Every year I start my 'for him' gift guide by stating that men are tricky to buy for, and I still stand by it. Of course, you can go generic and gift a bottle of alcohol or a gift box selection of socks but if you want any kind of positive reaction from your male gift recipient then you've got to think outside of the box a little!
While we are very near Christmas (I know I haven't finished all of my own Christmas shopping) I have ensured all products mentioned in this post will arrive in time, whether that's through Amazon prime, ASOS next day delivery or good old-fashioned high street shopping.
Unique Gifts
Retro Games Consoles
Any gift that has a nostalgic element is a sure way of pleasing the person you want to impress! This could be a board game from their childhood, a selection of old sweets or if you want to really wow them; a new but retro games console.
Every year more and more become available and this year is no exception, in fact, 2018 has been the year of the retro console with Playstation releasing their classic console and more and more retro handheld consoles becoming available. Deciding which games console to go for really is based on the age of your gift recipient and what they grew up playing.
For the older generation, it's likely to be Atari which has a budget handheld console here and the original console here. For someone in their mid 30's it would be NES and Mega Drive and then a slightly younger generation it would be the original PlayStation (preloaded with games) here. However, you may just want to have a non-obvious chat with the person you want to gift such a console to about which video games they loved to play growing up to give an idea of which console they will love!
The games console shown here is actually my boyfriend's and it's a 3-in-1 console (£70 Amazon here) so it fits cartridges for NES, SNES and Mega Drive which is pretty impressive! These kind of retro consoles are definitely worth the money if you want to have the freedom of what games can be played. My boyfriend loves this console and having played Sonic, Mario and Street Fighter myself on it, I can wholeheartedly say it's a great gift that can involve the entire family at Christmas and beyond!
Decorative Globe
Another unique gift idea is to give a decorative item that is not only aesthetically pleasing but interesting. For me, this would be a decorative globe as they are widely available and come in all types of designs/finishes and sizes for varying budgets.
While my own globe (seen above) is no longer available, Amazon is a good place to look with lots of similar metallic finish globes available - I personally would stick to this kind of finish as it not only looks sleek but it definitely makes a globe look more of a decorative object than an educational tool, so light up and coloured globes are out really. However, department stores such as Debenhams and John Lewis do stock similar if you are looking for that last minute gift.
Ancestry DNA Kit
Whether you have a family member that's into genealogy or someone that would simply be intrigued to find out more about their heritage then a DNA Test Kit could make for a pretty impressive gift!
This is certainly an item/experience that not many would treat themselves to, making this an extra special gift which they will be excited to send off to find out their results. As I was picking this up as a Christmas present for a family member I looked at all the different DNA kits available on Amazon and found the MyHeritage DNA Test Kit to be the easiest (a simple check swab) and giving the most in-depth results, even matching you with relatives that share the same DNA from around the world! A really great gift for someone that's hard to buy for or simply loves this kind of thing!
Classic Gifts (done well)
Fragrance
Fragrance is without a doubt a go-to at Christmas as it makes for a good gift. However, it's pretty pointless if you purchase a scent that isn't to your gift recipients taste. So before buying any kind of fragrance, it's important you know what kind of scent they enjoy wearing. This allows you to simply re-purchase one of these favourites, buy a newer fragrance from a brand they already love or be bold and match then with a scent you think they will like based on what they already wear. For the latter more risky option, I find Fragrantica (a huge database of fragrance information and reviews) invaluable as you are able to search by specific fragrance and see what people who like it also like.
Mini fragrance sets are also great gifts to give as it allows the recipient to try out a range of scents instead of just one. You can find miniature sets for him from; Calvin Klein here, Ralph Lauren here and Versace here.
Grooming Tools
Male grooming tools are another classic gift, from electric toothbrushes to facial grooming tools. However again thinking outside of the box can go along way. For example, if you are wanting to gift someone a new toothbrush you may want to consider a silicone electric toothbrush from Foreo or even an eco-friendly bamboo toothbrush.
This is why this year I'm gifting my dad the Philips Multigroom Series 7000 as it's a 12-in-1 multi-tool that seems to do pretty much everything in the way of grooming. With 4 different tips and 8 different combs, this cordless shaver can be used on the face, hair and body... it even removes ear and nose hair - which to be honest I've never seen before. I also really like the look of this one as it's not only cordless with rechargeable batteries but it's showerproof for wet use. I'm really impressed with this gift and think for the £50 price tag it's well worth it!
Food & Drink Gifts
Curated Cheese Board
Cheeseboards are a staple at Christmas for a lot of families so if you have a cheese lover amongst you then instead of buying them a pre-wrapped cheese selection from a supermarket why not make your own.
First, starts with the base, this could be a wooden chopping board, a marble slab or a piece of slate. Most supermarket homeware aisles have these however for something more special but without the price tag then a trip to Homesense/TK Maxx is a must. You could also pick up a cheese knife set to go with it. Amazon has some good budget options here.
Then it's time to think cheese! If your gift recipient loves all cheeses then your job is pretty easy, however, if they don't then make sure you know what type and strength of cheese they enjoy before buying. If you know your gifted cheeseboard will be consumed over Christmas/in a short period of time then you can visit a cheese counter and pick up a selection off fresh cheese (these may have shorter dates) which will allow you to decide how much you want of each; 5 x 200g pieces for example. If you want your cheeses to last longer then cheese truckles (these a cheeses covered in coloured wax - Snowdonia Cheese Co. have a great selection) are the way to go; again these are generally quite small so perfect if you want to pick up a selection. They generally are mild cheeses such as Cheddar and Wensleydale cheese and blended with different fruits or spice such as cranberries or chilli - these make a really lovely gift.
As for blue cheese, remember these are extra strong and not for the faint-hearted. This type of cheese also smells so make sure to wrap it well before gift wrapping it and keep it in the fridge right up until you gift it.
To complete your cheeseboard you may want to add some cheese biscuits or crackers in there and/or a few jars of chutney. Any type of fruit chutney goes well with blue cheese and any more standard chutneys with go well with hard cheese. These can be picked up from any supermarket however if you are buying your cheese from a counter you can ask for recommendations for each cheese!
My own cheese selection above was purchased from Booths (a Lancashire based supermarket) but you can find similar cheeses in Waitrose.
Oh, Honey!
Okay, so you may be thinking... just honey? And yes, while this may seem like an odd gift idea it's a pretty good one for a foodie. You see, I'm not suggesting any old jar honey here. I'm suggesting a slab of honey which really is the best you can ever buy. This is virtually cut directly from a beehive and packaged up making it not only totally organic but a bit of an experience to eat. Perfect when paired with cheese or bread!
While some specialist supermarkets or farm shops may stock this kind of honey, I actually picked a huge 400g slab up from Amazon (I swear Amazon Prime is both amazing and a curse - you end up ordering everything and anything!) at such an affordable price here. In fact, I picked up two, one for a work friend and the other for my boyfriend who loves organic food and anything like this.
A Fancy Cocktail Set
Lastly, instead of simply picking up a bottle of spirits or wine for someone why not consider putting together a cocktail set together for the same price. This not only gives your gift recipient something new to learn but is a great crowd pleaser over the festive period.
My own cocktail set is the VonShef 8 Piece Cocktail set (£14.95) which looks extra sleek in gold and really is high quality for the low price. This has everything you need to make cocktails with and even comes gift boxed with instructions and cocktail ideas. I've had this set for a year now and it's still going strong.
Another gift perfect to pair with this is a set of Monin Cocktail Syrups (£7.30) to get your gift recipient started. Not only are Monin the best brand for any kind of syrups/drink flavourings but this set means they can make cocktails straight away with any spirits they have to hand.
Let me know if you've found any gifts from this gift guide. I'd love to know!
Fee xo.
