Young House Love

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2012 Holiday Gift Guide: For The Guys

When Sherry made a mood board of gifts that kids and ladies might like, there were actually a bunch of requests for a guy-gifts version from me. Color me surprised. But who am I to deny the people what they want? (cut to me muttering quiet profanities while trying to make a mood board). The good news is that ten hours later I emerged victorious. Fist bumps for everyone! I won’t even pretend that the items below will tickle every guy’s fancy (do men even having “fancies?”), but here are a dozen items that I wouldn’t mind finding under the tree…

1. This HOMAGE NYC tee, which I’m actually wearing right now. I treated myself to this $20 Fab.com find a few weeks ago and the best part is that Clara says “C for Clara!” when she sees it.

2. I’m a sucker for a good notebook. Yep, even dudes need to write things down now and again. So this $10 hand-stamped brown spiral notebook from Etsy seems like a pretty perfect place to jot down your “nefarious ideas.”

3. I haven’t actually used this GYRO screwdriver from Black & Decker, but every time I walk by it at the store I’m intrigued. It’s like the Segway scooter from www.MyProScooter.com of screwdrivers, interpreting the twist of your wrist to the direction you want to drive your bit. Screwdriving of the future perhaps?

Daddy Mood Board2

4. I will always have a soft spot for vintage travel posters, so these caught my eye a few weeks ago. Sadly there’s no Richmond poster yet, but there are still lots of options for those of you who live in (or have a love for) a bigger metropolis.

5. Fist pump… in poster form. Need I say more? I do. This fresh $20 print comes to you straight from Richmond.

6. I couldn’t do a mood board without something bike-y on here, right? So how about this $18 leather wallet from Etsy, which can even be personalized for no extra charge. That means more cash to keep in your… well, you know.

7. These are man cave bookends if I ever saw ’em. And while I like the classic green color of these oversized army men, I think they could also look pretty sweet spray painted charcoal, navy, or even in Sherry’s go-to glossy white.

8. Here’s another suggestion straight from my closet: this striped hoodie from American Apparel is just about the most comfortable thing I own these days. The $45 price tag is a bit more than I usually spend on a sweatshirt, but I’m most definitely getting my money’s worth this winter.

9. This WOW Bluetooth Speaker comes in several colors, but this yellow one caught my eye first. They’re available in a few places around the internet, but the best price I’ve seen hails from eBay.

10. I’m a fan of giving magazine subscriptions to my brothers-in-law for the holidays, and this rustic magazine rack (made from reclaimed materials) could be another option. It’s more expensive than a magazine subscription, so a few of the bro-in-laws would probably go in on it together.

11. The Oatmeal cracks me up on a regular basis, so I see guaranteed laughs for anyone who receives the gift of How To Tell If Your Cat Is Plotting To Kill You.

12. While I wouldn’t normally suggesting giving a guy scented candles, even I can get behind “man candles” which smell like fresh cut grass, a campfire, and (my personal favorite) sawdust.

So that’s my dude-y dozen. Do you guys have any favorites of the mix? Or are there any other items that you’re getting the dudes in your life that you’d like to share?

Update: You can check out all of our favorite holiday decor finds here – many of which are under $15! 

Comments

  2. Kara says

    Sawdust scented candle? That makes me laugh! Definitely a “man candle” if anything!

    So… I’m a girl, but pretty much most of everything on this list works for me too! Wonder if that makes me a man-girl? No. Let’s just call this a gender-neutral list for my sanity-identity’s sake.

    Reply

  5. Julia @ Chris Loves Julia says

    Chris asked for 98% stuff for the kitchen, 1% tools and 1% clothes. And he counts “new basketball shorts” as clothes. So while I observed his wishes and got him things he really wanted, not going crazy in the Gap’s men’s department was hard! I learned a valuable lesson though–what us women want to get our men, isn’t necessarily what they really want to receive. Hence–1% clothes. Hahaha.

    I did have fun putting together a dream gift guide for a guy though. Just not my guy necessarily. http://www.chrislovesjulia.com/2012/12/you-cant-go-wrong-gifts-for-him-her-and.html

    Reply

  6. Val says

    Kreg Jig, for the win! Although that really might be more for me. I also got a battalion of balsa wood airplanes, just as a cheap, fun stocking-stuffer. Lots of fun on Christmas morning.

    Reply

  7. Lindsay says

    Excellent! My husband is such a good sport with our three cats and I needed one extra little gift for him so I just ordered the Oatmeal book. Thanks for posting these!

    Reply

  8. Brenda says

    The Oatmeal is hilarious. And now I want my next journal to say “Nefarious Ideas” on the front. Definitely sounds like a Dr. Horrible type of idea. :)

    Reply

  9. Ed says

    Those are some great ideas…I especially love the fist pump poster…that would be awesome for my office…and i would totally be down for the campfire smelling candles…some cool finds!

    Reply

  11. Lauren Nicole says

    These are great ideas. I never think to get my hubby home decor gifts, but I’m sure he’d love the posters and the magazine rack.

    Reply

  17. Desiree C. says

    I think the cat book is the best thing on that list. I’m not a fan of cats myself, but there’s no way that book can’t be good.

    My husband always tells me he wishes we could be tortoises so we could live very long lives together. That led me to purchase a tortoise print for our gallery wall from this Etsy shop for him: http://www.etsy.com/listing/108481726/tortoise-original-watercolor-painting?ga_search_query=tortoise. I’m pretty pumped about it and I’m certain he’ll love it!

    Reply

  18. Lydia says

    Yay, Homage! I was just at one of their stores this morning to pick up a gift for my husband. Love their stuff, and shopping local.

    Reply

  19. Robin says

    Love all these idea. It’s the most relatable holiday gift post I’ve seen on the web this whole season! Too bad I got hubby a medical drawing textbook. coughdorkcough

    Reply

  20. Ashlee says

    So much for no more shopping! I knew I shouldn’t have looked, off to see if I can get some of these things before Christmas….otherwise I’ll save them for Valentine’s Day :)

    Reply

  21. Ashley C says

    Oh man. YHL reads The Oatmeal! And thus my fandoms collide. Next I’m going to find out you all watch Doctor Who or something. :-)

    Reply

  22. Kim Wethe Rily says

    John and Sherry watching Doctor Who = awesome. They’re all on Netflix and I just watched the last episode.

    Reply

  24. Lauren says

    John, I know you just spent 10 hours creating this mood board… but do you happen to have any cheap stocking stuffer ideas for guys??

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Hah, let’s see? Maybe a candy bar? Or a soda? Haha. Hmm, what else? A magazine subscription is always fun/cheap (sometimes $5 on amazon.com) and you could slip a little printout of the mag’s cover in the stocking.

      -John

    • Kim says

      Love the magazine idea–just bought a $5 subscription to Esquire for my man (we are starting a tradition of doing about $30 worth of random fun stuff in each other’s stockings since our one big gift usually isn’t a surprise!). Thanks John!

      There are also a lot of really fun stocking stuffers at Urban Outfitters. I’d check them out too. :) Of course there is always lottery tickets, cheap gift cards and homemade cards or coupons you could add too.

  25. Jill@RealLifeNotes says

    I’ve been totally stumped on a gift for my husband. There was a Slate magazine article about the most comfortable hoodie ever but it was sold out when I went to the website (and $80) so I’ll have to check out that American Apparel one.

    Reply

  26. Kimberly says

    I don’t know if you guys have heard of Doctor Who but your #3 screwdriver reminded me of the futuristic “sonic screwdriver” from the show. Definitely a step in the right direction.. soon we’ll only need sound to install shelves according to BBC :P

    Reply

  28. Laura says

    I used to have toy soldiers lined up with putty around my dorm room waaay back in the day. The book ends get my nostalgic–I might have to get them (despite them being labeled as a man gift!).

    Reply

  29. Casey says

    I just had to order that Nefarious Ideas notebook for my husband. So awesome. He’s doing clinic rotations to finish a physician assistant program and is always scouring the house for old notebooks to keep track of cases to log. This will fit in his white coat and definitely give him a little chuckle throughout the day. Good job John! :)

    Reply

  30. Angel says

    Haha I like the magic drill. I was just at home depot today buying a “impact driver” for someones gift(just bought one, still not sure what it is) and the very nice man helping me INSISTED that I try it out. I said “oh its not for me, no thanks”. He said, “oh yes, yes its very powerful, just try it”. And handed it to me.

    Pretty much just made a lot of noise, bounced off the screw and maybe almost took out both of us. He said, “well thats not really how you… here” and took it away from me LOL.

    Reply

  33. KatieLou says

    I used to find my hubs difficult to buy for, but one year someone said to me “think about something that will make his life/dailylife easier”. So I started doing that, and odd things sometimes come up, like office related, or even decor. But if it makes his life easier and makes him smile (like the NI notebook above) then that’s just a boner.

    Reply

    • hjc says

      Oh KatieLou! I saw the correction above, but just found your original comment. Made me laugh out loud! Best. Typo. Ever.

  34. Meg says

    Awesome job, John — totally worth the 10 hours it took. :-) And, though I’m a lay-dey, I’m loving 2, 4, 7, 10, & 12. Possibly for my husband (luckily his b-day is in February, so it’s fun to use holiday gift ideas as “overflow” gifts), definitely for me to love vicariously. And I’m SO into the idea of a campfire candle — favorite scent for the win!

    Reply

  36. Cheryl says

    I got some of the candles for the guys on my list.

    My whole living room smells of the “coffee” ManCan – to the point where I can’t tell if the “fresh cut grass” ManCan even has a scent.

    Reply

  38. cporoski says

    Seriously, I just bought 2 and 4. I wish this list came out a week ago so they were sure to be here by christmas. We will call them new years presents if not.

    Reply

  39. Jayme says

    I noticed there is nothing video game-related here and then I realized I don’t think I’ve ever read anything about John playing video games. John…are you a unicorn?

    Sidenote: I got my hubs a Black and Decker Matrix drill with the sander attachment. His mom got him the trim saw attachment and his dad got him the router. (I don’t know what a router is, *hangs head in shame*) My parents got him a torque wrench set. Essentially he’s getting a mini workshop for Christmas.

    But I’m going to order one of those campfire candles now…for myself.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Sadly I’m not a unicorn. I definitely liked video games when I was younger but after moving to NYC in my tiny apartment I just didn’t have access to them (or money for them, lets be real) so it sort of died then.

      -John

  41. Mary says

    Thanks, John! I just ordered the Army bookends for my Army guy. He loves quirky things like that. I am probably the oldest person to order from Urban Outfitters…ever. If you enter purplewishes into the promotion field you get free 3-day before Xmas shipping and 10% off.

    Reply

  43. JoAnn in NJ says

    Thanks for the mood board! My eye went right to the army dudes as we have a few thousand currently residing at La casa. Plus tanks, trains , planes and whatever a man in his 30’s with the heart of a 12 year old boy would love. They are on their way to a man who can truly love them.
    Thanks again!

    Reply

  47. Lisa in Seattle says

    Well, John, I hope you get a kickback from the fab.com folks, because I just joined and dropped a wad there. One thing I don’t get, though – on the Seattle print on your mood board, what is that weird circular thing halfway down on the right side?

    Seriously, this might be the best Dude Gifts post ever.

    Reply

  48. Miranda Williams says

    Love the fabric you suggested for a shade in the hall bathroom. I think it would look adorable as a shower curtain in a kids bathroom. :) Thanks for the idea!

    Reply

  49. Abby K says

    Thanks for this post! I’ve been racking my brain for a small funny surprise gift for my husband. Enter: How to Tell If Your Cat Is Plotting to Kill You! Thanks for a great idea!

    Reply

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