools such as: jump starter, flares
• Car waxing kit

Interest-based:  These gifts are given to support a hobby or activity the person enjoys.

I think that most gifts fit into this category.  Finding a gift that fits someone's hobbies or activities is fairly easy to do and it is what many people turn to when trying to decide what gift to give.

• Technology/Electronics: 
• Accessories: headphones, ear buds 
• Upgrade current device: phone, tablet (Kindle Fire or iPad), computer
• Video Games: new or upgrade current system
• Home Theater System: sound bar, speakers
• Streaming Devices: Roku, Amazon Fire TV Stick
• Go Pro

• Sports:
• Basketball: shoes, jerseys, shorts, balls, basketball standard
• Golf: drivers, wedges, putter, shoes, gloves, balls, bag
• Rock climbing: pass for indoor quarry, shoes, rope, clips and carabiners, upgrade current pass
• Fishing: various lures and bait, polarized sunglasses, reels, waders, fishing vest, tackle box
• Food: 
• Gift certificate to a nice restaurant or favorite restaurant
• Gift certificate for their favorite treats
• Monthly BBQ club subscription
• Events: 
• Tickets to a concert or play
• Voucher for special interest classes (photography, cooking, art, etc): check out group deal websites, such as Groupon, Living Social and Amazon Local
• Tickets to a sporting event
• Outdoors: 
• Camping: tents, camp stove, cooking accessories, hatchet, air mattress or cot
• Hunting: guns, bows, camo
• Movies/Music/TV: 
• Itunes gift cards
• Amazon gift cards
• Movie theater tickets 
• Subscription to sports or other special interest package (NBA Fast Pass, NFL)
• Fitness: 
• Gym pass
• Weights/Other equipment
• Protein shakes/powder
• Smart watch or fitness tracker (My husband loves his--he has this one!)
• Workout clothes: shoes, pants, shorts, shirts
• Weightlifting gloves
• Gym bag

Sentimental: These gifts are given with special thought to the meaning behind it.

When I think of sentimental, the first thought that comes to my mind isn't men.  That's not to say that men can't be sentimental.  In fact, I think it's quite the opposite in some cases.  But thinking of a gift for a man that is sentimental can be challenging, especially if you don't think of them as being sentimental, romantic or emotional.

So my suggestion is this: Find out what their love language is.  If you haven't heard of this term before, it is a concept developed by Dr. Gary Chapman and it is basically the way that we feel most loved, divided into 5 languages: Words of Affirmation, Acts of Service, Quality Time, Physical Touch and Receiving Gifts.  Go to this website and have them take a little 30 question quiz and tell you the result.  (You can take it too!)  Knowing how they feel most loved can help you know what type of sentimental gift they'd like to receive.

Once you know their love language, take a look at the ideas within each category for some direction.

• Words of Affirmation: 
• Create a list of things you appreciate about him.  Print out the list as a whole on some nice paper, or cut it up and put them in a jar for him to look at individually.
• Write a letter about why you love him, or the moment you fell in love with him.
• Acts of Service:
• Perform secret acts of service.
• Purchase a gift certificate for a service that you can't perform that you know they have been wanting done, such as cleaning out air ducts, gutter cleaning, carpet steaming, painting, etc.
• Quality Time:
• Buy tickets to an event or activity that you can go to together and spend some one on one time.
• Plan date nights for the next year--weekly, bi-monthly, monthly (whatever fits your schedule)--and commit to doing it.
• Schedule a weekend getaway.
• Physical Touch:
• Offer a massage each night for a week, after they workout or just after a long day.  Give coupons that can be redeemed.
• Buy a soft blanket or comfy lounge clothes.
• Receiving Gifts: 
• A countdown to the special day with a gift for each day (example: 12 days of gifts for birthday, anniversary, Christmas, etc).
• A photo book or scrapbook of a period of time, event or theme.
• Create a scavenger hunt with clues that lead up to the gift's location.
• A watch or other item that he can add to his collection.

I hope you were able to find some new ideas!  What other gifts do you like to give to the men in your life?