Gifts for a dad who has everything: 14 ideas he will not already own
By the Notre Livre editorial team · · 6 min read
He has the tools, the gadgets and the jumpers. When you ask what he wants, he says he does not need anything, and he is probably right.
So do not buy him another thing. Here are fourteen ideas that work for Christmas, a big birthday or Father's Day in June.
Experiences
- A day at the races, the cricket or the rugby, with you.
- A steam railway trip, a distillery tour or a vintage car experience.
- A round at a golf course he has always wanted to play.
- A family walk up a hill he climbed when he was young, with lunch planned at the top.
Things he will use up
- A case of good ale or a bottle of single malt from a region he likes.
- Coffee or tea from a small roaster, delivered monthly.
- Seeds and bulbs for the allotment or garden.
- A hamper of British cheeses and chutneys.
Time together
The one thing most dads who have everything do not have is enough time with their grown-up children.
- A day building, fixing or restoring something together.
- A standing monthly pint or breakfast, written in the card.
- A trip back to the town where he grew up.
How to pick the right one
Think about what he does when nobody is asking anything of him: the shed, the garden, the match, the long walk. The best present usually supports that habit rather than adding a new one.
If he is older, time matters more than money. A trip with you, or a project that means you see him every week for a month, often means more than anything in a box.
And if he is the family storyteller, the one who always starts with "when I was your age", that is your answer. Those stories disappear unless someone writes them down.
Questions that get him talking
- What was the house you grew up in like?
- What did your own father do for a living?
- What was your first job, and what did you earn?
- How did you meet Mum?
- What are you proudest of?
His life story, as a book
With a book about your dad, he tells his story in a guided conversation, in writing or out loud: his childhood, his parents, his first job, how he met your mother, what he is proud of and what he regrets. It becomes a book of 200 to 400 pages, written in the first person with AI assistance and reviewed by him chapter by chapter. Nothing is invented.
It is the gift the rest of the family ends up reading too, and one your children will be glad exists. A life story book costs from £95, hardback of 200 pages included, printed in the UK with VAT and delivery included. See all formats on the prices page.