Gifts for Male Coworkers: Affordable Ideas a Guy Might Actually Like

During special events like going-away parties, birthdays, retirement, and big holiday work bashes, it should be easy to get interesting gifts for those guys you work with, right? The problem is, most ideas seem too generic, too cheap, or even too expensive. And what if the guy you're gifting isn't the type to adore grilling, sports, and the typical "guy" things?

Different and creative ideas to the rescue. Here are perfectly appropriate things to give in a business, office, or other work environment - and suitable for a friend, colleague, or casual acquaintance.

All guys like to barbecue, watch or play sports, or fiddle with cool gadgets, right?

Wrong! There are plenty of men who don't conform to these stereotypes, just as there are plenty of women who don't spend all their time cooking, cleaning, sewing and decorating.

But, well...I can safely say there are some men that do like grilling, sports, and gadgets. But what about this cool gadget - it's not electronic at all. It's wind-up but awesomely entertaining. We have a whole bunch of these wind-up "toys" by Kikkerland and they're durable, amusing, and even kind of elegant.

One of the hardest gifts to get is for quiet, fairly solitary male coworkers who don't mingle a lot. You may know absolutely nothing about them. Here are a couple of suggestions to get you started.

For the man with a dark sense of humor, for Christmas consider It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Zombies: A Book of Zombie Christmas Carols, a terribly macabre take on holiday cheer...

Food is almost always a safe and politically correct theme for guys. Does he love food, travel, or Americana? Try Diners, Drive-ins and Dives: The Funky Finds in Flavortown for a trendy series of profiles of unusual restaurants.

The trick with funny gag gifts for men is to get something that's silly or funny in a nice way, without being tasteless, tacky, or too raunchy for work. A mug gift can be a conversation piece, which, depending on his personality, might be good, might be bad.

I've said it before and here goes again: Guys like food. Well, who doesn't? Edibles make a terrific present for coworkers. Sweet onion confit will adapt to the burger-joint-eater or the male gourmand, both.

Even if you don't know him very well, you can get your male coworker a great gift that is affordable, unusual, and thoughtful all at once.  Try the old standbys of food, humor, and traditional presents for men, and you'll make him happy and stay within your budget.

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