Gift Guide
36 Holiday Gifts For Dads When You’ve Bought Them Everything Else
Because you’ve done the sock-of-the-month club.
We’re going to go out on a limb and guess you grew up giving holiday gifts to dad. So let’s take a minute and do some math: This likely equates to dozens (or hundreds?) of presents you’ve wrapped and given to your father, grandfather, uncle, in-laws, cousins, and friends over the years. What happens when the holidays roll around again and you realize you’ve checked off every gift on the list? Ties? Check. Socks? Double-check. Beer-brewing kit? Check (and maybe still in the box). So what are the best gifts for dads?
Well, we got you. From holiday gifts for dads new to the parenting game to presents that’ll surprise the guy you’ve been shopping for for decades, this list is a trove of exciting, thoughtful surprises for some of the most special caregivers in your life. And they cover a wide variety of interests, from biking to driving, reading to eating, and relaxing to grooming. And they’ll meet your budget where it is, with goodies coming in as low as $5, along with splurges that’ll turn his yard into a fun-filled staycation retreat (personalized cornhole boards, anyone?). You’ll likely want to steal a thing or two for yourself. And of course, pairing any of these best gifts for dads with a free present of love will show that the meaning goes far deeper than your wallet.
We only include products that have been independently selected by Romper's editorial team. However, we may receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.
1
For Dads Who Love A Good Workout
No matter your age, muscles are bound to ache — whether from a hard workout or a stressful day of neck-craning over video conferences. The Theragun Mini has three speeds to target sore spots, loosen tension, and help recovery in minutes.
2
For Dads Who Love To Grill
Make thin, crispy, deliciously greasy diner-style burgers with this flat-top starter kit, which you can position over your outdoor grill. The accessories, like long flat spatulas and mineral scrub for cleaning, take the gift into pro-chef territory. The kit will also add a new twist to his annual barbecue menus.
3
For Dads Who Love Their Phones
Snag the dad of your fam a nice wood phone case that will remind him of you whenever he looks at it. That way, you can make him smile every time his phone rings by reminding him of who loves him most and brightening his day.
4
For Dads Who Love To Take Pictures
Take one of his favorite family shots and capture it in glass for a minimalist accessory that’ll compliment any office or bedroom. Starting at $25, you can create a 5-inch print, and when grouped together they can create a striking design for a gallery wall.
5
For Foodie Dads
Expand his cookbook collection with stories that speak of more than just recipes by adding stellar works like The Rise: Black Cooks and the Soul of American Food from acclaimed chef Marcus Samuelsson, and travel-TV host Stanley Tucci’s food-fueled memoir Taste: My Life Through Food.
6
For Dads Who Love To Run
This Glide 2 Jogging Stroller is a comfortable ride for dad and baby, with a locking front wheel for a smooth, secure run. The light design makes it feel like you can handle any uphill push, and the roomy basket on the bottom can hold kiddie and parent supplies, like water and diapers. A reclining seat and full top sun-blocking visor means the baby might want to jog more often than Dad does. Maybe.
7
For Dads Who Love To Relax
It won’t flip, but it’ll give you those same carefree, breezy vibes that you remember from beach trips gone by. Prop it on a stand, and the signature hammock will give dad a cool talking point when he gives friends and neighbors a tour of the yard.
8
For Dads Who Love Music
No commercials and hundreds of stations to fit every music vibe, the gift of streaming radio can make your guy happy at home or in the car. From Howard Stern to Andy Cohen, the entertaining radio hosts gather on this collection of channels to make him want to stay behind the wheel for hours on end.
9
For Dads Who Love To Do Yard Work
Let him yank down that tree branch, rip out those roots, and rake up the leaves. These bamboo working gloves aren’t so bulky that they’ll impede grip, or fall off, yet they’re thick enough to ward off blisters and scrapes. Bonus: You can tap and swipe your phone without removing them.
10
For Dads Who Need A Laugh
Get into the mind of one of America’s most famous comedians with Jerry Seinfeld’s 2020 collection of bits and writings. Pretty soon, the Dad in your life will be asking to rewatch Seinfeld from start to finish.
11
For Dads Who Love A Sweet Treat
Pack his freezer with six pints of this indulgent, caramel flan-flavored cream from Miami’s Azucar Ice Cream Company. It’s sure to hit the spot, especially when scooped over a holiday pie or leftover cookies for Santa.
12
For Dads Who Love To Bike
The helmet’s ventilated design with sleek taillight treats safety as the highest priority, while a customizable visor brings a touch of cool. The brand offers a quiz online to help narrow down Dad’s best fit, including purpose and color.
13
For Dads Who Love A Good Glass of Wine
This bottle of pinot noir from Theopolis Vineyards Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir has notes of toasted oak, black cherries, dried raspberries, molasses, and vanilla. Its gold and black packaging make it a luxurious gift for any wine connoisseur dad.
14
For Dads Who Are Always On The Go
Whether biking to work, heading to a kiddie playdate, or meeting friends at a new campsite, your guy will no doubt get a lot of use out of this efficient, streamlined backpack. The pockets are easy-access and the fit is roomy, with cross straps to keep the entire bag tightly closed and securely on shoulders.
15
For Dads Who Like A Comfy Sneaker
Wool, water-repellent materials with rubber bottoms make for a lightweight wear-it-everyday shoe. The sneakers look stylish with or without socks, whether paired with jeans, shorts, or pants. Oh, and they’re machine washable, so he can trek through the mud and rain without worrying about ruining his shoes.
16
For Dads Who Love To Cook
Complete with the special ingredients — saffron, extra virgin olive oil, paella rice, and smoky paprika — this recipe kit will have your guy blissfully mixing and tasting over the stove. As his skills and confidence grow, he can use the pan to create custom dishes with different meats and seafoods.
17
For Dads With A Watch Collection
If the man you’re shopping for has a selection in which he takes pride, get him a functional yet stylish display case he’ll want to show off. Not only will this leather box hold 10 watches, but it’ll also wind four pieces with its dual rotation plates.
18
For Dads Who Like Whiskey
Why dilute his drink of choice with ice when you can chill his glass with cool-looking granite pucks? Made in New England, the six-piece set stores in the freezer for an elevated cocktail hour. He’ll become everyone’s new favorite party host.
19
For Dads Who Love Listening To Podcasts
With a subscription to Amazon’s Audible club, you get access to original podcasts, plus a credit to download one free audiobook a month. Dad can listen to a best-seller while commuting or laugh at a comedian’s takes while steaming in a quick shower.
20
For Dads Who Love Antiques
The scratchy charm of a song popping quietly off a record player has a timeless quality no doubt prized by an old soul. Surprise your guy with this rustic-looking turntable that can also blast top 10 radio from a Bluetooth speaker.
21
For Dads Who Love Coffee
This gift set from independent coffee roasters Dope Coffee is the perfect option for any coffee-loving dad. Treat him to three different bags of Dope Coffee beans, a coffee-infused syrup, a coffee-scented candle, and even a beard and scalp serum for the ultimate self-care package.
22
For Dads Who Love Outdoor Games
If the dad in your life loves spending time in his own backyard, a customized cornhole set is just about as fun as it gets. Personalize the wood boards with his last name, favorite sports team, or even a photo of your choosing; just upload your options into the website, then accessorize with regulation bags (stuffed with whole-kernel feed corn) and lights to illuminate your ramps for evening play.
23
For Dads Who Are Serious About Skincare
With a cleansing serum, toning solution, and oil-free moisturizer, this set keeps complexions moisturized and balanced. The aesthetician’s famed skin-smoothing Retinol Reform comes in a starter size to sample with ease.
24
For Dads Who Love Trivia Night
Gather your friends for a classic bar experience without leaving your house. Virtual platforms such as TriviaHub will guide you through a trivia game night with a live host (so you don’t have to do the organizing or handle the Q&A yourself), accessible through sites like Zoom. Can you say win-win?
25
For Dads Who Log Lots Of Screen Time
Help protect his eyes from polluting blue light while making a style statement. You can even update his favorite Warby Parker frames with their blue light-filtering lenses, so he ends his day feeling refreshed without a headache.
26
For Dads Who Love Mixology
Sweet and perfectly sized to drop into a cocktail glass, these cubes can help create a signature drink. Let Dad get creative, or follow the label to make Manhattans, Moscow Mules, or Old Fashioneds. Each square is spiked with sugar, plus extracts like lime juice, cherry bitters, and orange oil to heighten the flavors in his cocktail.
27
For Dads Who Love Their Computers
It’s slender, portable, functional, and efficient. If those words make the dad in your life reliably happy, get him a gift he’ll use on the daily. The traveling rechargeable keyboard can make his work more comfortable and his life a lot easier.
28
For Dads Who Love Style
Give him a collection of five 33-inch shoelaces that’ll dress up his day. The prints come in fun combinations that won’t throw off his look (think deep blue and maroon; black and white). He can use them in his sneakers or dress shoes – and mix-and-match with the kiddies, too!
29
For Dads Who Love Learning
This is not the dusty globe from Dad’s elementary school room. This art piece sits on a translucent stand and rotates with the help of internal magnets, giving you a mesmerizing view of our planet from outer space. If Dad is super interested in space, consider gifting a different Mova sphere, perhaps of Jupiter or the moon.
30
For Dads Who Love A Bath
Wrap an assortment of Nubian Heritage bar soaps, blended with aloe, zingy peppermint, exfoliating goat’s milk, or moisturizing shea butter, and upgrade Dad’s shower experience. The bars feel luxurious and pampering.
31
For Plant-Based Dads
What would a vegan dad want more than maybe just a bag of locally grown vegetables? This book of plant-based recipes by iconic vegan author and chef Bryant Terry should suffice.
32
For Yoga Dads
If the dad in your life is a real yogi or at the very least a yoga enthusiast, he’ll no doubt appreciate a Manduka mat — one of the best yoga mats out there and used by many of the pros. It comes in a variety of colors so you can choose one that’s perfectly fit for him.
33
For The Ultimate Dads
From the editors of Fatherly.com, a parenting book that focuses on dad without assuming he’s a hapless dummy. Divided between three practically and emotionally challenging stages of parenting — birth, infancy, and toddlerhood — the book is chock full of expert driven advice that is as equally helpful for those who are new to parenting as it is for those hoping to up their game. Fatherly editors reference over 900 studies and speak with over 20 quoted experts on topics from family values (Dr. John Defrain tells you how to develop them) to discipline (Berkley’s Dr. Celeste Kidd explains why it’s more about parents) and roughhousing (Bareknuckle Boxing Champ Ulysses “The Monster” Diaz on how he does it). For the newer parents, there are also more practical skills like dressing, feeding, burping, swaddling, and packing a diaper bag. This is a book that a dude will return to again and again.
34
For Plant Dads
Does the dad of your family have too many plants with nowhere to put them? This wooden multi-tiered plant stand might just be the best gift you can give him. It’s a must for any devoted plant dad who wants to put all of his plants in one organized spot in order to show off his green thumb — kind of like a trophy case.
35
For Dads Who Need A Signature Scent
If the dad in your life is in the market for a new fragrance, this cologne sample set from Sephora features nine sample-size fragrances to help discover his new signature scent. And the best part is, once he chooses his favorite one, he can take the certificate included to any Sephora store or online to redeem a full-size bottle at no extra cost.
36
For Dads Who Shave
Gift Dad this luxury, cordless beard trimmer and highly precise t-blade from Bevel. If he’s someone who wants exact lines for fading, outlining, and trimming hard-to-reach areas, this set makes for a perfect gift.
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