Holiday Gift Guide #1: Guy Gifts

And so begins the first of a few posts in my Holiday Gift Guide series. Today, I am sharing some picks I found to please the men in our lives. Whether it is for your father, brother, significant other, in laws, friends, what have you... I have found some great gifts for the guys! Enjoy and please feel free to add your picks in the comments section.

I've been dating my guy for over five years, through parts of high school, college, and now we have started our adult years... his taste in both clothing and general shopping has developed and changed throughout those formative years - so I have been on my toes each year debating what to get him (oh, and my presents may have contributed to some of that "change" through the years... you have to prod them in the right direction somehow, right? Hehe). But, it isn't just boyfriends or husbands we have to pick out gifts for, it is also those other pesky men... maybe your dad is always hard to buy for or your new brother in law is a complete mystery. Here are a couple of things I found, in some different genres for a little variety:

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Clothing & Accessories:

I'm only going to be sharing my J.Crew Factory picks here. Retail J. Crew obviously has amazingly great new arrivals, but I honestly wouldn't be purchasing anything that pricey, especially not for my guys, as they are much lower maintenance. But, J. Crew Factory still has the styles *I* like, for a better price and with much better sales, and I am sure the sales will be flowing starting this week and during Thanksgiving/Black Friday/Cyber Monday weekend (keep your eyes peeled for the discounts and deals). Though many people still find J. Crew Factory prices too high, the general styles and types of products can translate to your store of choice, such as Target, Old Navy, Gap, H&M, etc. :)

 Slim Shirt // Linen Tie // Leather Wallet // Sweater // Quilted Jacket

You can't go wrong with some nice apparel! The trick is to know your guy gift receiver's style. There is also a trick to finessing how to blend his style with the way you wish he could dress... a fine art, actually! I have tried this when buying for Nick, and it works if done properly... but, lucky for me, Nick already has a pretty great sense of style. Last year, I bought him a few finds from Target, most of which he was on the fence about, but soon he was wearing the shirts or sweaters I bought him weekly... it was fabulous! Anywho, I definitely recommend finding some fun items, like the fair isle pattern sweater or a patterned tie. I like mixing the practical with the stylish... if you know your guy wears a lot of suits to work and would like to mix it up, then a tie would be perfect, or if he needs a new wallet, that makes a great gift or stocking stuffer. Same with outerwear and accessories - perhaps a new coat and scarf would be a useful and fun gift! The architectural motto of "Form Follows Function" applies to men's gifts as well ;)

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Novelty Items: 

This may be a blanket statement, but there are a lot of guys who enjoy novelty items. Whether it is your teenage cousin or your 50 year old husband, guys can get down with the nerdy goods. Whether it has to do with video games, movies, comics... or all three, you can usually find some fun, inexpensive gifts to buy that correlates to their favorite nerdy pastime. My go-to store for pop cultural items is definitely Hot Topic! Kohls, Target, and Amazon have a great selection too. 

Nintendo iPhone Case // Harry Potter Tri-Wizard Sweatshirt // Funko Figures

So, I love the little Funko figures, I just recently discovered them during my last trip to Universal Studios, where Nick bought a Marty McFly one. Hot Topic has a ton, in every genre imaginable. I have a few Disney ones, as you could guess, and I bought Nick the Alien one as a Christmas gift, but he accidentally saw it before it was hidden, so it will just serve as a very early present, hehe. They are a good price to get something fun for your gift! Of course, I love novetly clothing, which is usually more acceptable for a guy to wear on a regular basis (though, I am always wearing something fun like that Harry Potter sweatshirt on the weekends!) -- just find a video game character or hero he loves and find something licensed with it - whether it is a tee shirt, keychain, bobblehead, or phone case like the Nintendo one pictured above. Who doesn't love nostalgia?


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Less Tangible Gifts:

I know the holidays do not require physical gifts in the least bit, but this is an inescapable concept in our country. Still, there is plenty of opportunity to create a personal handmade present or to gift an activity/trip/etc.! Has your dad been thinking about going fishing at that lake a couple hours away? Has your boyfriend been hinting that he would love to go to a Blackhawks game? It doesn't have to cost a boatload of cash, but you can make a quick getaway or day trip to go do something special together! Or, maybe you are really great at knitting and you want to make a scarf for your brother rather than buying one at Banana Republic for $50! They will appreciate the hard work and love that went into that handmade gift - and if they don't, then scold them endlessly ;)


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The holidays aren't all about gifts, they are about time spent together and warm company. Sometimes a token of love is included, and if it is, then I hope you got some ideas from this post. If not, then I encourage you to leave your holiday gift giving tips and suggestions below in the comments! 

What's on your holiday checklist 

for the men in your life?

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