Gift Ideas for Men (Advice from a Man)

It's no secret that men are difficult (practically impossible) to shop for. I mean, THEY have it so easy... My Christmas list sounds like this: "Walk into Anthropologie, choose literally ANYTHING, and wrap it”. Replace “Anthropologie” with Free People, Pottery Barn, or Victoria's Secret and it's still a recipe for success! 

Men? SO much more difficult. Maybe you have this problem, too? 

Luckily, I keep a man on retainer for just such dilemmas. Here (with Organized Charm's very first guest post ever) is my husband, Derek Horton, to give us some solid advice on what the heck to get for the men in our lives! 

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Advice on Gifting for Men

by: Derek Horton

It certainly isn’t easy.  But, then again, nothing worth having or doing should be, right?

Anything leather is a great place to start.  

Nothing more manly than leather.  There is just something timeless and cool about leather.  The beauty with leather is it gets better with age.  You simply cannot go wrong with any great leather piece.  For small everyday items: wallets, IPhone or IPad cases, flasks, sunglass cases, journals, key rings, etc.  For big-ticket items: there is nothing more iconic-cool than a great leather jacket.  Also one of the greatest gifts I ever received was a leather duffle bag from my wife.  The more miles I put on that thing the better it looks.  It personifies the phrase: ‘travelling in style.’

When gifting for a man, it is important to keep it simple and classic.  

You’re not re-inventing the wheel here.  Classics are classic for a reason.  A single barreled whiskey or aged scotch echoes classic male legacy.  Pair the whiskey with a hardcover Hemingway novel and you’ve got the recipe for awesomeness.

Also keep in mind men are obsessed with function, not frills.  

Women love frills.  Men, not so much.  The functionality of a gift is what men focus on.  The only thing a man wants ‘because its pretty’ is a woman.  Congrats, you’re the only pretty thing we need.  Now you can focus solely on function.  You’re looking for anything that serves a specific purpose rather than something just because it’s aesthetically pleasing.  Remember, we already have that pretty thing: you.

Men love gadgets.  

They serve as grown up toys.  That’s because they are grown up toys. A device that he can use to control all his other gadgets, remotely from anywhere, sounds perfect.   But, ‘why would you want to control the television from another room?’ you ask.  It doesn’t matter.  This ability alone is substantial reason enough.  Just because you will never understand ‘how this thingy works,’ doesn’t mean he won’t adore owning it.  You do not have to be tech-savvy to put this stuff on top of your list.  Don’t judge.  Remember your lesson on function.  New technology rules this category.  The more impossible this device seems the better.  Bonus points for being able to ‘link’ devices to one another.  I’m not really sure what that means either, but I do know it’s important. 

Now, stop thinking about it and just get it done. 

Need more advice? Have a comment or a question? Add it below.