After I posted last week’s stocking stuffer guide for pre-tween girls, the #1 request was for manly stocking stuffers. And I totally get it. My husband Sam and I have very different gift giving (and receiving) styles, so there have been lots of times where we’ve both kind of missed the boat; we give each other the kinds of gifts we would want ourselves, so really, I should have just bought myself that personalized keychain and he should have bought himself that meat slicer.
So I enlisted his help in compiling this list. This list probably won’t suit all men–my husband is an engineer, a nerdy guy who loves electronics. And movies. And tools. So basically, what I’m trying to say is that if you’re looking for sports-related stuff, my husband is not the man for you. But hopefully his interests are varied enough that maybe something on this list will speak to your dude.
1. Band of Brothers. I asked a bunch of guys from different walks of life, guys with varied interests and personalities, what boxed movie/TV set they would like and this was the immediate and unanimous answer (plus, the BluRay set is a STEAL at $24.99 right now-the DVD set is almost $100). This is one of our all-time favorite series; we watch it every summer around the anniversary of D-Day and we’re reduced to teary messes by the end, no matter how many times we’ve seen it. Yes. I do know that this aired on HBO and that there is mature content in it and that you’re disappointed in my personal choices. That’s cool. In the true spirit of Christmas, I’m going to suggest that maybe you explore those feelings all you want and then let them go. And not via email or comment to me.
2. Maglite XL200. My husband has quite an array of flashlights, so when he says that this one is his favorite, he knows what he’s talking about (I prefer the one with the little laser pointer on the end that we use to play with our cats and our 2-year-old.) He says he loves it because it’s small, super bright, and it has a bunch of different signal modes that can be used in emergencies.
3. Leatherman Rebar (and Leatherman Wave). When I asked Sam why someone should get a Leatherman instead of another multi-tool, his reply was that he didn’t know because he’s never used a different brand. So…that was super not helpful. He did go onto say that they were the first multi-tools, they’re American-made, and he’s never had any problems with them.
4. Beats In-Ear Headphones. I buy headphones solely based on how cute they are, so I’m the wrong girl to ask about headphone advice. He bought these for me last year for Christmas, but I tend to lose earbuds and I didn’t want to lose an expensive pair of them, so I gave them to him. His report: He likes that they have a microphone so you can use them for talking on the phone, the sound is crisp, the bass won’t blow you away, but it’s respectable, the ear inserts create a good seal, and he likes the controls on the cord.
5. Manly Hand Soap. You guys know that I have a small obsession with hand soaps, but we had a near mutiny this fall when my Sam told me he’d had it with the girly hand soaps, that he didn’t want to go back to work smelling like Cinnamon Vanilla Moonbeams. So I promised him some manly hand soaps and the Bath and Body Works Winter Citrus Wreath was hands-down his favorite (and, actually, the favorite of my kids). It smells a little pine-y, a little orange-y, so like Christmas, but not so overwhelmingly Christmas-y that you couldn’t use it year-round. I’ve stocked up on it so when we’ve had a few too many pear berry sorbets in a row, he can find it in his heart to forgive me.
6. 64 GB Keychain Flash Drive. Sheldon Cooper would have never forgotten his flash drive if it had been on his keychain the whole time.
Maybe if I put one on my keychain, I wouldn’t always be desperately looking for one. Sam, if you’re reading this, I don’t want a flash drive for Christmas. Spend the money on hand soaps.
7. Obscure Collectibles. My husband is a collector, and one of his latest obsessions has been The Simpsons Lego Minifigures (which is kind of weird because we haven’t watched The Simpsons in probably 10 years, but whatever. I don’t ask questions anymore.) Anyway, he searched and searched for Mr. Burns (if you’re unfamiliar with the Lego Minifigures business model, they package the toys in sealed, opaque packaging, so you have no idea what you’re getting, but they throw a promise of Mr. Burns in there, so people like my husband will keep trying to find Mr. Burns, thus winding up with a plethora of Homers and no Mr. Burns. It’s great.) So, yes, you’re paying, like, 5x the amount of a regular mini figure for the Mr. Burns, but that sounds like a great deal considering what he spent trying to find him.
So. If someone you know is looking for Mr. Burns, just go buy him on Amazon. If they’re not looking for Mr. Burns but they are looking for something else that’s been notoriously difficult to find, see if you can track it down.
8. The Forbidden Fruit (Potted Meat Food Product, in our case). When Sam and I were dating, we were in the grocery store and stumbled across some Potted Meat Food Product and I made fun of it. So he bought a can of it and it turns out that he really, really likes Potted Meat Food Product (he served a mission for our church in Norway and apparently there are similar concoctions there, only I’m pretty sure in Norway those concoctions are called pâté, which at the very least sounds fancier. Also, the word “pâté” doesn’t have to specify that it’s food.)
9. Tickets. Growing up, we always got tickets or passes in our stockings and those were the most exciting things–tickets to movies, tickets to plays, ski passes, tickets to sporting events. Is your husband into sports? Get him tickets to a game or event. Symphonies, the theatre, a movie he’s been dying to see–he’s pretty much guaranteed to love it!
10. Funny shirts. Sam has a vast collection of funny t-shirts and is always on the lookout for more. Places like Snorgtees, Threadless, Busted Tees, and even Old Navy have lots and lots of cultural-reference t-shirts that make me giggle. That said, you’re going to have to hustle if you want these before Christmas, at least without paying crazy shipping prices.
And thus concludes the Manly Christmas Stocking list. Or…Christmas Stocking According to One Woman’s Husband List. I do what I can…
This is a great list! I found lots of good ideas for my husband. Thanks!!
Great ideas!! Wish I would have seen this list before I went shopping for my husband! But I think I did pretty well. He’s getting:
– Slipper socks (since we have wood floors so his feet get cold)
– Beef Jerky (he loves it!)
– Whiskey stones with mini bottles of rum/whiskey
– A geeky ornament (my husband is a huge geek! So I found an ornament of Garfield eating pizza…since he likes Garfield and pizza…it’s a win!)
– Jump rope (I found one that has weights in the handles that you can take out, so you can have an easier or harder roping session)
Thanks for the ideas! I remember watching and loving Band of Brothers but my husband never did. I figured it would be the perfect gift, then I saw that it is also instant streaming Prime! Now I can give it to him for free! Best gift ever! 😉
Lovely post! Didn’t solve a single man-problem for me but I sure enjoyed reading and hoping all the same. My husband does complain about soaps too so I just make sure to leave a bar of plain old soap next to his sink. The mess is a small price to pay for peace. Merry Christmas to you and yours and thank you for all your hard work here on the blog!
re: the Lego guy. If you live near a lego store, the store employees are REALLY good at figuring out which minifig is in the bags. They don’t have a 100% guarantee or anything, but we told them the two specific figs we were after and we walked out of the store with just those two. Love this list – thanks for sharing!
It’s so weird to me to see real presents as stocking stuffers. Our stockings had anything you could buy at the grocery store on Christmas eve: candy, deodorant, razors, etc.
Kate, I love your posts.
And I don’t judge your personal choices (after all, I watch all the trashy MTV reality shows, so…)
But I think we would get along well, that potted meat is something I would totally make fun of and I had to scroll down to read about it because I had no idea what it was and was certain it would be some sort of gag gift. I guess it kind of it but more literal GAG than I was expecting. 😉
If you ever do a part two, one of the most unusual gifts that my husband loved was manly smelling massage oil. He loves to get his back rubbed and it is such a better experience when you have massage oil. It ended up being great for me too because often he’s willing to swap with me. We found it at bed bath and beyond.
oops! I mean bath and body work. 🙂
You seriously summed up my husband in your post. Everything…yep everything is something he would like. He isn’t into sports, loves Band of Brothers and yes I cry too, and has way too many weird shirts that I don’t usually get…sex panther cologne, Vandaley industries, etc. He always makes he hang a Homer Simpson on our fancy decorated Christmas tree every year even though I try to hide it among the Christmas boxes to go back downstairs he finds it and puts it up. Thanks for your great ideas, awesome recipes and great stories! Merry Christmas!
Great list, good ideas – thanks for sharing. But I’m in tears over your Band of Brother’s defense. Judgmental people are awesome!
This post was hilarious and just what I needed!
Help! I remember reading something on here about one of you being horrible sleepers and you gave a product you recommend for helping with sleep. I can’t seem to find it now but I want to get it as a stocking stuffer for my horrible sleeper man!
Me, me, haha! You want magnesium citrate. The pills are huge and you need a few to get 100% of the daily recommended value. Also, taking a zinc supplement with it helps, too, but it really irritates my stomach, so I have to have a piece of bread or a banana or something with it. I hope it works for him!
Yes! Thank you so much! Merry Christmas!
Oh geez… That scene where Perconte salutes the man in the concentration camp gets me every time. In fact, the tears are flowing just thinking about it. 🙂
Awesome list! My boyfriend owns Band of Brothers and we both love it and watch it at least once a year. Soooo good. I can also relate to the random collectible/Lego Simpsons minifigure obsession, except for him it’s anything Lego + Star Wars. Also, another random idea that the “hard-to-find minifigure” made me think of… my boyfriend’s really into craft beer so my parents were able to find two bottles of this limited release he looked high and low for but wasn’t able to get, and he’s getting that for Christmas… I can’t wait to see his face!! I know you guys don’t drink but just an idea that might help someone else 🙂
Also I can relate to your husband’s love of potted meat product… I mean, the name sounds horrifying and I’ve never had it, but my equivalent (and actually probably pretty similar) love is Oscar Mayer braunschweiger. I could eat it every day… my boyfriend says it’s like dog food. LOL.
We have the Star Wars Lego obsession, too, hahaha!
And if you’ve already got Bsnd of Brothers, go for The Pacific. Very similar, but showcases what was happening on the Pacific front. Really good!
I think I threw up a little bit in my mouth when I saw the potted meat product – omg.
My husband totally asked for band of brothers one year – loves it to pieces.
You and me both, sister. I don’t get it, haha.
Thanks for the great list, Kate! …I had never thought about movie tickets as a stocking stuffer/gift – great idea! We rarely go to the movies – typically just wait and catch things on video or Netflix, so going to the theater is a special treat – and perfect for a gift! Thanks for introducing me to this idea! =)
Kate – I just wanted to say you crack me up and Merry Christmas. I loved your aside about Band of Brothers.
Band of Brothers is a favorite of mine, too. Your comments in number #1 made me laugh. Thanks!
I’m a female but would love every single thing on this list… Except the potted meat thing.
These are great ideas! We have had the same conversation about hand soap at our home too. Plus your comment about “personal choices” for idea 1- cracked me up
Your paragraph about the soap cracks me up.
When we were looking at houses our realtor pulled out a 25-foot measuring tape that could go out to about 10 feet before it bent in half and my husband totally had measuring-tape-envy so my son is giving him one for Christmas. It would also make a good stocking stuffer.
I’m so glad I’m not the only one who gets a kick out of my two year old chasing the laser pointer with the dog! For funny tees I also recommend tee turtle, they have tons of geek reference tees and they’re soft. I bought my husband a pokemon/final fantasy shirt and a minions tee there this Christmas.