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What do you buy for the man who has everything? Every year when it to thinking of gift ideas for men in my life, I really tend to struggle. These days everyone is so quick to buy things for themselves as and when they need them, that it becomes hard to think of something original, practical and fun for them to unwrap on Christmas Day.
My quest to find some gifts for men that are a bit different is now complete, and here is my round up of some of my favourite gift ideas for men for Christmas 2019.
For the Tech Lover..
I have lost count of the number of times Mike has dropped his phone. He seriously seems to spend the majority of his time going to and from the repair shop to fix his phone screen, normally after dropping it out his back pocket stepping into his car and smashing into a trillion pieces. Designed for Impact, Speck products have a huge range of phone cases and covers, all of which have been drop tested at up to 10 feet or more and have raised bezel screen protection and a protective non slip grip. With a huge variety of different colours and designs available for both Android and Apple devices (including the latest Apple iPhone 11) this is a gift that will certainly be worth the investment to protect these expensive devices!
For his simple luxuries…
There are two things that Mike simply couldn’t live without – chocolate and coffee. That said, he’s also impartial to a little bit of the finer things in life, and as such, these organic options from Cafe Direct and Chocolate and Love are a great choice.
These Cafe Direct Christmas Blend Roasted coffee for filter coffees and cafetieres is the perfect rich and full bodied coffee to kick off a Christmas morning enhanced with notes of praline and brown sugar.
The Chocolate and Love Pomegranate bar is organic and fairtrade, made from 70% cocoa is something that really has to be tasted to be believed. I have never tasted anything quite like it – and it didn’t hang around for long. Sorry Mike 😀 beautiful Christmas sleeve.
Cafédirect are the UK’s first and largest Fairtrade hot drinks brand and additionally invest 50% of their profits back into the grower communities responsible for their coffee, so this is a great ethical gift option too.
For the man who loves a tipple…
My partner and Father are both impartial to a Festive tipple or two, and Christmas is a great time to try out some alternative Winter Warmer options!
This Glen Moray Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whiskey is a light and smooth and a great way to close the day of festivities whilst snuggled up on the sofa with a Christmas movie or two. All the whiskies in the Glen Moray Single Malt Elgin Collection are available from Amazon and have an RRP £20
If gin is more up their street, then why not make his Christmas well and truly merry with this warming bottle of booze? The ultimate festive flavour of mulled wine has been transformed into a delicious gin liqueur, to create the ultimate taste of Christmas. Think vanilla, cinnamon, cloves, clementines and a generous helping of festive cheer and you have the ideal festive tipple to mix with a splash of tonic. This Gin Tastes Like Christmas retails at £25.99 and is available at Firebox.
For the wanabe Masterchef…
Both my Dad and Mike fancy themselves as a bit of a Masterchef in the kitchen and actually really enjoying serving up some hearty dinners over the festive period. That said, it can be a bit stressful cooking for large numbers, especially catering for everyones requests and dietary requirements!
For meat lovers, this MEATER+ gadget is a ground-breaking tool which will really change the way they cook and take the pressure off when serving up a grand family feast! The first ever truly Wireless Smart Meat Thermometer, MEATER+ connects to any smartphone or tablet to ensure they never overcook or undercook meat again!
Not only does this handy device ensure meat is cooked to perfection, but it also a far more sociable option, allowing the chef to enjoy some family time, catch up with relatives and even a well earned beer whilst MEATER+ monitors what’s going on in the oven!
The MEATER+ is available to purchase from MEATER, and is priced at £99.
Staying on the cooking theme, Jamie Oliver has recently released a new range of kitchen tools inspired by his new book ‘Veg – Easy and delicious meals for everyone’and TV Series. The new range covers 9 items that are designed to make prepping fruit and vegetables easy and exciting and are ideal for any man in your life who is experimenting with a flexitarian diet, vegetarian, meat free or healthier lifestyle.
Pictured below are the Rasp Grater and Peach Slicer. The grater is perfect for hard ingredients like nutmeg, Parmesan, dark chocolate, or citrus zest and comes with a protective cover with measurement markings clips under the blade to collect food as you grate.
Using the Jamie Oliver peach slicer, you can easily slice up all types of peach or nectarine into 12 clean, even pieces, before adding to a delicious salad or salsa, desserts and pies.
Other items in the Jamie Oliver range include a potato ricer, mango splitter, salad spinner, spriralizer, mandolin slicer, 3 in 1 speed peeler and a dressing maker shaker and items range in price from £11.99 – £26.99 and are available to buy at Ocado.com.
Any wannabe chef will tell you – a chef is only as good as his tools, and there is nothing worse than trying to prepare a culinary masterpiece with blunt knives!
The Anysharp Pro knife sharpener helps restore blunt knives to their former glory! Simply put the device onto any solid work top and pull the level so it’s suction sticks it firm. Gently pull the knife through the blades 2 or 3 times and within seconds and you’ll have sharp knives once again.
The Anysharp Pro is used by many celebrity and professional chefs, comes with a ten year warranty and available in a range of stunning colours so suit every style and kitchen. The Anysharp Pro costs from £16.59 from Amazon
For the man who likes to look his best..
If your partner is rocking the bearded look this season, from a stylish stubble to a full on Father Christmas, Bull Dog have a wide range of Bull Dog beard grooming products for all styles, from cleaning and conditioning to moisturising and taming.
Mike loves the Original Beard Oil Shampoo and Conditioner which contains aloe vera, camelina oil and green tea, specially formulated to cleanse their beard and leave it soft, fresh, nourished and conditioned. The Original Beard Oil Shampoo and Conditioner retails at £6 a bottle or is discounted by 10% for each additional bottle you buy.
Other items in the range include Beard Balm to soften, condition and moisturise the beard and prevent itchy skin, and Age Defence Serum which contains Rosemary, Echinacea and Vitamin E to leave the skin feeling intensely hydrated.
For the gift of experience..
As lovely as presents can be, this year our family has taken a shift more towards gift experiences, looking for presents that can allow us to spend TIME with our loved ones, and take a few hours away from the madness of every day life.
Red Letter Days have a huge range of gift experiences perfect for men, women and couples alike, but one really stood out as a blast from the past, and something that I know Mike would really enjoy.
The Crystal Maze LIVE Experience* brings to life the hit our favourite 90’s TV show, and allows you to race against the clock on the ultimate team challenge, navigating through four themed zones: Futuristic, Medieval, Aztec and Industrial With the guidance of an expert Maze Master and complete a series of exciting tasks and challenges, The Crystal Maze LIVE experience involves collecting crystals in preparation for the final task – the iconic Crystal Dome. A great way to test your Man’s physical and mental skills, this is sure to be a fun way to make memories that will last a lifetime.
The Crystal Maze LIVE experience is 70 minutes long based in Central London and includes a refreshing cocktail each!
For the Man’s Best Friend…
For many men, truth me told, their dog is probably the true love of their life and the phrase A dog is a man’s best friend certainly isn’t too far from the truth. Wouldn’t it be great to have some insight into your dogs adventures and help them stay active fit and healthy?
PitPat is the UK’s number 1, award winning, activity monitor for dogs. Simply attach PitPat to your dog’s collar and download the free app to your phone. Input your dog’s vital statistics including weight, age and breed and PitPat will create customised exercise goals and enable weight tracking for your four -legged friend!
PitPat will reveal how much walking, running, playing, and calories their dog burns daily, as well as the distance covered! You can even share your dogs stats with their puppy pals with the #pitpatpack
For the man who feels the cold…
Mike works outside a lot as part of his job, and as such, often leaves the house wrapped up in multiple layers that somewhat resemble the scene of Joey from Friends. Could he BE wearing any more clothes?!!
For Autumn/Winter 2019, Helly Hansen has launched their innovative H1 Pro baselayers which use thermal mapping and LIFA technologies to precisely control body temperature, giving just the right amount of warmth in high intensity scenarios.
Available for both men and women these stylish yet practical tops retails at £130 and the bottoms at £100 and are available in sizes S to XXXL.
For the eco-friendly man
Last but not least, In this house we are making a real effort to be more eco-friendly and reduce the amount of plastic we use. We LOVE fizzy drinks, but inevitably buying 2L bottles of coke or lemonade fairly regularly means a hell of a lot of plastic goes into our recycling bin! The SodaStream Crystal sparkling water machine is a great plastic free alternative that allows you to make a wide range of fun fruity fizzy drinks at home. Taking your tap water from flat to fizzed in seconds with a stylish and sleek dishwasher-safe glass carafe (perfect for out on display), this is a great retro gift idea for any one who loves a bit of fizz in their life!
Whatever you end up getting for the men in your life, I would like to take a moment to wish you all a Happy and healthy Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Lucy xxx
