Gift Guide #7: Your Lovely Dad Who Taught You to Drive Stick and Will Soon Teach Your Kids. (!)
Everyday sunglasses to protect his kind eyes — or a gift card and trip to the store to try on frames together (how fun would that be?). From $95.
A New Yorker cartoon mug to make him laugh. $22.
Chipmunk shortbreads holding cashews, orange peels, and pecans. $10 for all three.
A French terry half zip that comes in five colors, or a pine green cashmere sweater he can toss in the wash. From $118.
The sneakers that cool dads wear, $80 — or massage sandals, $24, to make his feet feel good at home.
A wallet edit, where an expert works with him to create a brilliant strategy for credit cards and points, $50. (I did this myself recently, and it was amazing.)
A puzzle to transport him to the mountains, $40.
Chopsticks he can use for years (so much better than the take-out ones!), $33 for two.
A non-stick ceramic fry pan for his legendary scrambled eggs, $106; or an entire cookware set to up his kitchen game. (Get up to 25% off, plus a gift with purchase with code INF-CUPOFJO, good until January 6th.)
A very fun game to play with the grandkids, $20.
Classic Swedish soap that smells like pine, $12.
A donation in his name to World Central Kitchen, which immediately feed communities impacted by natural disasters or humanitarian crises. (This organization is incredible and one we are so honored to support.)
A note saying how much you cherish him, because that’s all he really wants anyway. $5.50.
P.S. The 2024 gift guide for dads, the 2023 gift guide for dads, and the 2022 gift guide for dads. Plus, the 2025 gift guide so far.
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(Wallet photo by Clay Banks/Unsplash.)
Tags: 2025 holiday gift guide, gift guide, gifts, gifts for dads, gifts for men
Comments
65 commentsI already made my “hot for someone’s brother” comment…and now, Hellooooo, (maybe someone’s, not mine) Daddy.
Thanks for the wallet edit recommendation. I just finished doing mine and it was amazing!! Rachel was so nice and omg how does she know so much about points and credit cards?? I learnt so much in 30 minutes. Highly recommend!
Unrelated to the gift guide, but regarding nonstick pans and scrambled eggs: I finally googled how to cook eggs in a stainless steel/cast iron (i.e. NOT nonstick) skillet and apparently I just wasn’t heating up the pan enough beforehand??? If you don’t want to ditch a nonstick, I highly recommend watching a YouTube video about how to cook eggs. You’ll never go back!
Sharing 2 additional cookware recs, both highly worth the money I paid for them. Made In: https://madeincookware.com/. I bought a saucier from MadeIn earlier this year and it is an excellent piece, I seriously LOVE it. I am also thrilled with a Lloyd Pans Kitchenware Grandma Style Pizza Pan. I made pizza in it and it was so perfectly cooked I almost forgot to eat the pizza because I was busy exclaiming over the pan. https://lloydpans.com/
Dads put love into those scrambled eggs. My dad includes as part of a mandatory “big boy breakfast” with hashbrowns and a sausage patty.
Has anyone listened to today’s Good Hang with Amy Poehler (guest Ina Garten)? Amy’s favorite New Yorker cartoon is the exact one above. Isn’t that an incredibly wild coincidence? (Or is that just everyone’s favorite?)
i did! and immediately thought the same!
As a Swede I had to click on the “classic Swedish” soap and I still wonder.. what is Swedish about it? Never seen or heard of it, neither is it made in Sweden. Is it because it smells like pine?
lol dead! Know I must know!
Haha! Seems like they use Nordic ingredients, so the pine is Swedish maybe? Agree that it doesn’t quite make it Swedish. :)
Joanna, respectfully, all your family members are looking goooood this year
Lol!!!
I just need the box that the soap comes in… the gnome is so cute!
I know !!!!
What is everyone’s favorite consumables to give? I need to order online and have it shipped. TIA
This reminds me of when a prior colleague (who was like a mom to me) kept talking about how “edibles” were her favorite type of gift. She definitely meant “consumable” and I politely corrected her so she wouldn’t accidentally give/receive any unintentional THC products. :)
Rayes Mustard from Maine ! Got the small jars variety pack for my son-law one year. 4 generations of mustard grinders, in operation since1900 ! Shipped from Maine to me in PNW. If your recipients are mustard enthusiasts.
These are my favorites: Rancho Gordo, Big Spoon Roasters (fantastic nut butters), American Spoon (for all kinds of amazing preserves and products), Wild Grain (artisan bread and pastries).
Honeybell oranges are amazing. We’ve sent them for gifts a few times.
Favorites from whom I order for my own household, and send as gifts: American Spoon Zingerman’s (Michigan) French Broad Chocolates (North Carolina) Seed & Mill halvah/tahini (New York) Stonewall Kitchen Patterson Farms maple syrup (Pennsylvania) Old Dog Ranch walnuts, honey (California) Oregon Coffee & Tea (Oregon)
Fishwife tins, maldon salt + countertop bowl. I like to do a few of my fav things from the year & everyone gets those (I choose several so ppl might get 2/5, depending on their preferences). Everyone is also getting Laniege lip mask this year. And these fancy socks: https://shop.verloopknits.com/collections/house-socks
I got the is as a gift last Christmas and I have been gifting it for all occasions since. It elevates ALL meals. Can not recommend highly enough https://www.bellagracevineyards.com/salts/
I don’t know what to get anyone this holiday season. We just moved, bought a house (finally!) and leveled up vehicles. Good socks from Darn Tough, food gifts-(browsed Rancho Gordo for an hour last night) or experiences are what I fall back on. However, packing our house up I found all these little stocking stuffer Swedish jams I got for family members, unopened. Socks and experiences it is, I guess. I am only buying for my kids, husband and maybe my nieces… we lost the heads of the family in the last year and we’re not gathering for the holidays. I really miss my FIL. He brought us all together.
Aw Kim sorry bout your father in law. It’s neat he was like that, bringing people together. I love socks. Congrats on your house. I’ve been wanting that for my daughter and son-in- law. It’s tough these days. Enjoy your holiday with your kids and husband.
Thank you, PNW. ❤️
Kim, my family’s holiday gathering traditions sort of fell apart after we lost my dad too. It’s taken some time to figure it out, but now we’ve created new traditions and have found ways to weave in and remember the magic our late loved ones brought to the season. Take care of yourself this holiday season. <3
I would love to hear more about your experience with the wallet edit! That sounds so helpful.
Feel free to email me at hello@brooklynfamilytravelers.com! I would be so happy to chat with you more about it! Thanks again to Joanna for including my small business in this awesome gift guide!
Can we learn more about the wallet edit? Joanna, are you able to share the best cards? I think my credit card game is strong so I don’t know that it would be worthwhile, but I am curious to know if I have more to learn!
Here’s the tool I use: https://madfientist.cardratings.com/ Been hacking credit cards for the last 10 years and have earned over $15k in free airfare and stays. Totally worth it!
This was an interesting piece about rewards cards in The Atlantic this summer (gift article) — the credit companies definitely make it hard to maximize rewards, and they definitely always win: “The Problem With Rewards Credit Cards” “Their fees are getting higher—and their benefits are sometimes wildly complicated to redeem.” By Ellen Cushing https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2025/07/sapphire-reserve-credit-card-rewards/683613/?gift=K3UQGsR-6Ww3MttL3Jhz-s5LosUfU7Gf_fMz9A-CbAk
Yeah, same. I got rid of my Sapphire Reserve after many years, got the giant fee refunded, honestly felt amazing. I might get back into the game but I didn’t like how much mental space it was taking up for me. I also might switch to a cash back card and say to hell with it.
Thank you so much to Joanna for including my Wallet Edit in this gift guide!! Please feel free to reach out to me for more info on the wallet Edit or anything cards/points related! The best card depends on your goals and other factors :) https://brooklynfamilytravelers.substack.com https://www.brooklynfamilytravelers.com 🖤
Am I your dad? Signed, 45 year old woman
LOL
This reminds me of when I bought the “Father’s Day Package” from a spa when I was 24 years old (and a lady) — it was just a reflexology pedicure!!
World Central Kitchen! YES! Here’s one: gathering the whole family to watch funny YouTube videos with him for an hour because THAT is all he really wants.
Hahaha, love it!
José Andrés is a true angel on earth. world central kitchen, amazing amazing amazing. great list, far side mug and grandkid pic magnet are also on my list for my father in law (with a bit of a lump in my throat as always for not having a dad to buy any of these things for–sending hugs to others in the same boat.) x
A Caraway pan warning: I had them for four years, and the coating started to chip off (and I followed all the rules – hand washed only, never used heat over medium, let them cool before washing). If you’re going the buy-dad-a-pan route, give him All Clad that will last so long you’ll fight your siblings to inherit it ♥
Thanks for the advice! I’ve often wondered how the viral fad kitchenware turns out. We’ve had our all clad for 15 years and they are still great!
All Clad is what my dear dad would have gifted us. Missing him.
Here to +1 on the Caraway beware. They are gorgeous and crappy, great for instagram but that’s about it. I had mine for 2 years and they started chipping and I could never get the bottoms clean after cooking. The customer service rep basically told me that ceramic has a lifespan of a couple of years, even though on their website there was a giant banner ad proclaiming how long lasting their pans were. Garbage, I tell ya! All clad, cast iron and le Creuset remain the gold standard around here. And if you’re desperate for a ceramic pan, go for Green Pan. They are way cheaper and when they have issues a year or two in, you can say goodbye without agita.
Love all of these (especially WCK!). A few things my dad and husband (who’s also a dad) love: – Nougat from Ferrara’s NYC – A dopp kit with a note from our daughter, so when he travels he sees her handwriting with “I love you, daddy” (Note: Etsy has a lot of these type of things) – Bombas Friday sandals – An ornament for a tree (always a fun one for kids to pick out) – Fun pickles, olives, etc.
Immediately wrote down the dopp kit idea – that’s so smart!
As in, the Dopp kit itself is customized with her handwriting? Or you put the note inside. Because I am so keen to try the first one so let me know if you have done that, and how!
Posie, not sure how the other commenter did it, but I saw that Leatherology does custom embossing of phrases/pictures!
Posie- yes! They etched the note right onto the leather dopp kit. I had my daughter right on a piece of paper and scanned it for the folks to do it. I don’t have a recommendation for a maker- it was a friend from college who doesn’t do it anymore-but Etsy should have great options, and I saw another commenter recommended one as well.
Your dad is ….. cooler than my dad.
Right?! My dad is super into sundials.
LOL truth!!
Julie, your comment makes me think we need a post of what things everyone’s parents are super into. Like, was your dad always into sundials? Or did he age into it?
Summer, I love this idea! My mom is super into making jewelry out of recyclables. All she wants for Christmas is my brightly colored empty shampoo bottles.
Sundials, cool. :)
Julie, I’m now thinking of several people on my list who would LOVE a sundial for christmas. My dad is no longer with us, but he loved a good weather barometer.
I’ve been reading your blog since 2009, so I’ve read many many “because that’s all they really wants anyway”s. Admittedly, I spent over a decade smirking to myself, “That is NOT all they want!” I am such a gifts person, and gifts meant everything from a decade of less-than-stellar (or straight up terrible!) guys during my dating years. (The worse the guy, the greater the gifts, somehow!) After getting married at 38 and having a child at 41, I can, at last, confirm: A card is all I really want anyway.
Lovely comment!
Lucy this is really sweet! I agree, having found myself as a mom making sure that I also have gifts to open from my partner (kids want to know where mom’s is). It isn’t about the gifts, it’s about being seen and valued.
I have read that sentence SO many times! (Have I read this blog for 14 years? yes) I still feel moved to tears EVERY time. It’s what I am really looking for in those gift guides. I think Joanna knows she is not allowed to change it. Love from Paris
Yes!! I’m getting over gifts (disappointment too often over not feeling seen, save for my blessed MIL) and I would absolutely adore a card, esp from my kids.
The real gift was the handsome men featured in all the gift guide photos
This comment wins!
Hahaha, so true, it’s all I really want anyway :-).
😉
Ahahaha :-)