Father’s Day is another one of my favorite family holidays and it’s coming up soon. It’s time to plan some fun gifts for Grandpa and Dad. Of course, first we need to analyze what they like, look at how much space they have for gifts (this is especially true for grandfathers who have moved into smaller living quarters), and check out what they already have. After we’ve done this, we can move on to the fun stage – buying and wrapping a gift he’ll really enjoy. Here’s some ideas for some personalized gift baskets just for him.

Believe it or not, contrary to public opinion and so many TV comedy shows, some men really do enjoy receiving ties. They aren’t that cheap, and if the special guy in your life wants to spruce up his wardrobe, ties might be just the thing. In fact, how about a personalised gift basket with a tie or two, a belt or two, a nice set of cufflinks if he wears those, and a package of his favorite socks. Cover it all in tissue (to protect the clothes), and then wrap it up in his favorite section of the newspaper, be it sports or the financial section.

What’s that you say? Your dad or grandpa hates ties. How about golf? My dad loved golf and everything about it. You could fill a basket with a package of golf balls, a couple of packages of tees (personalized products like golf balls with his name on them or tees by his favorite pro make this present even more special ), and a golf magazine he doesn’t already  subscribe to. If he uses golf club covers and his are getting a bit worn looking, how about buying some  in his favorite cartoon character? Both my dad and my husband loved Looney Tunes. If I could shop for them this year (they are both waiting for me in heaven ), I’d look for Sylvester the Cat for my dad and the Tasmanian Devil for my hubby .   For this gift, I think I’d turn the grandkids loose on white paper and have them draw pictures of grandpa and dad out golfing. Then use that to wrap the gift up very adorably.

If your family is more into history than sports and clothes, how about a history basket. My dad was  a veteran who loved to read about and reminisce about World War II. My next door neighbor shared his historical interests even though he was less than half dad’s age and had not been in any war. Based on all the magazines I’ve seen, I’d say they have plenty of company in this hobby. For them, I would start with a gift subscription or renewal to the most appropriate magazine for their particular interests. For my dad, that would be World War II and for my neighbor, the Civil War Times. If it’s a renewal, just make a copy of the cover, write the renewal info on it, roll it up and tuck it into the basket.

There are some great photo journal books out there on all the different wars and most guys can’t seem to get enough of them. For my dad, they brought back good memories, and for my neighbor, they helped him learn more about details of the  clothing, weapons, and buildings. The next thing I’d do is check out the classified section of their magazines. You can often find unique Father’s Day gift ideas there that would be right up their alley . EBay would be another great resource. I would wrap these up using ribbons of the colors most appropriate to the war they are interested in. For most, that would probably be red, white and blue. But if your special dad is interested in Napoleon, for example,  you could use the colors of the French flag from that time period.

I have some more fun ideas for personalized gift baskets that would make great Father’s Day gift ideas, but they will have to wait for another day. If you have some fun ideas to share, do leave a comment with them. We love your comments!