It is that time of the year again. The “season of giving” time. Now the super organised among us may have already done all their Christmas shopping, wrapped it up and stored in the closet ready to whip it out and display it proudly, seconds after you finished setting up the Christmas tree. But for the rest of us, shopping for gifts, is usually a bit of a last minute panic affair as we ask ourselves ” who am I going to buy what”?? It doesn’t help the matter that between the brick and mortar stores and all the on-line stores there are gazzillions of choices.

So I thought, why don’t I lend a helping hand. After all I’m a guy and I love a wide variety of stuff. As a result I have compiled a list of goodies that is worth looking at this festive season. I tried to pick something for every type of guy, from the fashion conscious to the mr fix it all. I also kept the prices realistic.

So without further a due let me get started.

Bodum plunger travel mug – I have to admit when I first saw this mug I thought ” who would want this contraption”, but let me tell you, if you’re man works as a truck driver or a machine operator and he loves fresh filter coffee than this travel mug is for him.

How about if you are shopping for a guy that love the ski slopes? You can’t go past the highly advanced goggles by Zeal Optics. The first one is the HD Camera Goggles

Fitted with a HD camera that can record, in high def, his epic moves (or crashes) on the slopes.
If that’s not enough to tickle his tech buds then the Z3 GPS with build in gps will. The gps records data such as speed and elevation and allow you to download it all.

Smartphone projector –
Talking about video, if your man has a whole collection of videos on his iPhone or other smart phone ( including the ones he recorded with his ski goggles above) and likes to show it of to everyone then you can’t go wrong with this little projector.

Phone cases have become a must have accessory for today’s smartphones. The choices can be overwhelming, but here are a few that are functional and eye-catching. This handmade leather one by Portel on Etsy is my favourite.
Nothing say tough guy like an phone case made from metal. This case from iWowcase is as tough as it looks. Here is a link to a great selection of their brand new iPhone 5 cases.

You may have notice a very obvious absence of tablets and smartphones on my list but that’s because I tried to find stuff that’s affordable and not so mainstream. If you do have the urge to buy a smart device of some sort then I would recommend the iPad Mini.
Back to the iPad cases. This one is perfect for the motoring enthusiast. Reminiscent of the oil gasoline signs, it will, no doubt, have grease marks all over it in no time.

If your man loves spending time making stuff I would highly recommend some safety gear. I know safety goggles doesn’t sound like a cool gift idea but wait till you check these out.

Talking about DIY and safety gear that looks really cool – a pair of work boots is another great gift idea.

There are 2 brands that is worth checking out. Redwing boots and Irish setter. Red wing boots is an American institution and both brands have boots that look that good your hubby or dad my wear them out to town.

Books are always a great gift idea but if there is one book that will get used over and over again, by your handyman then it is the engineers black book. Stuffed with engineers formulae, Data Sheets, Reference Tables and Equivalent Charts. He will feel like the smartest man in the neighbourhood.

A FM radio is another great addition to the home garage/shed/workshop and this one is no ordinary FM radio. Made by RYOBI, makers of power tools from many moons ago (by the way you can have a look at their range of power tools too, but remember men can be fussy buggers when it comes to tools)
This radio’s tough construction is made to handle all the knocks and bumps it may be subjected to in the shed and comes with a charging dock and can connect to ipods and other mp3 players. So hubby can play his favourite tunes whilst tinkering on that gearbox.

That is the first batch of gift ideas. In the coming days I will post part 2 with some more goodies for those male things in your life.

I would love to hear about your gift buying experiences.

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