The easiest gifts to buy are the ones we want for ourselves. Picking up a gorgeous body care gift basket for your best friend? Piece of cake. And, that’s what makes Father’s Day such a hassle. We all love our dads, but, personally, the weeks leading up to the big day can be seriously stressful. Finding the perfect gift requires a lot of thought and creativity, and every collegiette could use a little help for her search. The most important question to ask is this: What do dads love?
Dads love their yards.
I don’t exactly get jazzed over weed whackers, but, for some reason, every suburban dad I’ve ever met takes some serious pride in whatever grass, shrubs, and patio furniture surround his house. If your dad is the kind of guy who spends his day off knee-deep in topsoil, check out the Home Depot. While showing up to Father’s Day brunch with a bag of manure may not be exactly the celebration you’re going for, you can still fuel his horticultural fire with new gardening tools, outdoor light fixtures, or even grilling accessories. Gardening gloves, solar-powered lights, and new spatulas and tongs are all cost-effective yet dad-specific gifts to try out this Father’s Day.
For a gardening dad, look at planters, garden trellises, fertilizers, and starter plants. TLC recommends tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplant, peppers, and corn for the hot summer months, so pick your favorite veggie, head down to any local nursery, and pick up a potted version for Dad to start his summer vegetable garden around. Dad will love providing for his family, and you’ll love the fresh veggies for your summer salads!
Dads love gadgets.
Pictured: 3-in-1 Tablet Pen For Touchscreens, Laser Pointing and Writing, Available at Brookstone
Here’s where the fun can start. It’s hard to justify buying yourself the SnackMan™ Motion-Activated Treat and Candy Dispenser from Brookstone, but it just might be the perfect office accessory for your dad this Father’s Day. From wine aerators to Roombas®, stores like Brookstone and Best Buy have just about any gadget you can imagine, and trying them all out in the store (Can you say La-Z-Boy®?) is almost as much fun as seeing the boyish glee on your dad’s face when he sees the new toy he gets to play with, like Lumi-Ball’s LED lighted golf balls. In fact, if you just can’t choose between an HD video pen and the 10-in1 Bartender’s Tool, consider going with a simple gift card and setting up a date to accompany Dad to the store so you can test all the newest products together for some father-daughter bonding time.
Dads love novelties.
As collegiettes, we all have our fangirl moments, but sometimes dads are a little less comfortable showing that kind of enthusiasm for their pop culture favorites. But, that doesn’t mean they’re any less excited for Marvel’s next feature film. Before they were dads, these guys were growing up on the original Iron Man comic books and Star Trek TV show. A lot of our dads still have some of that teenage boy inside of them, even if they’d never admit it. If you don’t already know where his secret passions lie, ask him a few subtle questions about what was popular when he was in high school, then visit any local comic book store and see what they have to offer. Look for limited edition figurines, variant covers of archived issues, special collections of books or DVDS, or framed posters of classic illustrations. Everyone likes to geek out now and then, and dads are no exception.
Dads love sports.
This isn’t exactly my area of expertise, but dads always seem pretty excited when the latest sports season kicks off, regardless of which sport it happens to be or whether he’s ever set foot on a competitive field (or rink, or diamond, or whatever) himself. Most dads love to get settled down on the couch with a couple of beers and watch the pros do their stuff. This could be another chance to tackle your dad’s memorabilia-loving side and find a piece of equipment (or just a photograph) signed by a player on his favorite team. If you can’t find a sports collectibles shop in your area, check out any local branch of The Sports Authority. Autographs can get pricey, but you can still look for his favorite team’s jerseys or, if he’s more hands-on, the same brand of equipment they use. If he really loves getting involved with the game, think about getting tickets to a local minor league game this summer. Shopping the minor leagues means avoiding any major spending, and the smaller games have a kind of old-fashioned charm you and your dad might be missing out on at the larger stadiums.
Dads love you.
Sure, it’s corny, but the most important part of whatever you end up giving your dad is the fact that it comes from you. The more thought he can see you put into it, the more he’ll like it—another reason to avoid shelling out $100 for a generic Nordstrom tie. Give your gift a little personal flavor instead. If you’re artistically inclined, give him a piece of your artwork, poetry, music, or wherever your talents happen to lie. On the other hand, if your creative skills involve more pipe cleaners than paintings, check out a DIY board on Pinterest and devote some time to a decorating a picture frame, making the card yourself, or even just hand-wrapping his gift. Your efforts won’t go unnoticed by dear old dad when he sees the time you put in.
Another key gifting tip to keep in mind is that, of course, each dad is unique, and not every guideline will apply to every man. Pick and choose depending on what kind of guy he happens to be, and remember that whatever you end up giving him, you’ll get plenty of points just for appreciating him on his special day.