I’m concluding my gift guides for this holiday season with a holiday gift guide for him.
We all know that it’s always harder to shop for guys, even (especially?) the guys closest in our life. All of the gift ideas I’m sharing in this guide have come from years of present shopping for my husband as well as my brother, dad, and father-in-law for Christmas as well as birthdays and Father’s Day. As always with my gift guides, I’ve provided a wide price range with something for everyone.
Specialty soda or craft beer assortment
My husband is a huge root beer fan, which is why I know where to find the best variety of specialty soda in southeast Wisconsin (Woodman’s and World Market, both of which carry the hard to find but always popular Dang! Butterscotch Root Beer). Many microbreweries offer assortment packs. Most local grocery and liquor stores in this area also allow you to create your own six packs of soda and beer, so you can hand select a few of your favorites from different breweries. If you’re looking for a more expensive gift, think about a beer of the month club.
Small drone
Small droneYou can pick up a small drone and accessories for under $100. They aren’t fit for aerial photography over the ocean or a football stadium, but they’re a lot of fun to play with around the house and in the yard on calm days. For new drone fliers, I highly recommend the Syma X5C with extra blades and batteries. Picking up the accessories greatly extends the use of the done, as the battery life is limited and the blades snap fairly easily.
Amazon Echo
Jake got me an Amazon Echo for a recent birthday, and he’s had more fun with it than anyone (which is not surprising and totally fine). It can do everything from play music to control lights to order pizza. Before heading out for the day, ask it the weather. Bored? Use it like your personal Google. The possibilities are endless. It has a surprisingly good speaker, which has made it convenient for playing online music when people come over. Of course, little kids have a blast with it. I’ve also seen adults using their Echos for tasks that would never have even occurred to me, like adding items to a grocery list. Check out this list of 10 ways to use the Echo in the kitchen.
Electric blanket
I picked up an electric blanket for my husband from Target on a complete whim during the holiday season a few years ago. It’s been a huge hit. I’ve linked one from Amazon, but you can find them just about anywhere during the holidays. A larger size is nice for warming up a queen or king size bed while a smaller size is handier if you want to use it in multiple areas of the home.
The Complete Calvin and Hobbes
Jake had wanted The Complete Calvin and Hobbes basically forever before I finally picked it up for him a few years ago. I wish I’d gotten it much sooner because it made his whole holiday. If you have a Calvin and Hobbes fan in your life, splurge on this set. Even if they already own all the books, they’ll love it. So much.
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Fun t-shirts
Both Jake and my brother wear tons of t-shirts and like funny t-shirts, so I’m always on the lookout for new options. My go-to Etsy shop for guy t-shirts is ZenThreads. I especially love their hops and boxing squirrel shirts. They always have fun shirts for the holidays, such as the pictured holiday bear. For those of you are also in the Midwest, I highly recommend checking out RAYGUN, which has been one of my favorite retailers since I lived in Iowa City. They started with shirts but sell so many other neat products now as well. Two of my all-time favorite RAYGUN shirts are the pictured say cheese and El train shirts.
Displate
We bought a couple of Displate prints a few years ago – Ferris Bueller and Back to the Future III – during a holiday sale and are really happy with them. Their designs are so original, and I love that the posters are printed on metal. I haven’t even begun to explore everything they offer because otherwise, I’d get nothing done. As such, their minimal movie posters are still my favorites, but check out their other offerings, too. Pictured: Casablanca.
Dice
My husband is a long time Warhammer player, which involves using a lot of dice. I’ve bought a few lots of vintage dice on Etsy over the years. More recently, Jake came across the website Artisan Dice. Many of their products are completely ridiculous. Click through to any of the product categories and sort them low to high, and you’ll see quite a few items that are beautiful and much more affordable.
Heat pack
A microwavable heat pack is ideal for treating virtually any kind of pain. I bought one at the recommendation of my chiropractor. It’s been such a hit that I purchased a second one for my husband. I love TinyLilStitches‘s shop for heat packs. She sells microwavable corn bags in a wide range of sizes and fabrics.
Engraved beer mug
An engraved beer mug is a fun guy gift. The personalization ensures the receipient won’t have a mug exactly like the one he’s receiving. I love the engraved beer mug from HomeWetBar. The shop offers an extensive range of engraved barware, including wine glasses, cocktail glasses, tumblers, and mugs.
Portable charger
I know portable chargers aren’t very exciting, but they’ve been a game changer for us, especially when we’re traveling. Worrying about finding an outlet for your phone is really lame and completely unnecessary in this day and age. We have a couple of RAVpower chargers, which makes it easy to keep at least one phone charged at all times.
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Watch
The only for him gift recommendation that I’ve changed significantly over the past few years is my watch picks. Over the past decade, I’ve bought my husband several nice watches. None of them have held up particularly well. So I’m recommended a couple of much less expensive watches he’s owned or currently owns.
The first watch pick is the CUCOL men’s bamboo wooden watch. Jake has gotten more compliments on the wood watch than any other clothing or accessory item he’s ever worn. There is something about the aesthetic that’s really unique and appealing. The quality is surprisingly good for the price point.
The second watch pick is the Casio black resin dive watch. There’s a reason that Casio has such a long-standing reputation in the watch industry. Their watches have a timeless look and are extremely durable.
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Holiday Gift Guide for Photographers
