Father's Day Gifts: 5 Good Ideas

It's that time of year again, the time to honor dear old Dad. It can be hard to decide what to buy, so here are five things I might get my dad this year. Dad, stop reading this.

Dads are often hard to buy for — some buy everything they want, some never tell anyone what they want, and sometimes we're mad at them and want to get them something passive aggressive. It's tricky.

1. A titanium spork ($22.99) or Grill Daddy ($14.99 + s/h)

What dad doesn't love an all-in-one? Whether your dad is a Star Trek fan or not (but especially if he is), sporks are awesome and fun to say. Simplify your dad's fork-goes-on-the-left-table-setting confusion with some titanium all-in-one goodness. If pops likes to grill? The Grill Daddy is freaking ridiculously badass. Watch the video on their site.

2. Subway map cufflinks ($70.00)

Dads love transportation, and cities, and stuff like that. Why not get him some cufflinks made from subway maps? These $70 beauties are from NYC, but check out what your dad's hometown transit system has to offer, or his favorite city, or someplace you think he wants to go.

3. Time magazine archive goodness (price varies)

Dads like history, and stuff that's about them. Visit the Time archives to find out what happened the week of your father's birth. You may be able to order a vintage copy of the issue itself online, or at least get a print of a photo of something else that happened that week, that kind of thing. You can also Wikipedia-date-search his birthdate.

4. Coexist or Peace mens' bracelet ($35)

You didn't expect me to skip the Tonic shop, did you? We have a lot of great T-shirts, but if you have a particularly cool Dad, he'll dig these Aarong artisan metal bracelets with good reminders.

5. Food ($10+)

Dads like to eat. Taking Dad to lunch for Father's Day may disappoint; he might be expecting you to present a gift. What you can do is make a meal for him, or send him something yummy he likes to eat from Harry & David or somewhere. They have a lot of good ideas on their website.

Hopefully, that helps. Father's Day isn't rocket surgery, but dads do count on a little spoiling once per year. If you're broke, be sure and send a home-made card — or give him a call!