2018 Holiday Gift Guide: For Him
Anyone else find the guys in their life the hardest to buy for sometimes? Maybe it’s because guys don’t usually tell you what they want, or they tend to just buy what they want when they want it. Or they don’t even know all the things they do need. I’ve been known to be one heck of a good gift giver (thank you, thank you) so to help you out with some ideas this year I’ve compiled a bunch of holiday gift guides with some of my favorite gifts to give (and receive). So without further adieu, here are a few of my favorite gift ideas for the guy in your life. Whether he likes comfy clothes, traveling, new gadgets, or simply loves booze, I’ve got some great gift ideas for him.
JCrew Brushed Fleece Sweatshirt: My family loves hoodies, so JCrew sweatshirts are usually on the list for what I get my brother for his birthday or Christmas every year. This one is super light and a full-zip, which layers really nicely over the JCrew short or long-sleeve tees. JCrew has been running a lot of 40% off promos lately so you should be able to get this for under $50.
Hershel ‘Novel’ Duffel Bag: This is the BEST weekend bag. I got one for myself, and then have gifted the same bag in different colors to each of my parents. It’s under $100, great quality, comes in a variety of colors and has plenty of space for a few outfits for shorter trips. The best part is there is an exterior shoe compartment so you don’t risk getting your clothes dirty if you pack a few pairs of shoes with you.
City Prints Map Art: If you haven’t discovered City Prints yet, then this might be your favorite find on this gift guide. My brother got me this Boston College Campus Map when I bought my first condo in Boston a few years ago. Since then I had a custom print of our lake at the Cape made to have next to this print. With the white matte and black frame, I’ve had no issue finding the perfect spot to hang these prints in my Boston condo, then my Raleigh apartment and now back in my Boston apartment. One year for Father’s Day we gifted my dad the baseball stadium wooden coasters and another time the Yankee Stadium scotch glasses.
Outdoor Voices Cloud Knit Sweatpants: If you read my Gift Guide for Her this year already then you know I’m obsessed with all things Outdoor Voices. I got my brother these sweatpants for his birthday earlier this year and I might buy the women’s pair for myself soon. They are the most comfortable material ever, and you can definitely go out in public wearing these not looking like a slob. OV does 20% off with valid student IDs in their Boston seaport store, but they have also been running some great promotions online as well.
Echo Spot: I have a regular-sized Alexa in my kitchen at home, but last year got this Echo Spot for my nightstand and I love it. It’s really small, even smaller than the clock I used to have there. It is the perfect speaker for listening to music in the morning and I like being able know what the weather is without having to even roll over.
Bose SoundSport Wireless Headphones: This is another gift I got my dad one year after I bought them for myself. I’ve never been a fan of the big over-ear headphones so these are perfect for me, especially when I am walking around the city or working at my desk. They get a few hours before requiring a charge, and have great sound quality. Plus, these finally solved my long-time issue constantly throwing my phone on the treadmill when I would get tangled in my headphone wires.
Sous Vide Precision Cooker: So I actually haven’t personally used this yet, but I saw it at an America’s Test Kitchen event this fall and I’m really interested to see how well it works. So I plan to buy this for someone this year and then have them cook me a meal. See how thoughtful I am? This one had great reviews, a great Amazon Black Friday price, and connects to your smart phone as well. I’ve seen a few people on my Insta stories using this and the steak they make looks really delicious (even coming from someone who isn’t a steak eater).
Urban Map Glasses: Whenever I am looking for a new creative gift idea I always check out Uncommon Goods. These are one of the highest rated gifts on the site, and very similar to the CityPrint ones I’ve gifted before. This shop also does custom marathon glasses and a few other cool ones that could be great gifts for that tricky guy to buy for in your life.
Yeti: I feel late to the Yeti party, only having discovered it this past summer. My friend Dan had these on his boat, and they are both good looking tumblers and very functional. I personally have the giant 30 oz tumbler that I use every day at work. The wine tumblers and the outdoor coolers all have great reviews online as well.
Happy Socks: Another gift I always round out my brother’s presents with are these colorful and fun Happy Socks. I even discovered this year they have socks for little kids, and with a 40% off Black Friday deal I picked up a few pairs for this year’s gifts.
Sugarfina Dark Chocolate Bourbon Bears: Sugarfina is my go-to gift for coworkers. Last year I got all of my “kids” at work different Sugarfina candy boxes based based on their personalities. Prosecco bears for Jenny, Tequila gummy bears for Rebecca, and they have a great cordials collection for guys. These Bourbon Bears were a big hit with the guys on my team. The Vice candy collection has lots of great boozy candy gifts. They were running a good buy 2 get 1 free holiday sale this week, but if you miss it don’t worry there are usually a few other sales before Christmas. You can often find Sugarfina at Nordstrom if you want to save on shipping, or pick them up at the Boston store in the Prudential mall.
100 Tricks to Appear Smart in Meetings: This is a great gift for someone with a sarcastic sense of humor, or really anyone in corporate America who’s calendar at work is jam packed with meetings that could have been emails. My brother got this as a gift for me a few years ago and it’s always a good laugh. This is the same author who wrote the new “How to be Successful Without Hurting Men’s Feelings” which is on my Gift Guide for Her list this year.
