PBF Gift Guide 2022: For Him

It’s here! The gift guide I create every year for the trickiest people (in my opinion) to shop for: Guys!

I could shop for women and kids for days on end and still have ideas but when it comes to shopping for the men in my life, I’m often over here like, “Ummm, Ryan, you got this?” Ryan is a wonderful gift-giver and always comes up with thoughtful ideas for our male family members so he’s pivotal in the creation of my gift guide every year. We have fun brainstorming gift ideas for our male loved ones together and thankfully when it comes to gifting for Ryan, I usually have a handful of ideas in the back of my mind.

This year’s gift guide includes gift ideas at a variety of price points and many are practical gifts because something it seems like the men in my life appreciate is a highly practical, very usable gift. I try my best to deliver every year and hope a couple of these gift ideas help you as you think about what you might want to do to help make the men in your life feel a little extra loved this time of year.

And, in case you missed them,  here are the gift guides I’ve shared so far this holiday season:

• Gift Guide for Kids
• Gift Guide for Her

Gift Guide for Guys

• Record Player + Collection of Favorite Albums

I gave Ryan a record player for our anniversary at the end of October and paired it with a handful of albums that reminded me of various phases of our relationship (when we met, early marriage, kids, etc.) and he absolutely loved it. It was fun to make it a little more personal by including a handful of albums with the record player and we’ve used it in our house every single day since he opened it! I went with this record player for Ryan because it was one of the most affordable finds out there with great reviews and it is also compatible with Bluetooth so you can play it over speakers!

• Meat Thermometer

File this under gifts I wouldn’t care very much for that apparently guys flip out over when they receive it. I sent out a group text to my college girlfriends asking for gift ideas to include in this gift guide that their husbands have loved and a meat thermometer was mentioned by THREE of them! They recommended two — this inexpensive one from Amazon and this higher end techy one — and I think either would make a great gift for the cooking + grilling enthusiasts out there.

• Air Tags + Silicone or Leather Air Tag Keychain Holder

I love the concept of air tags. They can be attached to anything you want to be able to track with your phone — your keys, luggage, a pet, a kid, etc. Sign me up for this!!! I think this would make a wonderful gift for guys who travel a lot (just toss one in your suitcase) or those who are constantly wandering around the house looking for their keys.

• Dremel Cordless Electric Screwdriver

This one popped up on my gift guide a few years ago but it’s BAAAAACK because we’re using this thing like crazy right now. Our Dremel Cordless Electric Screwdriver is something that gets used all the time in our house but with an upcoming move and furniture assembling happening all the time it is just next-level useful. We’ve gifted this to my brother-in-law and dad and not only do they love it but my mom and sister sing its praises, too. File this under practical gifts he never knew he needed! (Note, this screwdriver is currently on mega-sale on Amazon but note the delivery dates if you need it by Christmas.)

• Leather Portfolio

Not everyone brings a laptop to meetings these days and if there is a man in you life (like Ryan!) who still very much gravitates toward taking notes on a notepad for work, a beautiful leather portfolio might be a welcomed gift. (Many also accommodate iPads so they’re a nice way to embrace tech + old-school note taking!) There are a lot of options out there but here are a few that popped out at me: Leatherology Leather Portfolio (understated and classic with lots of leather color options available) / Right or Lefthanded Leather Portfolio / Italian Leather Desk Gift Set (includes a portfolio among a few other beautiful desk organization finds) / Tech Folio (for all the techy things and a note pad)

• Whoop Tracker (for Fitness, Sleep, Recovery and Smarter Training)

This is Ryan’s number one recommendation for my gift guide this year. Ryan is admittedly a numbers guy and a data nerd and completely geeks out over his Whoop band. He’s worn his fair share of fitness trackers (he still likes his Apple watch a lot) but swears Whoop is worth it for those who want a more in-depth view at their fitness, recovery, sleep patterns and more. The Whoop is a subscription service Ryan began when he kicked off his Half Ironman training and highly, highly recommends it for fitness-loving data fanatics out there. For anyone interested, here’s Ryan’s referral link — it will get both of you one month free on your Whoop account.

• Custom S’mores Sticks + S’mores Kit

If you have a bonfire-loving guy in your life, these custom s’mores sticks are such a fun gift idea. For anyone gifting to a father or father figure out there, this is a fun gift for the kids to give to dad or grandpa, too! There are a bunch of options on Etsy that allow you to customize the sticks according to your favorite colors, interests, etc. The boys and I gave them to Ryan a couple of years ago and he loved them!

Some favorites: Custom Engraved S’mores Sticks / Custom Pine Tree S’mores Sticks (this shop makes a lot of different designs) / Driftwood Handle S’mores Sticks / S’mores Bar for Indoor S’mores / These are the s’mores sticks we have but they are currently only available via a waitlist

Additional Gift Ideas

• Portable Charger (The one we have and love! Cords are included and it can charge multiple devices at once.)
• Ceramic Bacon Cooker (Genius!)
• Lululemon Joggers (Ryan’s favorite pants. He reaches for these over all other pants when he’s not working. My dad and brother-in-law love them, too!)
• Leather Messenger Bag (Stylish and practical.)
• Outdoor Pizza Oven (A high-heat, gas-powered oven like they have at the best pizza restaurants and makes perfect pizzas in only 60 seconds! This less expensive version allows you to make pizzas on a gas range or outdoor gas camping stove.
• Yard Games (Corn hole, ring toss, ladder golf, bocce ball, etc!)
• Personalized Movie Night Popcorn Bowl (We make a big deal about family movie nights in our house so the boys gave this to Ryan a while back and he loved it! I ordered this one — get the large size! — and had them write “Movie Night” on top with “The Fagan Family” underneath.)
• Apple AirPods (Ryan uses his regularly for work calls.)
• Massage Gun (Ryan splurged for the HyperVolt a few years ago and we love that thing!! And here’s more budget-friendly option with lots of positive reviews on Amazon!)
• Custom Map Cut Out (I ordered this for Ryan this year featuring a cut out of a map of the UCF campus where Ryan and I met.)
• Custom Carabiner (Why do I feel like so many guys love carabiners? Ryan uses a carabiner as a keychain and I love these custom options.)
• Lightweight Camping Hammock (Ryan sets this up in our yard but also packs it to bring along on beach vacations, cabin trips, etc. The kids love it, too, so it’s a great gift for kids to give to dad.)
• Helinox Ultra Lightweight Collapsible Chair (Ryan and my brother-in-law are obsessed with this chair. This is the newer high-back version.)
• Kiehl’s Ultimate Man Soap (An annual stocking stuffer for Ryan that he loves.)
• Slippers (Ryan and Ross love these TOMS slippers and I bought my dad these L.L. Bean moccasins last year.)
• Digital Picture Frame (You share photos and videos from your phone or by email straight to this frame and they rotate for loved ones to enjoy. I especially love this ideas for grandparents!)
• Osprey Poco Child Carrier Hiking Backpack (For the active dad! Ryan did a lot of research before buying this one — it’s definitely a splurge — but we’ve used it with all 3 boys and love it!)
• BOMBAS Socks (Every single person in my family has loved these socks for years.)