The Ultimate Gift Guide for Men

Christmas is closing in on us yet again, and we're searching for that perfect gift for the men in our lives. A father, husband, brother, boyfriend... someone who's too old for Toys R Us (or not). Not to worry, I have compiled the ULTIMATE and COMPLETE gift guide for the men in your life- no matter who he is or what he likes. I can ALMOST guarantee you will find at least one gift on this list that you haven't bought him yet in the past 5 years. And I promise they'll be affordable.

P.S. Skip down to get to the general stocking stuffers :)

Note: This post may include affiliate links. It does not cost you anything extra, however it may help me out.

The Basics

-Clothing

Every man can use clothes. Lets face it, every PERSON can use clothes. My favourites are Henley tees for men (classy but casual, check Winners/Ross for great deals), a well-fitted pair of jeans (not the generic too-short or too-loose jeans you get at Walmart, try Warehouse One or Bootlegger. If they come in Small, Medium & Large, you're in the wrong store), or some comfy joggers (good enough to go out, yet comfy enough to stay in- your best bet is Sportchek).

-Jewelry/Accessories

My easiest pick, by far, is dog tags on a chain. They're affordable, and they look good. Brownie points if you get his name engraved. Not your style? Go for a watch (either durable enough for work or classy enough for a night out. Yes I use classy a lot). Next up, a good looking chain. Still not your thing? Have you considered a ring? You can get really affordable rings if you ask for a jeweler to show you their "alternative metals". Think a nice plated titanium ring with inset diamonds (I totally got exactly that at Charm Diamond Centre, and he loves it!). Last resort, you can get the over-gifted neck tie...

-Tools

If the man in your life is a DIY man, don't forget the tools. Take a peek in his tool box, garage, or shed, and try to remember which brand he prefers. Tools are like makeup, if you get the wrong brand, it'll never get used. Mastercraft, CAT, Dewalt, etc, it's worth doing the research. Also, consult the other men in your life for brand quality. My dad has every tool imaginable, and he stopped me from buying the wrong brand of wrenches for my boyfriend earlier this year.

-18+

Most men have a wild side on some part. Maybe he enjoys scratch tickets? Get a handful of $5 scratchers. Does he like to kick back with a cold one on a Friday night? Get a 6 pack. Or maybe he enjoys the finer things, and you can get him a mickey of his favourite Whiskey (Captain Morgan's is a generally loved rum that usually works well and wont break the bank either).

-Personalized

This one is a gift that you can get year after year after year. Look for a site like Things Engraved or go on Etsy and search for customizable items. This can be something new every year. A pocket knife with his name on it. A keychain with your son/daughter's thumbprint on it. A wallet with a loving message from you etched into the leather. A dog tag necklace with your special date(s) on them (birthdays, anniversary, kids birthdays, the date of the gift, etc). These gifts are also a lot more thoughtful than a generic gift.

What I love to do is get personalized books that tell our story. There's endless customization and they work for every occasion. I use https://lovebookonline.com/ and I'm trying to make a book for big occasions so that we can build up a "series" that showcases our life.

-Hygiene Sets

Believe it or not, at some point in time, even basic necessities become a gift idea. What used to bore us as kids is now well-fitting and much appreciated. For Christmas, you can always find popular brands offering gift sets with various items at a steal of a deal. Shampoo, body wash, a loofah, shaving cream, razors, an electric razor, deodorant, anything. Its a practical gift that he will certainly use.

The Niches

-Gamer

This is the EASIEST guy to shop for. Spend one evening chatting him up about his favourite games, or just listen to him while he's chatting with his gamer buddies online. He's guaranteed to mention an up-and-coming game you can pre-order, an old game from his childhood that he wishes he had again, or maybe just a game that he hasn't bought yet because he's "waiting for the price to drop" (on a highly rated game, this could be YEARS). Get him one of those games. Otherwise, look up his specific console and all of the possible accessories. How old is his controller? A new controller can offer much more precise game play, even if the current one still "works good". Do his eyes light up at the idea of the new custom-coloured controllers that most consoles offer these days? This isn't a must-have, but it is cool if he already has everything else. Does he have a nice headset? What about a camera that would open up a whole new section of gaming (think Kinect for Xbox, or VR for PlayStation)? Does his controller have the option for accessories like a keyboard? Oh, wait, I nearly forgot. Does he have rechargeable batteries? How does he charge his controllers, with a cable or with a charging station? The stations are totally worth it by the way.

If you really want to spoil him, upgrade his console. From Ps4 to Ps5 (or just get him the VR!), from Xbox 360 to Xbox One (I think there is a new console set to debut Christmas 2020).

-Sports Fan

For sports fans, it's pretty basic. Buy all the sports merch you can from his favourite team. Jerseys, mugs, vanity plates for his ride, collector cards, flags, those kinds of things.

As a winning item, watch for tickets nearby hosting his favourite team. Always get at least 2, so he can take you or a friend to enjoy the game with.

-Music Fanatic

Music is a very broad interest/genre to cover. We can cater to the listener with a brand new set of headphones, or a copy of his favourite album. For the artist, you can get him studio equipment (think a new mic, soundproofing panels, or storage like USB sticks and hard drives).

For big ticket items, think concert tickets for the listener and new instruments for the artist.

-Chef

This one is my favourite because there are SO many options! There is HUNDREDS of items to choose from. For my boyfriend earlier this year, I bought him 30 gifts over 30 days. That could've gotten expensive, but it wasn't! I found an affordable panini-maker, a slow cooker with 3 separate pots for hosting dinners, a fancy knife block that was on sale, and an assortment of new large utensils (nobody can ever have too many!). All of this came from a department store and none of them costed more than $40.

Also, I've been eyeballing this DIY hot sauce making kit on Amazon for my boyfriend this Christmas. He loves hot sauce, is always looking to collect and try new ones, and this way he has his very own recipes to try!

-Car Guy

Yikes, this guy can get expensive. But there are some cheaper options. Firstly, tools. Refer to the section in the General category. Secondly, accessories for his car. Think air fresheners, window film, spray tint for the lights, a hitch for a pickup truck, and so on. He prefers a "sleeper"? C'mon, you're talking to a car guy. Of course you know what a sleeper is. If that's his style, or even if it's not, get him a polish or cleaning kit. A nice luxury leather cleaner, interior polish, exterior wax, or even a rim restoration kit are all AMAZING ideas.

If you have a bit more to spend, consider getting parts. Of course, this requires knowing what his vehicle's need, or what he plans to upgrade to.

If you're loaded, you could always get him a car. Just saying.

-Outdoorsy

This is another broad-spectrum kind of category. Are we talking a backyard BBQ or climbing Mount Everest?

Obviously the general explorer would love nifty gear for his travels. This would be things like a GPS or wayfinder, or maybe a tracker tile with a distress button. Also, a quality supportive backpack, insulated water bottle, or one of those super-fancy carbon fiber filtering bottles.

The backyard boss would love a new barbeque, or a fire pit, or new tools for his barbeque, or lawn care tools, or bonfire sticks (for smores or smokies). Maybe a new shed, or keeping it simple with some yard lights for him to "decorate" with.

-Workaholic

A little bit more difficult, but still plenty of options for this guy. Every busy man appreciates a watch, or a smart watch perhaps.

If he works in an office, be sure to get him a planner/organizer. An ornate desk clock or other functional decor also works. You want to think "helpful" when shopping for this one.

A mug to keep his coffee warm is helpful, especially if he works on the go. A high quality phone charger or other dash accessories like a dash cam or GPS work well for the travelling worker (truckers and/or sales reps).

-The Stoner

It's legal in a lot of places now, so I'm allowed to say this. The stoner is very easy to shop for, and it's hard to mess this one up. If you can get your hand on some bud, shatter or oil, you're golden. Otherwise, get him a new pipe. He's more of a bong guy? Get a new stem, or a new bowl. The guy with the joints is even easier, get him some rolling papers. You can get them in all kinds of flavours, and they're very cheap.

A cool idea is pick a theme (the colour blue?) and fill a box with all items stoner of that theme. Don't forget munchies!

Example? For a "blue" theme, you get a box or basket, put some blue gift fluffer stuff in the bottom. Drop in blue raspberry rolling papers, a blue bowl or pipe, a blue rolling tray, a bag of Doritos Cool Ranch or Ruffles All Dressed. A box of Mike & Ikes, a bottle of blue Gatorade, a pack of oreos. You get the idea.

As a bigger gift, you could get him a whole new rig.

If That Doesn't Cut It

-Gift Basket

One of my favourite gift ideas for the holidays especially is a "gift basket". Basically, you take a bunch of $5-20 items and put them together to be given as one big gift. I've done this for weddings and Christmas for my parents as well. It's just that versatile. For instance, for my parents last year, I got them a laundry basket, lined it with a plush throw, added some beer for mom and whiskey for dad, I got them each some comfy slippers, and some holiday chocolate to share. It was practical and chic.

-Loaded Wallet

This one came to me from an old Pinterest board I had tucked away. It was a wedding gift idea, where you fill a wallet with gift cards to different attractions that the newly weds can use for nights out. Of course, I was thinking 'why not make it more flexible, for everyone?' and so that's what I did. Now, I wont say WHO this is for, in case they stumble across my blog, but this is my gift for SOMEONE this holiday season, with a small twist. I'm getting him a basic wallet, just a cheap $10 wallet, and putting in various gift cards that he will most likely use. For someone who lives paycheque to paycheque, this can include gas cards, grocery cards, a coffee shop card, a restaurant card, a card to his most desired clothing shop, a card to his favourite specialty shop, and so on. Of course, it doesn't have to be a wallet. I saw the cutest little paper gift boxes at the dollar store that were shaped like mail boxes. How neat!

-Practical Stuff

Some would argue this one, but I think it works if you're running out of ideas. This was briefly covered in the Basics (kind of), but I'd like to expand. Basics is the stuff you need when you first move in. The stuff you can use for years, and if you really think about it, yours could probably use an update about now as well. I'm talking socks, towels for bath and/or kitchen, large kitchen utensils, bed sheets, bed sets, and other household things.

-As Seen On TV

These items are usually for those that have everything already. While the As Seen On TV products may seem kind of weird, sometimes you can find some neat knick-knacks that you never knew you needed! The best part is, most of the time these products don't exceed $40. I've heard multiple people rant and rave about how amazing the "As Seen On TV" nonstick pans are. My parents are always on the lookout for those sham-wow towels. You can usually find a whole aisle filled with these items near the front of a department store, or just find your nearest Showcase. The best part is, these items are seriously under-rated, so the chances of the recipient already having them are slim to none!

Well, that's about all I have for now. I'm sure there are more ideas out there, but this should get the creative juices flowing. If you have any ideas I may have missed, or if you came up with a genius idea from it, I'd love to hear from you in the comments!