Holiday Gift Ideas for Men

GIFTS FOR MEN $25

For some reason the man on my list are always harder to shop for than the kids or women. When I ask my husband or my Dad what they want they always mumble something like, "Aw, I don't need anything." Which may be true, but I tell them they're getting something anyway so they should fess up or I see a Chia pet in their future.

One of the biggest hits with my son and husband was a pair of mechanics gloves. They are made to protect your man's hands and keep them warm, but at the same time allow him to do detailed work because of their flexability and unique finger design. Trust me, any guy who works outside but also may need to work on his computer at a job site will love these!

A laser level is a very practical and usefull gift for the DIY guy on your list. It there is a woodworker in the family a set of clamps is always welcome as woodworkers never seem to have enough clamps.

My son-in-law is one of those guys who has refined taste and four kids, you do the math. I give him a box of Godiva dark chocolates. The gourmet store near us sells the individual pieces so you can make up your own box. This is a great help as he is also allergic to almonds and I don't have to worry about giving him an Eppi pen with the candy. He also loves good coffee. Last year I enrolled him in the Gevalia coffee plan. He received a new coffee pot and a month supply of coffee for about twenty-five dollars. We did, however, keep the plan going for him for a couple of months. I've also gotten him a pound of Kona coffee beans, the good stuff, that runs about twenty-dollars a pound, so it's a special treat.

Other food gifts are a bottle of good wine, a six-pack assortment of imported beers, peanut brittle, home-made salsa and chips, or a gift basket with his favorite cheese, summer sausage and crackers. My husband loves a good port or brandy from time to time and is always happy to get a bottle of the 'good stuff' as a gift.

An assortment of the most recent magazines on the subject they are interested in is always a hit. Sports, hunting, fishing, cars, gardening, woodworking, curling, whatever. Sometimes you can even get a deal on a subscription.

I know ties are lame, but my husband has to wear one every day at work and now collects art or unusual ties, which makes shopping for him fun. I've found ‘used but like new' Gerry Garcia ties for less than twenty dollars on Ebay. Also Van Gogh, or theme ties like computers or Taz are a favorite of his. Ties with various occupations, Harley Davidson and beers are also available online.

Last year I had a puzzle made of a family photo for my Dad. He lives alone and gets bored. He loved it! I made a calendar with family photos for him as well. Dad loves old westerns with John Wayne, Audie Murphy, etc. in them and I often find these a dollar stores or used book stores. Paperback westerns or mysteries are popular with our guys too. You can have these made at Kodak.com. They run about thirty dollars.

A relative went to the University of Michigan and loves anything with his alma matter logo on it.

Last year I found what looked like cans of various brands of beer. Inside was a pair of lounge pants and the can was also a coin bank. I think they were about fifteen dollars.

Sometimes they want a special tool or gadget and if you are sneaky enough or observant enough you can find out what it is. One year it was clamps in our house. Himself was into making book cases and never had enough clamps.

If he's into music, give him a collection of songs from his favorite groups or style of movies. DVDs are always a hit in our family, but luckily the guys are willing to share a wish list. I guess the DVD of "Beaches" wasn't such a hit.

Give him a photo collage or framed photo of the family or a photo album made up of fun family pictures. The prices of digital photo frames are coming down. With these you upload photos from your computer and the image changes every few seconds.

\I hope this helps you find your man or men a great gift without having to break your bank while doing it!