What Do Dads Really Want For Christmas?

My Dad, Ged, is pretty much the stereotypical Dad. He’s into Football and actually coaches a local kid’s football team. He likes beer, make that lots of beer, rubbish TV programs (such as how tyres are made), gadgets that he doesn’t really know how to work, driving his Princess (that’s obviously me) around, and of course, spoiling his family with lots of hugs and kisses. He’s totally not grumpy, a tad temperamental or obsessed with eating crisps. So, as a stereotypical Dad, I thought he was the perfect test subject to base my research on, which leads us to, what do Dads really want for Christmas?

As a little disclaimer, I haven’t in any way shape or form been compensated for recommending anything in this post. This is just the type of genuine gift guide that I would like to see and read, so we went out (for hours I will add) and made it. Obviously, although similar, not all Dads are the same, and things that Ged likes, other Dads might not. But, without further ado, my Dad…..

My Dad’s Birthday falls right in the middle of the year, which means we buy him 6 months worth of socks and pants, and then he gets more at Christmas. This may seem like a pretty boring gift, but if you decide to skip out on them one year, you’re left with a very grumpy Dad with cold feet. Debenhams have huge selection of every ridiculous pattern you could imagine and here’s some of my Dad’s favourites, including silky leopard print, Oh la la!

Although being adventurous with Underwear is definitely on the Christmas list this year, overly cheesy Jumpers (especially with attachments or 3D features), Penguin Onesies and bobble hats are not. All of which can also be found in Debenhams.

There are actually some pretty stylish and funny Jumpers around (I wasn’t allowed to take pictures in that certain shop though) but believe me, they’re out there and my Dad approves!

My Dad works with a ridiculous amount of Men as a Plumber, and whilst sharing their stories on their Mid Life Crises, I am told that fancy Loafer type shoes are what everyone is talking about. As funny as I find my Dad talking about the new must have shoes, I have to admit they’re very stylish and would definitely last a good couple years of dressy events. Our favourites were in Debenhams again. I’m afraid for the Croc lovers out there, it’s fashion before comfort on the list this year and Dads are coming away from the dreaded ‘Dad look’.

With having a Dad who is a tradesman, fortunately he can actually fix things properly, which means we do allow him to have tools around the house. Although these tools may end up everywhere except from where you would ideally want to keep them, mainly in my makeup drawers, The Tool Shed in Meadowhall has everything you could ever need. My Dad used to bore us silly walking around and playing with the new toys in there, but it’s literally what the MAC counter is to me, a mini heaven. Dads basically love tools, especially handy sets for when you make them put your new furniture up, and it definitely encourages them to put things up with a fancy tool box by their side.

If your Dad is into Tools and gadgets to go with them, we’re told that the Braces are their most popular selling item and therefore come in some very unique and strange patterns…

Thanks to my Mum and myself (mainly Mum but I will take some credit!), Ged has pretty good taste in all things Male Beauty related. So much so that he basically ran over to Clarins to show off his knowledge on their skincare that he used to buy.

Some of our favourite picks were the Boots 3 for 2 selection, especially the Gillette and Dove sets.

Lush‘s Dirty Range, a very strong mint scent, is another one of my Dad’s favourites. Usually Plumbers aren’t known for smelling particularly nice, but my Dad’s been known to get compliments with this on whilst at work!

My Dad is also a big fan of their bath bombs after a long day, his favourites is Big Blue, that turns your water into a seaweed bath.

The Body Shop have really pulled the stocks out this year and their gift sets aimed at men really won us over, including this shaving set with an actual brush. Perfect for men who prefer that way of shaving.

I don’t know a single human, male or female, that doesn’t appreciate fun Gadgets. Red 5 is one of the perfect places to shop for Gadget loving Dads as you can’t really go wrong. Whether it be a Plasma Ball, Lava Lamp, flying helicopter or shock game, Dads are always fans as they’re really big kids at heart. We’ve even seen a magic wand that controls your TV before, however at nearly £100, we had to sadly walk away from that one and leave our combined dream of being a family of Wizards behind. However, as much as Dads like gadgets, stay away from anything cleaning related, simply as, nobody likes to clean as it is.

However rare of an occasion it is for the men to cook in my house, it certainly is a very special occasion as the food always turns out amazing. To my Dad, this is only possible with ‘manly kitchen essentials’, such as, a ridiculously overpriced set of knives (if you shop around you can find a very nice discount), a very elaborate spice rack, both of which are from Debenhams, or grill pans. We found these ones in Le Creuset, a very posh but colourful cookware store where you can actually colour code your pans if you wanted. It’s tempting.

If all else fails, or maybe you’ve ever covered everything, always make sure you have the number on essential, alcohol. (Unless your Dad doesn’t drink of course.) My Dad loves his Whisky and ‘mucky’ beer or cider, so for Christmas Day we always make sure to have some special brand in. We always go to good old Asda for this, as normally around Christmas, the deals on alcohol should not be missed.

If you’re feeling extra special, head to Vom Fass (who are online too) where you can get very different looking gifts. Basically you pick your ‘poison’, whether it be cocktails, oils, spirits or unique liqueurs, then you pick a very decorative and potentially festive glass container for it to go in. When you’ve picked the bottle and contents, they then write, in the most beautiful handwriting, a personalised message. I bought myself one for my 18th and I think it’s just an amazingly quirky gift.

We did remember after we had got home which is always the case, that we forgot to add on CDs and DVDs! A Christmas Essential for any dad, but of course, it’s completely dependent on individual tastes. For my Dad, it’s a mixture of the beautiful Michael Bublé and Top Gear.

This has been a collaborative post with my Dad! I won’t lie, we did have an extreme amount of fun making and putting together this post, we even stopped off for Lunch at Las Iguanas in Meadowhall to make the day extra special. We hope you liked this post, and that you now have some great ideas for the Men in your life!