for you
Gifts for dad: 14 original ideas to finally get it right
Finding good gifts for dad is hard because he hardly ever asks for anything. He says he doesn’t need anything, not to spend money, that seeing you is enough. And he partly means it.
That’s why the gifts that move him most are usually the ones that are about you. Here are 14 ideas for Christmas, his birthday or Father’s Day.
Gifts with memories (the most moving ones)
Dads keep everything: school drawings, notes, photos in their wallet. A gift with your story is the one that will hit home.
our favourite
1. Your chat, as a book
The chat with your dad, or the family group, is full of him: his “are you home?”, his photos of the garden or the match, his voice notes explaining how to fix something.
With a personalised message book you turn it into a book with photos, chapters by date and the voice notes in QR codes, so he can listen to them again. You choose the cover and write the dedication.
If siblings give it together, each of you can keep a copy with 20% off.
A letter from each child
The things you’ve never said out loud. To read alone, or at dinner.
His old photos, digitised
The boxes of photos from when he was young, scanned and put in an album. A gift for the whole family too.
Plans to do with him
A match or a gig together
Tickets to see his team or the band he loved as a teenager. And you go with him.
A meal at his favourite place
Or the restaurant he always says he wants to try. With the whole family or just the two of you.
A day fishing, golfing or cycling
Whatever he likes doing, with a whole day to enjoy it without rushing.
By hobby
If he loves cooking
A good knife, a barbecue class or a cookbook from his home region.
If he loves DIY or gardening
The tool he always borrows, or seeds and a new bench for the garden.
If he’s half into tech
An easy speaker with all his favourite music already set up.
What works best
- Something with your story.
- Time together: a plan, a meal, a trip.
- Something for his hobby, good quality.
- A gift from all the siblings that means something.
What to avoid
- The yearly tie or aftershave.
- Complicated gadgets: they end up unused.
- Jokes about his age: they don’t always land.
Keep reading
- Gift ideas for mum
- Gifts for someone who has everything
- Gift ideas for grandparents
- Retirement gift ideas
- Unique Christmas gift ideas
Frequently asked questions
What can I get my dad who has everything?
Something you can’t buy: a book of your conversations, a letter from each child or a plan to spend time together. Dads value memories more than things.
What’s an original Christmas gift for my dad?
A book of the family chat, tickets for something he loves that you attend together, or his old photos digitised into an album.
What should I get my dad for his birthday?
A plan with him (a meal, a match, a day out) or something with your story. For a milestone birthday, a gift from all the siblings works really well.
When is Father’s Day in the UK?
On the third Sunday of June. In Spain and Portugal it’s celebrated on 19 March.
He’s always been there. Let him have it in writing.
