Hey, what are you getting your dad for Father’s Day this year, if applicable? I wonder if we might make a comments section to help out those of us who are still looking for a good idea. My dad likes delightful/interesting/regional food and graphic tees, sometimes kitchen tools and workshop tools. If anyone knows of an online place that ships delightful/interesting/regional food, I would be interested in hearing about it. In the past I have liked O&H Danish Bakery and Nuts.com.
And what about the father of your children, if applicable? This year the father of my children has made things easy for me by making two remarks about things he might like to have—and both things absolutely SMACK of Father’s Day: one is a four-pack of Night Shift Peach Piescraper beer, and the other is a set of extra-long tongs for the grill. If he’s very, very good this year I might also get him the new Zelda game (which would be more of a summer-vacation gift for him plus several of the kids), but otherwise I feel like I’m all set there.
My dad asked us all to come to the house for a BBQ before the grandkids’ summer plans complicate things. We’re also going to celebrate two middle school graduations and two family birthdays at the same time.
I’m getting a hat from my kid’s sports team for my FIL.
Babydaddy asked for a bald-head shaver. I had to google that too, but it’s on it’s way. Amazon is amazing, y’all
Zotter chocolate bars (online only) would be amazing for the chocolate lover dad. I’m a complete chocolate snob and these ring my chimes. Loudly.
Unique pepper seeds from online shops.
Any unique seeds might be fun for a gardener.
My brother got married last November and my sister three weeks ago, we all have a picture hugging our dad at our weddings, so I made a collage of the three pictures. Also, ordered him a nice coffee and coffee mug, we’re coffee lovers.
I ordered Jeni’s ice cream for my dad. (For Mother’s Day, I ordered from Miette, which also stocks Father’s Day gifts, but I felt was a little too feminine for my specific dad.)
For the father of my children, I bought a stupidly large Lego set.
My dad is impossible to shop for, so I asked my mom for ideas and she suggested a Coleman pie iron, I guess for making hand pies or grilled cheese sandwiches over a campfire? My parents just went on a camping trip with friends, so I’m guessing one of their friends had one and my dad thought it was cool. I never would have picked it out as a good gift for my dad, but I trust my mom’s judgment on this one.
For what it’s worth, the new Zelda game is absolutely 100% worth the money. I balked at the price at first (I only bought it because I had a gift card), but it’s one of the best games I’ve ever played.
Pie irons are amazing! We hit upon the idea of making caprese sandwiches in them recently, and my life will never be the same. We used fresh mozzarella, cut up grape tomatoes, and pesto sauce on white bread with a little canola oil on the outside of the bread to make them not stick. Individual pizzas and little pies (the classic choices) are delicious too.
I just realized that since this is meant to be a reference-type comment section, it might be helpful to list some successful gifts I’ve given my dad in the past:
For Father’s Day last year, I got him a Chromecast. (My dad is mostly in charge of everything tech-related at my parents’ house, including the researching/purchasing of anything related to the TV.) He had already bought a Roku but I had a feeling he’d like the Chromecast better, and I was right. (I thought he’d like being able to cast videos to the TV directly from his phone, but he doesn’t use that feature. He says it’s easier to use and has a better selection of streaming services.)
Last Christmas, I gave him a set of Glencairn whisky glasses paired with a bottle of good whiskey. (He likes Basil Hayden so that’s what I got, even though it bothered me a little to pair Scotch glasses with bourbon.) I accumulated a bunch of the glasses when I lived in Scotland and had given my dad the extras, but most of them had broken and and he and my mom were having trouble finding replacements. I live in Ireland now, so I was able to find some here. (I think you actually can get them in the US – I’m pretty sure my parents just didn’t know what that style of glass is called. )
To that end, I’ve had lots of success with alcoholic beverages – either an old favorite or a new one to try. Whenever I visit my parents, I bring them a bottle of whiskey and/or gin.
My dad is from Chicago but lives on the West Coast now, so one time I found an architectural print of different buildings near the part of the city he’s from. He and my mom had just moved and each got a room for their respective hobbies, so I figured it would be nice to give him something to hang on the wall.
My parents love to travel and my dad especially loves the researching and planning stage, so I’ve had some success with giving him guidebooks for places he and my mom are planning to visit. He also likes reading novels or short story collections set in places he’s planning to visit, so I’ll sometimes use that as a gift idea when my parents have a trip coming up.
I’ve also given coffee-table-type books related to travel. Atlas Obscura is a good one – it’s all sorts of interesting lesser-known places to visit around the world. Gastro Obscura is made by the same people, and it’s the same idea except it’s focused on food instead of activities/attractions. The New York Times 36 Hours series is great too – they’re big thick books with every few pages dedicated to a different country/state/city, and each place has a little mini-itinerary for a 36-hour trip there. I gave my parents the Europe edition, but there are others for different geographic regions. They’re useful if you’re planning a trip and looking for ideas, and also just fun to browse through.
He loves with a capital LOVES The Beatles and there are approximately one billion different Beatles-related gift options, so I always have that to fall back on if need be. (I’ve been trying to do less of that lately though, because at this point it seems like he has more than enough Beatles stuff.)
This wasn’t my idea but I thought it was cute so I’m going to mention it anyway: for my cousin’s first Father’s Day as a dad, his partner got matching shirts for him and the baby. My cousin’s shirt had a picture of a pizza with a slice missing, and the baby’s shirt had a pizza slice. It made for a very cute photo op.
I love ordering food gifts! I’ve had good luck with Zingerman’s, Loveless Café, Goldbelly.
My dad’s birthday usually falls about a week after Father’s Day, and my parents’ anniversary is in early July. My mom texted me this weekend looking for ideas for any/all of these occasions because my dad is notoriously difficult to shop for. I suggested the set of BBQ tools from Dreamfarm (I’ve been a big fan of their products for a long time) and luxe pajamas from Recliner (they’re spendy but SO soft and comfortable and there’s a sale going right now).
I am getting my dad a summery shirt and a crime novel. I am getting the father of my child the new Zelda game and a black licorice sampler from licorice.com.
He was very good about making a list of things I could choose from. Other items on the list were a charging station for his phone, watch, and airbuds; a Yeti tumbler; and a Fender t-shirt.
Food items:
In the past, I have ordered (with success) bacon and/or ribs from PigoftheMonth.com, crab cakes from Angelina’s of Maryland via Goldbelly, beef jerky from HiCountry.com, and cookies from Levain bakery.
I’m so glad you posted this because I was so proud of myself for getting my husband a lovely platter from Heath Ceramics that he’s been hinting he’d like, and totally spaced on getting my own dad a gift! Fortunately there is still time, haha
I got both my dad and my husband Omaha Steaks gift packages. Also got my husband some Vuori shirts, which he specifically said he wanted.
In the past I have had good luck giving Father’s Day gifts from Craft Beer Club and Amazing Clubs, for those who like subscription food/beverage gifts, and from Goldbelly for unique/regional food gifts.
Exactly what I got for mother’s day. Can you guess?
Hint: still salty. Also father of children’s birthday was last week and he ALSO got more to-do than I did for that. So.
And even with my best efforts to do NOTHING. Guess what? We’re doing something ,planned by me. WHY CAN’T THIS BE RECIPROCATED?
Bike ride on a nearby rail trail followed by ice cream.
It’s not hard.
So following this – my husband’s birthday was last week so he already got a nice pair of shorts in a colour he didn’t have, a huge chocolate he likes and some premium tea cause he’s a tea drinker. My kids are still young so for Father’s Day I’ve already picked up a small Lego set that’s personalized with his name and those of our sons. I’ll be picking up some beers and a pie. But otherwise I’m short on affordable ideas. Love reading all the comments. He travels for work (driving) so if anyone has ideas for that it would be great but I feel like he already has what he needs.
For my dad – Name-brand Crocs, because he wears faux-Crocs that “exude some kind of oil when they get wet” and cause him to slip and fall.
For the father of my children, first Father’s Day mid-acrimonious divorce – A Father’s Day card, generic, containing no words except my name, that I will give to him in view of the children with a cheery “Happy Father’s Day!”
My dad is getting some athletic shorts and a tub of caramel cashew trail mix from Target, because he likes that mix but doesn’t live anywhere near a Target.
His birthday is two weeks later, and for that he is getting a ghost cube (https://www.amazon.com/Project-Genius-Uwe-Mefferts-Puzzles/dp/B01EXJW7W2/ref=sr_1_4?crid=34AR1P7TW37N9&keywords=ghost+cube&qid=1686581623&sprefix=ghost+cube%2Caps%2C170&sr=8-4) and the book “The Puzzler” by AJ Jacobs. Mom mentioned he might like one a more complicated rubix cube once when we visited a game store recently.
I’ve also ordered from Nuts.com in the past for Father’s Day. My dad is partial to the half popped popcorn and malt balls. The vanilla rum cashews are also very good and giftable.
RTIC soft cooler for going to the beach. It’s like a more affordable Yeti (still expensive).
He asked me for a nice water cup for the bathroom also. He likes gaming with the kids so maybe I can get him a related T shirt or something.
Oh and I forgot to mention my husband is vegetarian and recently I got a veggie board from our local cheese shop as they do those along with charcuterie boards :)
My dad died in 2004 so I haven’t been Father’s Day shopping in literal decades, but the best received gifts I ever gave him were a new snow shovel (xmas present) and a Snake Light ™ circa 1995.
90s Snake Light nostalgia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUm9wMIkJ4c
I’ve never heard of that beer but their location map shows they are super local to me – owls everywhere!
Can’t go wrong with Zelda. <3
my dad: coffee cup from the Masters, polo shirt for local sports team
my stepdad: coffee cup from the Masters, something else that will probably be a polo shirt for a local sports team
father-in-law: ice cream maker and ice cream storage tub
husband: new overnight bag, various tools for making cocktails (shaker, strainer, stirring spoon)
My father-in-law loves fruitcake, so we have ordered from Collin Street Bakery, and he has been very happy with that. My husband gets various beer of the month club gifts (as mentioned above) and he has been happy with the selections. We have also gifted Bean Box coffee beans subscriptions, and those have been a hit as well.
The father of my children, who has mostly forfeited the right to expect anything, is getting something nonetheless from me, as low-effort as humanly possible.
He drinks coffee like a fish, and also likes to have something sweet with his coffee, so I got him a See’s Candy coffee mug with some coffee-flavored chocolates. It’s a gift set, $25.
Is he a meat eater, or summer sausage/cheese/snacky type person? Amana Meat Shop sells and ships pretty stellar sausage/ham/mustard/cheese/etc snack packs in addition to a ton of other stuff at very reasonable prices.
For my husband, I got some bicycling sunglasses with a little rear-view mirror built in. I don’t know if he’ll like them, but he’s into cycling and I’m into him not getting hit by a car.
My kids are old enough (youngest finished high school this year) to handle Father’s Day on their own, but I don’t quite trust the younger two to handle it, so I will be doing some nudging. But I am doing nothing, because Mother’s Day made it clear that the younger two will do as little as possible if they see that someone else will pick up the slack.
My husband bought a card for the youngest to sign, which he did, and he (spouse) bought me chocolate. I love chocolate, but if that’s as good as it’s going to get, let’s just skip this.
Middle kid sent a funny text that I would have enjoyed more had I thought for one minute he remembered to do something on his own. I am sure he was nudged.
Oldest kid got me a card and a present and called. It can be done.
I got my dad a highly rated ice cream scoop. I’m getting my spouse a cooler.
Many, many years ago, for a baby gift for a friend’s second baby, I sent them brunch from Wolferman’s along with a gift card for Wolferman’s around the 4 week postpartum mark. They were big breakfast/brunch people so it worked well for them. Friend said it was the best “baby” gift.
My husband made Father’s Day easy by doing candy and card for Mother’s Day. As Swistle has pointed out, it helps immensely that Mother’s Day comes first. His birthday, OTOH, is a bit more complicated. He got me a couple of very nice presents for my birthday a couple of weeks ago. So, I will be perusing the suggestions here for b-day ideas.
As for my own dad? Well, I’m sure his second family will lavish him with gifts and cards.
THANK YOU, KELLYG! I have never heard of Wolferman’s but their stuff looks perfect for my dad. And they have Father’s Day themed box with a shipping deal. Ordering it RIGHT NOW.
My dad passed in ’97 and my kid’s dad and I exchange bland, cordial texts on holidays if we remember, so I have nothing to add to the list and really only came to say that I am IMMENSELY enjoying speculating on all the different *ahem* family dynamics represented in this readership. You guys are FUNNY. <3
I only have the father of my children to buy for although he never wants me to buy him anything for Father’s Day. I bought him a hinged lid for his Blackstone. It’s actually more for me because I do the bulk of cooking at home and when we go camping but it’s his Blackstone and to be fair, he does all the dishes.
Salt & Straw ice cream has interesting/delicious flavors, and ships sampler packs. It has been a hit as a gift in the past.
I will probably request instructions for purchasing an obscure gardening implement and just go with that for the father in my house!
A card recommendation, for anyone else whose husband and eight year old share the same sense of humor: Happy Farter’s Day. I laughed and then I bought it.
My dad is impossible to buy for (my biggest hit in recent years has been David Austin roses) buuuut he’s also away travelling in the motor home with my mum for another few days… so I can put off the decision for another couple of days at least! He also just… doesn’t care in the slightest. So maybe I’ll just send him a card and wait until a gifting moment arises.
I’ve bought my husband a coffee subscription and we’ll make a brunch for him the day before Father’s Day, because on the day itself my daughter and I have to drive to a naming day a couple of hours away.
I have thoughts on Father’s Day cards for ex husbands, dads who have dropped the ball, and your own dad if they are not, in fact, The #1 Dad and yet you want to give a card.
Ideally the card says only “It’s Father’s Day!” but “Happy Father’s Day!” will do. You can write one small true thing inside, like “Thanks for being the kind of dad who makes sure our kids can identify a woodpecker by sound.”
If you can find a really pretty blank card (nature scene, those popup cards, etc) then just write a huge “Happy Father’s Day!” and let the youngest child color inside it.
I also once saw a card that just said “Who has the best lawn? YOU DO!” and as an anti-lawn meadowfication kind of person I chortled.
(Full disclosure, I’m starting a card company that focuses on heartfelt cards for imperfect relationships.)
I am so excited for these cards! It’s a brilliant idea.
Love this! I definitely have complicated feelings about my dad, and in the past I have looked through the cards to find one that is not too effusive.
Cannot WAIT!
My husband has asked for (as he does for every gift giving occasion) a gallon of olive oil (because it pains him to spend the money for it. Instead, he probably spends twice as much buying multiple, smaller bottles after the gallon runs out). And that is what he will receive. I may also toss in a Home Depot gift card since he has decided to take up wood working (?) and wants some special tools.
That’s funny. Back before Yuengling distributed to the whole country, my dad (who couldn’t get it where he lived) would ask for a 12-pack of Yuengling from whoever got his name in the extended family gift exchange. I think a few times he actually got someone to wrap it up and mail it to him. Know what you want I guess!
Ooh! I’m a food blogger, and a while back I was getting a ton of IG ads for Universal Yums, which does monthly subscription for very cool-sounding snack boxes from all over the world. They pick a different country each month and include all kinds of delicious/bizarre snacks along with info and trivia about that month’s country/region. I never tried it but I bet it would make a great gift.
I bought this for my mom one year! She loved it, and the snacks were indeed very interesting and not things we could get in the USA.
We get the Yum box. We call it the Yuck Box (which is not to say we don’t enjoy it). Some things are good, some are ok, and some are AWFUL. It is really fun to try everything, even the gross stuff. And we get much entertainment out of looking at the things and smelling the things and discussing the things. But it’s probably 60% good snacks and 40% OMG WHO EATS THIS STUFF???? WHY????? And then 3 of the 4 people here spit it in the sink.
This is our 2nd year of it. I don’t know that we will do a 3rd, but inertia and novelty may win the day.
My Dad is hard to buy for, I think, but I got him some popcorn (just now!) from Popcorn Factory. Did I pay a LOT for shipping so it would get there in time? YES. Was it worth it? Also yes – he loves popcorn and I have happy memories of making it with him when I was a kid.
Father of my kids is getting a nice, new Igloo brand (not YETI, I am not made of money!) cooler for our beach trip in 2 weeks. I found it at WalMart. I’m going to attempt to fill it with snacks he likes and maybe a 6-pack of his beer at the bottom. It has backpack straps! I think he’s going to like it – we’ve been limping along with the crappiest of soft-side coolers for years.
My father goes through tons of tennis and golf shirts, so we usually get him one or both of those. This year we did polos with the logos of the colleges my sister and I went to – he likes when people ask about his shirts and he gets to brag!
We are a two-mom family so after the stress of mother’s day, father’s day is much more chill!
Fitz’s Rootbeer, from St. Louis ships online but they have a 2-3 weeks delivery window.
Gooey Buttercake is another St. Louis staple https://gooeybuttercake.com/collections/special-occasion
Ordered shortbread with the moonpig card that I sent my Dad.
Ordered my husband a DAD mug on Snapfish. We have 3 kids so each letter of DAD has photos of one kid.
Leaving husband in charge of Father in Law. Did suggest a fancy bouncing folding chair in a flyer, that would be nice for watching high school baseball games in.
My husband loved the handheld back massager his sister got for him a few Christmases ago, but it died, so I picked out a replacement for Father’s Day.
My Dad is gone and my husband will do the gifting for his, so that just left me with a gift from the kids and I to my husband. He truly prefers not to get gifts, but just last week mentioned he’d like a steak cutting board with a good channel for catching juice. I promptly pointed out this would be a great Father’s day gift and stopped him from getting on Amazon. So, he’s getting a cutting board and handmade cards.
The other gift I’ve gotten that he really likes is a small electric screwdriver with a head that tilts 90 degrees. I thought it would make assembling things much easier. He was polite about it at the time, but has since remarked repeatedly that he never would have bought it but is really glad I did. It’s turned out to be very useful.
This will be my first Father’s Day without my dad, and my husband’s second as we lost both within less than a year recently. So, this is the first year he’s the only father in our immediate family and we won’t be spending time rushing around trying to fit him and both our dads in.
He wants a bird bath. I have already purchased an inexpensive resin one as well a replacements for a couple of pairs of boxers that he’s worn out, so I’m all set. I don’t mind keeping my eyes open for a bigger, more solid birdbath too, but for now I’ve at least covered that base acceptably. We might also go out for steak, but not on the actual evening of Father’s Day since that would be crazy trying to get into a steakhouse that night. If/when we do though, we have a gift card we’d probably use and I’d just pay the overrun.
I may have mentioned this on previous Father’s Day posts, but in the past my dad always reserved the wackiest gift hints for me – very specific things he wanted but couldn’t find himself because he wasn’t very internet savvy. My favourites were a crushable fedora, a pan with “riffles” on the bottom to pan for gold when he landed his float plane on remote lakes, and the ultimate challenge: a CD of French acapella canoe-paddling songs.
This list has me beaming. I am so sorry for your loss.
My husband was in Korea for Mother’s Day, so we’ve agreed that Father’s Day will also be a non-event this year. I got my dad a silly customized t-shirt from a Facebook ad I kept seeing and it’s actually awesome and hilarious. My husband’s dad has shacked up with a new girlfriend in a trailer in a lobster fishing village on the east coast of Canada, so we might call him.
My dad: fancy chocolates from Kreuther’s. They are pricey, but he has been sick and has lost too much weight. I’m hoping these will be tempting. https://kreutherchocolate.com/
Father-of-my-kids: bourbon + a not-as-fancy chocolate bar, but one I know he will like. (He got me vanilla-espresso-vodka canned cocktail and chocolate, so similar tagback.)
In my family, one is only expected to celebrate their own father for Father’s Day. Luckily, that gets me off the hook to do anything extra for my husband and FIL. I’ll host my parents and sister for a nice lunch and also give my Dad a card and a hug. He’s hard to shop for and doesn’t really want much stuff, so birthdays and Christmases provide plenty of present opportunities. My husband and his brother are taking my FIL out to brunch/lunch while I’m hosting my folks. My kids will likely make homemade cards for their dad. And I’ll fix him (my husband) a lovely breakfast and dinner as I always do on Sundays anyway.