Father’s Day Gift Ideas
A buddy of mine just had a birthday and I asked him how he celebrated the milestone. “Just another Thursday” he said. As for birthday gifts, he added: “I’m an adult — if I want something, I’ll buy it.”
Bingo! When we dads say we don’t want anything for Christmas, birthday or Father’s day, we mean it. Still, we know friends and family will ignore our pleas and make some obligatory effort to celebrate our existence, so here are a few insights that will accomplish the task without evoking a feigned (strained) expression of our appreciation.
#1 We DO appreciate the fact that you want to show your affection for us, we just hate to see you throw cash at an occasion . . . just for “occasion’s” sake.
#2 Like my buddy said, we’re adults now, so it’s gonna be difficult to find a gift that we really want. (If we really wanted it, we’d probably own it by now.)
#3 Less is more. To thwart the uncomfortable pretense of enthusiasm for a gift that misses the mark, go small. A gift under $20 says: “Just a little something to let you know we didn’t forget your big day.”
#4 Instead of trying to discern our “wants,” consider our “needs.” We’ll always need a carwash from time to time.
#5 If you’re gonna completely ignore our wishes and splurge on a mega-gift, consider experiences rather than products. Killer seats at a concert or ballgame are tough to beat.
Consider these gift ideas:
• A sleeve of his favorite golf balls, not the latest/greatest golf club.
• A cool sunglass strap, not an expensive pair of Maui Jims.
• A carwash or boat detailing service, not auto accessories or a new chart plotter.
(with a special shoutout to local Wilmington NC boat-detailing legend Miles McClaskey!)
• Wake & Bake, not an expensive dinner reservation.
