Gift Guide #02: a thoughtful keepsake for a dad who deserves it
Hullo, Mike!
Hello again! I recently opened up submissions for my gift-giving expertise (https://forms.gle/DMuc3SPag8Vj6VSv7), and I’m publishing my advice and recommendations as little bonus posts whenever I finish them.
Here’s the latest…
Genius Gift Guide #02
What occasion is this for?
Father's day.
What are the parameters?
He loves tech. I'm wanting to spend $100-200 total--he doesn't typically appreciate handmade lol.
Tell me about the recipient and your relationship to them…
Mike is my step-father, since I was 12. I love him dearly like a bio dad. He's a Gen Xer who thinks he's a boomer, has deeply emotional soft spots but masks it with machismo a lot of the time. He deeply loves all his grandchildren and he adores the Yankees baseball team. He likes techy shit, and I'd love to show up my sister who is the gift giver in the family lol. Last year she got him a Yankees track jacket. The component that seems to mean the most to him is the thoughtfullness behind the gift--feeling seen. He also loves 80s music and retro arcade stuff--he was truly a child of the 80s.
Dear Mike’s kid…
This guy sounds like a total mensch, and your sister sounds like…well, I’m sure she’s great, but let’s try to beat her at her own game, shall we? Of course, you could always ask her what she plans to get him and offer to add $100 to somehow “supersize” the gift, that way you get to be a thoughtful big shot without doing the work. Or suggest you go halfsies on a projector and screen setup for backyard movie nights.
But if you want to go solo, my immediate thought was Polaroid camera. They’re just plain fun. Gen Xer who loves 80s arcade stuff? What if he could create souvenirs at every get together? He could take pics with all of his kids and grandkids and have them write cute things in Sharpie on the pictures that very day! Polaroid sells kits that are easy to order and use, and right in your price range. Here’s one.
You mentioned he likes tech but that’s a bit hard to shop for (I know, I know, then why do I even have this newsletter?), by which I mean, if he’s into, say, speakers, you’d need to know what kind of set-up he currently has in order to upgrade them, or if he wants a high-def TV in order to watch the big game, that’s gonna run you more than you’d currently like to spend. Perhaps he’d like a digital picture frame to look at pics of his family members? A sentimental gift disguised as a gadget! Bonus points if you pre-load it with some pics of the two of you together WITHOUT your sister. I kid. Unless…
Re: The Yankees, there are a billion books on the subject, but I’m getting the sense he doesn’t want to read. Which is fine, because there are also books that are meant for the coffee table, AKA, mostly pictures:
Assouline’s The Players Tribune (forward by Derek Jeter)
Yankees history by the NY Times (customizable)
Yankees history by the Daily News (customizable)
(Head’s up to other kids of dads who love the game: both of those papers make versions for other teams)
Stray ideas:
A Father’s Day message on the marquee at the game (probably only worth it if you’re at the game?)
For some reason when I picture Mike, he has a pug. Does he need a pug? Should your family adopt a pug?
Tech-y foot bath. “Tough” guys don’t wanna admit they need to soak their toesies at the end of a long day, but they do.
Assuming he has a Nintendo Switch, Dragon’s Lair, THE artsy arcade game of the 80s.
80s music is a pretty broad category, but if you know which artists he particularly likes, might he enjoy a concert ticket? Toto are on tour…
Happy Father’s day, Mike!
xo
Lizzie, The Gift Guide
Lizzie!! Thank you!! I’m Mike’s kid 😂 none of these ever occurred to me and are perfect matches for him!
Unrelated, I found you via the Brittany Murphy documentary (yes I’m years behind) and loved the way you covered it.
Thanks again!
Crystal