My Christmas Gift Guide for Him

If you read my Christmas Gift Guide for the ladies last week, you will know that I promised to deliver one for the men this week and that’s exactly what you are about to get! 🙂

I find it so difficult to buy gifts for men, and there really isn’t a lot of options when it comes to buying for them.  If they want something, they usually go out and buy it for themselves during the year, and unless they have a hobby like golfing or running you are pretty much left with socks and aftershave to choose from! How boring! On top of the short list of things to choose from, my husband Dan is incredibly fussy when it comes to picking things like clothes, shoes and pretty much anything to be honest lol, so I thought it would be useful to get his recommendations for my “Christmas Gift Guide for Him”, and I think we have some winners on the list!

As with the women’s gift guide from last week, I have broken this one down into categories with a range of items in each category that vary in price.  As always, you can shop directly for any of the items I have suggested, by clicking on the images or the link in the titles 🙂

Fashion / Accessories

Ted Baker HIGHFI Rubber Leather Holdall – £399 (link)

I don’t think you can go wrong with a nice holdall as a gift for a man.  Every man needs a handy overnight bag, and unlike us girls who generally need a bag that has wheels on it (and it will still be packed to the brim), a man can generally get away with a holdall when going away for a night or two.  In addition to being useful for a short trip away, a holdall is also useful for anyone who does a lot of travelling and prefers to check in a case, using a holdall as carry on luggage that contains anything that they might need when on board, such as, a laptop, iPad etc.  Ted Baker always have such a great selection of good quality holdalls.  They are quite the investment, but if you choose a good one it will last you a lifetime.  These Ted Baker ones are trendy, practical and really good quality.  I got one as a gift for Dan last year and he has gotten so much use out of it.  He loves it, so much so that it was his suggestion for this gift guide :).  They have so many colours and styles to choose from too and they all vary slightly in price.  I think this is a gorgeous gift for any man regardless of age and taste.

Daniel Wellington Classic Sheffield Watch – £159 (link)

Up until about last year, Dan thought it was only necessary for a man to own one watch, and that was all he would ever need until it breaks.  This is true, but these days it is completely normal for men to own more than one watch at once.  There are so many high street brands which are making very trendy but affordable watches for men.  I got Dan this Daniel Wellington watch last year.  It has a black strap and a silver face, which is the complete opposite of his other watch which has a brown strap and a gold face lol.  At first when he opened the present he was a bit confused and unsure and said ‘oh I don’t need this, I have a watch’ but now he loves it and chooses between all two of his watches to match his outfit lol.  I now even spot him browsing at other watches. I think this watch is a really nice gift for any style conscious man and they come in a variety of styles.  I think they look a lot more expensive than they actually are too.  Obviously a watch isn’t something that you wouldn’t go out and buy for yourself so it makes for a perfect Christmas gift :).

Fred Perry Spencer Leather Trainers – £70 (link)

Unlike girls, who choose a different pair of shoes to wear almost every day, men pretty much own a few decent pairs and wear the same ones day in and day out.  For this reason, Dan goes through his trainers very quickly and I can be sure that buying him new ones as a Christmas gift is always a pretty safe bet.  Dan has been dropping me hints about these white Fred Perry ones that have navy leather detailing on them.  Even though they are a trainer, I think they look quite smart and could be dressed up or down.  Because they are white they will pretty much go with everything too.

Tommy Hilfiger T-Shirt – £20 (link)

I know it’s boring, but I really don’t think you can go wrong with the gift of a good ole t-shirt at Christmas time.  I love this grey crew neck from Tommy Hilfiger.  It’s a safe colour, good quality and looks nice.  It ticks all of the boxes and won’t break the bank.  This particular one is from their ‘Denim’ range, so is a bit more affordable than the classic Tommy Hilfiger t-shirts too.

Cosmetics

Tom Ford Oud Wood Aftershave – £158 (link)

Since the day I met Dan (almost 10 years ago), I have only known him to wear one aftershave, and that’s the Terre D’Hermes – and that’s not because he was trying to be fancy, but he just liked the smell of it and could get it at duty free price when he used to work for British Airways lol.  To be fair to him, did anyone know Hermes 10 years ago?  So either he is telling the truth or he was away ahead of the times! Lol he now claims it’s the latter but I’m not sure I believe that lol.  Either way, I’m not complaining because I absolutely love that aftershave! However, last year when we got married, Dan thought he would treat himself to a new scent.  After testing about 50 different ones over the space of a month ( I told you he was fussy), he settled for Tom Ford Oud Wood and we both LOVE it!! I’m not sure I like it ‘more’ than Terre D’Hermes but I definitely like it just as much.  Oud Wood is a very unusual scent and it is one that you will either love or hate.  Oud is a speciality of the Arab world, so it is convenient that we like the scent given that we live in the UAE and oud is everywhere! I remember watching an episode of The Apprentice years ago, and one of the tasks was to go out and find some oud.  At that time I had no idea what it was (nor did the contestants!), but now I can’t avoid the stuff.  Anyway, back on topic – Tom Ford’s Oud Wood aftershave is definitely one for the Christmas list.  His scents are painfully expensive, so this is definitely not something that you would just go out and buy for yourself……… unless it is also for your wedding day, as in Dan’s case! Lol :).  This really is a Christmas treat.

Kiehl’s Facial Fuel – £21 (link)

Long gone are the days when skincare was only for women.  These days men are just as invested in taking care of their skin as women are, and I think that’s great.  I bought Dan his first bottle of Kiehl’s Facial Fuel about 8 years ago, and at that time he was almost disgusted by the idea of using it.  After a few uses he was hooked and still uses the same product today.  This is always on his Christmas list now.  He loves it! This is a great starting point for any man who needs a little bit of persuading when it comes to taking care of their skin.  Once they try this they won’t go back!

The Handmade Soap Beard Oil – €17.95 (link)

Sticking to the men’s cosmetics theme, another product which Dan has recently gotten into is beard oil.  I say recently because he has only had his beard for about two years, but he really enjoys using The Handmade Soap’s Beard Oil.  I don’t know if he likes it because it makes his beard feel nice and soft, or because it smells really nice lol (hopefully both).  It is made with a blend of jojoba, apricot kernel and vitamin E oils and it really does smell amazing!  It is suitable for all skin types and is marketed as ‘the perfect low maintenance man product’.

Tech

PS4 Pro – £339.49 (link)

The PS4 Pro is the latest version of Sony’s PlayStation 4, and according to Dan it is ‘the’ Christmas gift of the year! It offers 4K gaming (which he tells me means super high definition), as well as improved graphics even if you don’t have a 4K TV (like us).  The Xbox One X (£449) from Microsoft is technically a better machine, but the PS4 has a much better catalogue of exclusive games and is around £100 cheaper.  Any gaming fans in your life are bound to love this – particularly with a copy of FIFA 2018 thrown in!

Plantronics Backbeat Pro 2 Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones – £170 (link)

A pair of decent headphones are a great Christmas gift.  In addition to being useful for travelling, headphones are proving to be more and more popular for use at home.  Long gone are the days when a family sit together in the living room and watch the same show on TV (sad but true). These days, everyone wants to watch something different, whether that be a TV show on Netflix, a YouTube video or just listening to music or an audio book.  For this reason, headphones are becoming increasingly popular, as they allow everyone to just do their own thing.  These Plantronics headphones offer very good quality for money.  At £170 they are still a hefty price, but they are half the price of the Bose QC35ii headphones which are the market leaders for consumer-grade noise cancelling headphones.  The Plantronics have features such as automatically pausing when you remove them, and being able to connect to and switch between 2 different devices. For the real audiophile, these won’t beat the Bose QC35ii, but for everyone else they are a great (and more affordable) option.

Amazon Echo (Alexa) – £89.99 (link)

If you read my blog post which features techy bits that I love, then you will know that Dan and I own the Amazon Echo Dot and we love it.  Amazon have recently launched the new generation of Echo products and I think they would make a great Christmas gift.  I wont go into the detail on what the product does (as you can read that in my earlier blog post), but the new one is smaller (and cheaper) than the old Echo, and has many nice design options to choose from, so you can choose the one that fits the style of your home best. The new version has better sound than the Dot (due to the built-in subwoofer) and can be used to play music from Spotify, order an Uber or control your smart home.  This is a gift that any tech savvy person is bound to enjoy, but even if you are not well versed on the latest tech and gadgets on the market, like me, I think you will still love this.  This little device has something for everyone.

Tile Mate – £20 (link)

Tile mate is a small Bluetooth device that can be attached to, or placed into, anything.  Using an app on your phone you can track the device (up to 200m).  This is ideal for attaching to your keys, back pack or even your luggage.  If you lose an item, you can flag it as lost and Tile’s network of millions of customers can help detect where it is.  This would be a great gift for forgetful people, or those people who travel a lot and are likely to leave something behind. I personally could do with one of these attached to my car keys!

Stocking Fillers

Nintendo SNES Mini – £100 (link)

Nintendo have recently come out with the SNES mini.  This is an amazing opportunity to relive some of the best games from your childhood, such as the original Super Mario Kart, Super Mario World, Street Fighter II Turbo and Donkey Kong Country.  The device comes with 2 controllers so that you can play with a friend, and has been updated with modern technology that allows you to connect it to your TV.  The original SNES came out in 1992, and the launch of the mini has caused great excitement in the gaming world.  The downside of this is that the device sold out of pre-order stock in seconds.  Therefore, the SNES mini is like gold dust and while the price should be £79.99, because of the demand for them, they are being sold on Amazon for £110.  My advice would be to shop around for the best price – reading online, some high street shops still have some stock at the RRP.  If you do manage to snap up one of these, it will be a very popular gift!

Miu Color Glass Water Bottle – £14 (link)

I know this one might seem a little bit boring, but I think this glass water bottle would make a great stocking filler.  Whether you work at a desk or on a building site, everyone needs a water bottle.  This Miu Colour one is borosilicate glass, which makes it hygienic and easy to clean and has a straight forward twist on and off stainless steel lid, so there is no faffing around with plastic straws or anything like that.  All of its materials are BPA, PVC, plastic and lead free.  The bottle also has a very sleek design and comes with a really nice nylon sleeve that has a carrying strap, making it easy to transport.  Of course, if you prefer, you can leave the sleeve off if your water bottle sits on your desk all day, though it does also help to insulate the bottle.  The sleeves come in a range of colours – my favourite being the navy (as always!!).  I think this is a really practical but stylish gift.

Elon Musk – How the Billionaire CEO of SpaceX and Tesla is Shaping our Future – £6.99 (link)

Like I said in my ladies gift guide, no stocking is complete without a book.  Dan’s pick for this year is Elon Musk’s – ‘How the Billionaire CEO of SpaceX and Tesla is Shaping our Future’.  I think all men are into cars and technology (and even if they aren’t, they pretend to be), so this book is a pretty safe bet.  Elon Musk is leading the way on bringing renewable and sustainable technology to the World (and beyond!), and this book provides a fascinating insight into his life and how he manages to be the CEO and/or founder of Tesla, SpaceX, Neuralink, Solar City and the Boring Company all at once.  I think anyone would be interested in reading about this!

That’s it for my 2017 Christmas gift guide for men.  I hope this was helpful to anyone who was struggling for ideas 🙂