Father's Day Gift Guide

Father’s Day is this Sunday, June 17th, but it is not too late to pick up a great gift for Dad. Why is it so hard to shop for dads? Ask a lot fathers what they would like for Father’s Day and often we get a shrug and the response “I don’t know.”

In my experience if a gift is too grand or expensive, then father’s generally feel uncomfortable. If the gift is too silly or kitchy, father’s can’t appreciate it. So, the trick is to find something useful, wanted, and not too expensive. Given that, here are 10 suggestions that could be helpful:

1) A Sports Car for a Day

Let Dad trade in the minivan or hybrid for a day. Hertz now offers their Fun Collection and their Prestige Collection at both Seattle and Portland International Airports. The Fun Collection includes a Mustang Shelby GT-H and the Hummer H3. The prestige collection includes a Lincoln Navigator, Cadillac Escalade, and the Hummer H2. Dad can hit the highway for a 24 hour adventure and still be back for work and Little League practice on Monday.

2) BBQ Upgrade

As the warm weather approaches, you’ve been talking about replacing that old rusted BBQ. Why not offer Dad an upgrade to the next level from what you would have bought anyway? Add an infrared rotisserie feature and an extra burner for a summer full of tasty treats. Throw in this humorous apron from Cafepress.com with a Scarface reference from the kids.

3) Golfer’s Package

Every golfer can use tickets to the driving range. Round out the gift with some comfy golf slippers and a good book. Try Quantum Golf: The Path to Golf Mastery for sage golf advice off the course.

4) Movies

A gift subscription to Netflix.com allows Dad to pick out his own movies. Or find a quality show on DVD you think he might like, for example the first season of the new Battlestar Gallactica or the fabulous boxing documentary When We Were Kings.

5) Swiss Army Knife

This handy little unit can ride in Dad’s pocket just waiting to grapple with life’s unexpected emergencies: Small blade? Check. Scissors? Check. Toothpick? Check. Tweezers? Check. Bottle opener with large screwdriver and wire stripper?  But of course. . .

6) Kid Produced Photography

Give the kids a camera with a roll of black and white film and let them take some photos for Dad/Grandpa. Head to the nearest one-hour photo joint and pick a few to frame and make a series. Some are sure to be “abstract” masterpieces.

7) Favorite Sports Team Tickets and Paraphernalia

Sporting event tickets are a great stand by. Does your guy bleed purple or green? How about some Husky or Duck gear from the the University bookstores? Don’t stop with a plain old sweatshirt, there is some fantastically crazy fan merchandise that can seep into your dad’s everyday life, such as computer mice, mouse pads, license plate holders, windsocks, letter openers, cribbage boards, and more. Professional sports teams aren’t far behind with a veritable buffet of wacky items all emblazoned with their favorite teams’ logos. Check out the Seattle Team Shops for Mariners, Seahawks, and Sonics merchandise.

8 ) A Special T-shirt

You’ve seen them everywhere: young and old wearing t-shirts denoting something or other on the front. I often recommend to my male clients that they should follow the current trend of wearing slim cut t-shirts with some sort of design on it. The trick to not looking like a slave to fashion is picking out a t-shirt that fits well and has a design on the front that means something to them. For example, if a guy wears a t-shirt that has a current style and a random design on it found at a department store, he looks nice but trendy. If a guy wears the same style of t-shirt with a design on it that denotes his favorite indy band, junior high band, hobby, TV show, cereal, travel destination, etc. he then looks, dare we say, “cool”. These can even be great conversation starters as well. There’s nothing like a vintage looking “Cocoa Puffs” t-shirt worn by someone who still eats them everyday, to get people waxing nostalgic. Check out Cafe Press for customized t-shirts.

9) Small Digital Camera

Small gadgets make any guy feel like 007. The trick with these is to keep them small, so Dad can just slip it into his pocket. Anything too big and it will just get left at home. This Sony Cyber-shot DSC W-50 sells for under $200 and is highly recommended by Consumer Reports.

10) Fishing Excursion

You don’t want your guy sleeping with the fishes, but let his inner-hunter out and you may just have saved yourself a trip to the market. No need to fly north, there are some fun six-hour excursions from Seattle and Portland. This “Ultimate Angler’s” cap from Orvis can be added from the kids.

Happy Father’s Day to all!!