Great Gifts For Dad For Christmas

What are some great gifts for dad for Christmas? I’m a dad with decent handyman skills and I can give you some ideas that you may not have thought of before.

Yes…socks, underwear and slippers are decent stand-by’s, but it’s never at the top of our list. Deerfoams are comfortable (I’m guessing) but don’t buy them for us unless we’ve made a mention of them. We know you are more creative than that and probably just ran out of time and options.

I know. I’ve been there. I’ve been out on Christmas Eve and witnessed stripped shelves except for the Deerfoams cardboard displays in the middle of the aisle and grabbed a pair, or two.

If you run out of time and ideas, go to the grocery store. Many of them now have a great variety of gift cards near the card section.

Dads are pretty simple to please, for the most part, when it comes to gifts. Here are a few basic rules of thumb to keep in mind when you’re shopping for the handyman of the house:

• Gadgets! Buy the latest and greatest gadgets. WE LOVE ‘EM and we have something to brag about afterward.
• Buy tools that help us get the job done quicker and easier. Buy the latest model. We know it may be awhile before we buy another one.
• Buy quality merchandise that’s made to last. Quality = a job well done.
• Buy power tools that have plenty of power to spare. The more ummphh, the better!
• Go cordless whenever possible. If it means a gas engine over a cord…do it. Any type of handyman-type tool that will need to be used all over the house for various projects should be cordless.
• Look for the “Made in U.S.A.” label before you buy. I challenge you to find one great handyman gift that is Made in the U.S.A.. I know it’s a difficult task in today’s global economy, but if you can manage to purchase a great gadget that is part of the U.S. GNP, that makes it an oh-so-sweet gift. You might be surprised at how many of us guys check the label…or is it just me. I doubt that I’m the Lone Ranger on this one.
• Last but not least…homemade gifts from the heart. Dads feed off of this stuff and it reminds us of what is really important in the grand scheme of things.

 Here are just a few great ideas for dads for Christmas and throughout the year:

1. This first item is a Denali tool kit for hauling around the house when your man is doing the weekend warrior thing. I have a little box with a handle that was given to me long ago as a gift and it saves me trips to and from the toolbox when I’m working on a project. This kit has a lot of bang for the buck.
2. Makita offers a nice, compact 18V lithium-ion 2-piece combo drill set. The price is right, too. Lots of power in such a small package. The Bosch 12V combo drill set is pretty awesome, too.
3. Earlier in the post, I mentioned quicker and easier is our motto. This Makita quick charge, lithium-ion station is the ticket to keeping up with production. It can be frustrating for your drill to run out of steam in the middle of a project.
4. Got a woodworker in the family? Say the words “rotary tool” and they’ll start to have visions of sawdust in their heads. Dremel’s are awesome…trust me…and this Dremel 8000-03 Cordless Rotary tool is the ticket to many hours of happiness to the amateur woodworker in your household. Great for the weekend warrior, too.
5. I was given a Black & Decker Workmate portable workbench by my father-in-law many years ago and I still use it for most any type of woodworking project. It’s a great piece of simple engineering that is virtually indispensable. It’s a good thing that B&D still offers a Workmate portable workbench.
6. If your man already has a portable workbench, a full size workbench would be a great addition, too. These full-size workbenches are beautiful and durable. To top it off, it’s MADE IN THE  USA!!. Workbench America makes a variety of great workbenches that can be shipped to your door.
7. MADE IN THE USA tool gifts. You can’t go wrong here. Loads of great ideas and quality merchandise. Expect no less from the U.S.

Last, but not least, make something from scratch for your weekend warrior. It will be most appreciated for years to come.

photo via American Workbench