Posted on by omamas

gift ideas for men

Okay, so I wrote this whole post on how Christmas isn’t about gifts and the importance of simplifying and all that. And here I am writing a blog with gift ideas. I’m not anti-presents. Presents are nice. Gifts are good. I like presents! And we’ve all got people in our lives that we want to celebrate by giving gifts.

And if you’re anything like me, you struggle to find the perfect gift for the men in your life. (This is one of the reasons I’m thankful the Cowboy and I don’t exchange presents on Christmas!)

But I still have brothers-in-law. I still have nephews. I still have a step-dad (Hi, Paul!).

Anyway. I struggle. Every year. To buy the men in my life something unique or interesting or cool. Because I want to buy local. I want to buy American made. I want to find something a little out of the ordinary (without going to “Sharper Image,” you know?) that they might like as much as I do. And that requires “shopping” (or at least browsing), and with two little-ones … well … browsing in stores can be … um … challenging.

So a lot of my exploration happens online. Looking for fun ideas. Hoping that if I find something neat … something personal … something that’s not a tie … that lets my loved-one know that this gift is “just for him.” In my late night online wanderings I’ve discovered a few interesting things. Like these:

FOR THE SAKE OF FAMILY … we have a family tradition of getting new PJs on Christmas Eve, reading “Twas The Night Before Christmas” and playing board games. And I don’t know about you, but I’m always so envious of those cutie footie jammies that the littles get to wear, except I don’t like having my feet covered. These union suits are from LL Bean. And they might be the perfect adult alternative (and it comes in men’s and women’s and kids’ sizes!)

union-suit-red
for him, from llbean.com, for $59
women's union suit
for her, from llbean.com, for $59
271129_446_41
for the not-too-little kids, from llbean.com, for $49

FOR THE TRAVELER (this water bottle is amazingly durable, collapsible, BPA-free, eco-friendly and kind-of-high-tech-looking and my sister-in-law, who travels more than anyone I know, will NOT leave her house without it) …

Vapur Element .7L Collapsible Water Bottle sells at amazon.com for about $13
Vapur Element .7L Collapsible Water Bottle sells at amazon.com for about $13

… for the hubby’s college roommate who fancies himself a CHEF, but is still using that teflon set he had in college … (one day, we’ll write a post on why cooking in stainless steel or cast iron should be your method-of-choice … because no one wants teflon or aluminum or copper or lead or cadmium floating around in your bloodstream poisoning your organs … but that’s for another day 🙂

7-piece Cuisinart Stainless Steel Cookware usually sells for $260, but is on sale at amazon.com for $96!
7-piece Cuisinart Stainless Steel Cookware usually sells for $260, but is on sale at amazon.com for $96!

for the COOL (and very manly) TECH-HEAD in your life … I love this Swiss Army-like-“knife.” (And by “knife,” I mean flash-drive.) I just think it’s super-neat.

slimflight flash drive by victorinox $48
A slimflight flash drive by Victorinox available on the sundancecatalog.com for $48
for the MYSTERY READER in the room … the Cowboy happened upon this series about a week ago. He can’t put it down. Six days in, he’s on book three of this eight-part mystery series by Craig Johnson.
THE COLD DISH is the first book in the Walt Longmire Series, and sells at amazon.com for about $10. Or, you can buy the first four books in a collection for about $36. And it's available in audiobooks and for a kindle.
THE COLD DISH is the first book in the Walt Longmire Series, and sells at amazon.com for about $10. Or, you can buy the first four books in a collection for about $36. And it’s available in audiobooks and for a kindle.
And when all else fails … instead of a tie … what about some SmartWool socks (which are available at rei.com for about $20!
By the way … those socks from REI? Who knows, if you register before 10 pm Wednesday (tonight), you may win a $35 gift card to REI, and they could be a gift for you!
So that’s my list. But I’m curious … what’s on YOUR list for the men in your life this year?

2 Replies to “gift ideas for men”

  1. These are great ideas! I am so curious about that book series. I found an amazing old time soda shop here is Los Angeles (they sell small batches, hard to find brands) called Galco’s Soda Pop Stop. They’ve been in business since 1897. For LA, that is ancient! http://www.sodapopstop.com. My dad was musing romantically about his boyhood and drinking Sarsaparilla. I bought dad every brand this store had and wrapped them in tissue in a fancy box. I think he will be very surprised.

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