Holiday Gift List 2016, Dads and Men

I don't know about you, but buying presents for my husband and dad are some of the hardest gifts to get. If I asked either of them to make a list, they'd both shrug their shoulders and say something like, "I'd just love a nice note or to spend time with you." Which is super nice, but also kind of a lie. When everyone else is opening presents Christmas morning, you know they would love to have something to open up, as well.

This was not the easiest list to come up with, but when I put it all together it became one of my favorites. I think both my dad and my husband would love all of these items--and so would I!

When I first saw Selfie-Shirts, I knew I needed one or ten. It is such a simple idea but so genius. For the man who should love himself as much as Kanye loves Kanye, can you imagine a better gift than a shirt with his own face on it? Or you can do as I did and put YOUR face on a shirt and give it to your dad or husband. Selfie-Shirts took this fine portrait of me and put them on shirts for all of my kids. Best. Idea. Ever.

Mugs are the perfect gift to give every winter, but skip the "World's Best Father" or even the "World's Best Farter" and go for the really unique and fun with these rad mugs from Creature Cups. I love the creepy animals inside that seem to keep you company with your warm beverage of choice. My husband would love the Cthulhu and my dad would like the lion. Which Creature Cups would you get?

The tie is always a great gift for dad, but Waltman Co Ties has taken tie-giving and wearing to the next level. Not only are these ties super sharp-looking, they also feature a microfiber lining to clean your glasses, smartphone screen, and other electronics. My husband is always asking me to clean his sunglasses and now he can have a handsome way to do it himself! Huzzah and woot woot for the multipurpose tie!

We got a Madsen Bike last year and love riding it around to get groceries, take the kids to the park, make a quick run to get snow cones... you name it. You don't always want to take your car on short errands or places you could easily walk. But when you have kids, you know that you need a quick exit strategy. The Madsen Bike is perfect for all kinds of rides--it is super sturdy, totally handsome, and everyone who sees you will want to know how they can get one, too. On Black Friday they are offering an amazing deal on all bikes: $225 off a Madsen Bike + 20% off all Accessories OR $425 off a FULLY-LOADED Madsen Bike (includes: Bike, Soft Top, Front Rack, Dutch Upgrade, Shiny Brass Bell, Madsen Water Bottle, Steel Front Lights, Rear Light). Get on it!

Maybe you need to express your love in lights to the man in your life. I am loving these lights by HarsenHope. They make custom-accent lighting that can express your love, your interests, anything you can think of. I particularly love the thumbs-up and HOT! Sriracha lights--I can imagine my husband putting it at his desk at work to remember how much we support him or the HOT sauce by our bed to remember how hot he is. HA! But really. I can think of a different HarsenHope light for every room in our house. This is revolutionary lighting, folks!

We stumbled upon CocosOrganics at an art festival the other day and fell in love with the charcoal Dirty Mouth Tooth Polish and face scrubs. Not only is Coco--the owner--adorable and passionate about her products, but the products themselves are so well-made and cool. My husband was surprised that we wanted him to put charcoal on his teeth, but he's always up for a new adventure. No chemicals are used in CocosOrganics products and from the lip balm to the coffee scrub, your man needs a little help with his skincare. 

Thread Wallets are so slick and slender. These are the opposite of the bulky wallet your dad used to have that would mark his back jean pocket from its size. Thread Wallets are slim and minimal, showing your personality with fun elastic patterns or simple leather. If your husband, boyfriend, or dad is super active, he will like the lanyard option that keeps his important cards close when he doesn't have a pocket to put it in.

I, personally, love that the watch is coming back in big style for men and women. We didn't "need" watches since we always had our phones nearby that told the time. But if you're anything like me, when you open your phone to check the time, you accidentally get sucked into looking at your email, checking a few social apps, finding out the weather, searching for the next movie showtime, and then "oh yeah, what time is it?" Arvo watches are so handsome and do just what you need them to do: tell the time. I love their simplicity and I love wearing them. My husband just mentioned how he wish he had an Arvo watch, too, so BINGO! Christmas gift! They are giving away a ton of watches over the next few days so go check out their website to win.

Maybe your husband, dad, man wants to take better photos, but doesn't know what camera to get. The smartphone is fun to take photos with, but he wants to hold on to a serious camera or try out some gear that isn't available at Target. Parachut is a high-end club for creatives with unlimited photo gear access delivered on rotation for a price that fits your budget. You get unlimited access to a warehouse full of drones, cameras, lenses and creative gear. Parachut is genius for the man who wants to be creative but doesn't want to commit... to a camera.

See why this list became my favorite? So many cool items! Which is your favorite? What are you getting the dad/man in your life?

AnnaM