Gift guides for the men on your list, everything from candy to clothes to sports and travel items - all budget-friendly, tried-and-true items that will be used again and again.
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I'm back again with new and updated gift guides for the guys on your list! Creating these guides (here's one for women and one for kids & teens) has become an annual tradition around here - one that Brian and I have found to be fun as we remember the things we've discovered the previous year that we think you guys would enjoy, too.
The thing to know about all of AOC's gift guides is that we recommend only the things we truly use and love because we know word-of-mouth is one of the best ways to find people gifts that have some sort of lasting value. We look back through our Amazon orders, our books read list, the cool things we've mentioned on the Podcast, and The Good Things Lists to find the best of the best to highlight.
You'll find things at all price-points, too, although everything is under $100 and most are under $50, including some items that would make great stocking stuffers.
Curious about the other gift guides? You can see them all right here - everything with "updated" in the title has items that are current because guess what? They really are all our favorite things!
Favorite Things Gift Guides for Men
Quick-Drying Running Hat -catches sweat while allowing your head to breathe.
Aeropress Coffee Maker - Brian's a coffee snob and he likes that this makes a smooth cup of coffee with a less acid taste.
The Pebble Smartwatch (and the Facebook group committed to keeping it updated) - the smartwatch that does just what Brian wants for a fraction of the price. Listen to this podcast to hear about the unique aspects of this watch (skip to the Cool Things segment - or open the transcript and scroll to that section to read).
Walmart George Jeans - just enough stretch to make them comfortable and always fit right.
Trail Cam - fun item that allowed us to catch the ground squirrels in action eating the peas.
Running Arm Band - securely holds your phone while exercising and allows touch screen through the plastic.
Rash Guard - not only saves skin in sun and heat, but also works as a wind barrier for early morning runs.
Travel Computer Bag - holds two computers safely, Kindle, cords, files all in a compact space.
Compression Socks - made a big difference during air travel.
Silk Glove Liners and Silk Sock Liners - these have been amazing for protecting toes and fingers during early morning cold runs.
Framing Nailer, a nice update from our brad nailer.
The Ballad of the Whisky Robber, Julian Rubinstein. An incredible true story that reads like a farcical fiction book.
Underground Airlines, Ben H. Winters. What if the civil war didn't end and a compromise was made instead where four states remained slave states? Set currently as if this was history, this is a fascinating look at what might've been.
Neverhwere, Neil Gaiman. A little mind-bending but in a good way, this is such a good book. You're often not sure what's up or down (literally), but the characters are wonderful and the writing is fantastic. If you can get this as an audiobook, it's read by the author who does an amazing job.
Previous Guide (updated!):
1. Universal Kayak Roof Rack J Bar, 2 Pairs- at just 1/2 to 1/3 of the price of name-brand roof racks, we thought they might be cheaply made. They aren't as thick, but they work fantastic, and held our kayaks perfectly all last summer.
2. Classic Fountain Pen, Medium Nib-Brian loves writing old-school with a fountain pen and these kind of things seem to be coming back, so maybe you know someone who would, too?
3. Nike jacket- Brian's is similar to this version and he wears it all the time since it's a perfect light layer, but still warm.
4. American Apparel Men's Tri-Blend Short Sleeve T-Shirt- a new t-shirt love this year so I had to buy 3 of them. He likes the fit and how soft they are.
5. Peets whole bean Coffee- for any coffee snobs lovers on your list like Brian - Peets is one of his absolute favorites - but always in a dark roast.
6. Fire Stick streaming media player- we don't have cable and stream most of the TV or movies we watch with this to stream from Amazon (we use the Chromecast shown in last year's list below with Netflix and regular channel apps)
7. Dark chocolate covered malt balls- probably Brian's favorite gift from last year, they are hard to find locally which make them even more special.
8. Echo dot- Brian loves new tech gadgets that aren't too expensive and this is SO cool, so - shhhh, it's his Christmas gift this year (confession - I may want this more than he does!)
BOOKS (with notes from Brian)
Nonfiction
9. Save The Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need, Blake Snyder: This step-by-step guide on how to structure a winning screenplay is actually a great guide for all types of writing. Use these principles to grab your audience's attention and keep them engaged until the end.
10. Two by Francis Chan: Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God: Are you a true Jesus follower or just an American who calls himself a Christian? It's not hard to tell. And Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit: The person in the Bible who's most neglected by evangelicals is a part of the Godhead. But He's the one who's present with us while Jesus is with the Father.
11. Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard, Chip & Dan Heath: The Heath brothers introduce a simple methodology and lots of amazing stories about getting people and organizations to make significant changes. So entertaining, you'll forget it's a change-management book.
Fiction
12. Ready Player One, Earnest Cline: Great story and possibly predicts the immersive virtual reality gear we'll be able to buy next year. Ironic how the main character proclaims his atheism, but spends most of his life in a model of a universe made by a benign creator. One where the free will of the participants necessitates the existence of evil. Maybe that's the point.
13. The Pickwick Papers, Charles Dickens: I can't think of any other 200 year old books that are laugh out loud funny. Mr. Pickwick and his friends prove that while clothing styles change, people don't. Showed Dickens' genius at the age of 24.
14. The War of the Worlds, H.G. Wells: Brilliant idea with a satisfying execution. Every alien invasion movie owes something to this book. The irony of the Martians' death is even greater with our improved knowledge of beneficial bacteria.
BONUS! I just remembered that he loves this gift we gave him for Father's Day:
Electric Bug Zapper - we had such a fly problem in our house since we lived around house pastures and this takes care of them quickly and with no mess like traditional fly swatters.
Want more ideas? Check out this updated Gift Guide for the Whole Family!
These gift guides for women, men, and kids are part of our 8 Weeks of Christmas Ideas series (though all these gifts are good any time of the year, too!).
Disclosure: this post contains affiliate links and by clicking on them you help support AOC at no extra cost to you – thanks so much! Plus you can trust I’ll only share what I love. (You can always read our entire disclosure page here.)
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