If you’ve got the best dad ever in your family and you’re looking for the perfect present, check out this list of interesting gifts for the man in your life. If can be really difficult to find just the right thing. Ties and snacks are great but why not try something a little different?
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Picture of a Memory
This is one of my favorite things to give. It can be as inexpensive as you want. Think of a really great memory you share. Then draw it and put it in a frame. You don’t have to be an amazing artist. It’s the memory that you’re giving. I’ve done this twice for my husband.
One picture is from when Nathan was in his Master’s program. He had a lot of paperwork to finish up for the weekend and he always got a lot more done if he stayed on campus. It was a really small university and he knew his building would be pretty much empty. So, we took a laptop, some bags of popcorn and some dinner up to the top floor where Nathan would be working. We ate dinner together and then Nathan worked while I played with the kids in the long hallway until he was done. They ran up and down and giggled and were delighted with the new space. Then we all ate snacks, kicked a ball around and watched a movie. It was one of those moments where everything works out perfectly. It was a sweet night for our little family.
For Father’s Day that year, we didn’t have any money so this was my present to Nathan. My drawing is far from perfect but I loved giving it my best shot and keeping that memory fresh.
Best Dad Ever | Daddy and Me album
Grab a cheap album and go through all your family photos. This took me a few hours. It takes time but it’s worth it. You’ll almost always find awesome pictures you completely forgot about.
Grab all the photos of each of your kids and dad. Then, section your album for each child. In each section I had each kid draw a picture and write their three favorite things about dad. I helped the youngest ones with theirs. There’s a “you and me” section at the end and I finished it with the most recent family picture.
Don’t feel like you have to go all crazy with scrapbooking stuff. Just get it in there and let the pictures be the focus.
With digital cameras, almost all of our pictures are stored on the computer or a hard drive. This is a great opportunity to get some of them out and reminisce.
Get a Pet for the Best Dad Ever
Pets aren’t just for kids. They can be a comfort and a barrel of laughs when you most need it.
Nathan loves cats. He loves how snuggly they are and how bothered they get.
Way back when we only had two little kids, I found a listing on craigslist from a lady who had a litter of kittens we could go choose from. So, I drove him out there to pick one for a present. I thought I was being sneaky but he guessed what was happening. They were so cute and tiny. Nathan picked out a stripy orange cat and was holding it when all of the sudden a little black furry thing with green eyes climbed all the way up his pant leg and onto his arm. Hearts were melted and we went home with the little climber and named her Olive. And she was his cat all the way.
Homemade Dessert for the Best Dad Ever
There’s no fancy instructions here. Figure out what his favorite dessert is and then try to make it at home. Find out what his mom made him when he was growing up and give it your best shot!
Nathan’s favorite is pumpkin pie or pecan pie. So we have pumpkin pie in the middle of April every year for his birthday. This last time I made pecan pie and I burned the top but he still loved it. He’s so sweet 🙂
You can make some of my easy Oreo-Cookie Dough Truffles if he likes chocolate.
An Interesting Date
Sometimes the best presents are experiences. Spend some quality time together doing something interesting. Check out this list of Cheap or Free Date Ideas.
Meal Prep His Favorite Food
Why stop at one meal for a special occasion? You could meal prep his favorite food for a whole week. Maybe even more if you’ve got room in the freezer!
Is breakfast his favorite meal? Cook two packs of bacon and store it in an airtight container in the freezer. Now he can have bacon any time he wants.
Cook up some pancakes and throw those in the freezer too.
Breakfast burritos are easy. Just cook up some eggs, broil some tater tots until they’re crispy, and make a packet of country gravy. Fill a tortilla with some eggs, cheddar cheese, a few tater tots and some gravy. Close up the tortilla, stick it in a sandwich bag and then put all of those into a freezer bag. When he’s ready to eat, pull it out and heat it up for about 45 seconds, still in the sandwich bag.
If you’re looking for a lunch/dinner idea try Easy Creamy Spaghetti or Sloppy Joes and other sandwiches. These all do really well in the fridge or freezer are big hits.
Cook a “Reverse Sear” Steak
Make him some darn good meat!
I cannot cook steak normally. I almost always end up over-cooking it and that sucks. Because steak is expensive. But a few years ago I learned a different method of cooking a steak that makes it way easier in my opinion. Traditionally, you sear the outside of the meat to “seal in the juices” and then turn the heat down to cook the rest of the way? I honestly don’t know how to do it and I never get it right, even when I try really hard.
Reverse searing is when cook the meat slowly and evenly. You season the meat, stick it on a rack over a pan, and cook it in the oven at a really low temperature until it’s just right. Then, you take it out and quickly sear the outside with butter and garlic just until you get a brown crust. You don’t have to worry about the inside because it’s already cooked to the right temperature. Here’s a link with more details. How to Make Reverse Sear Steak.
Make His Space Special
Because of the pandemic, a lot more dads are working from home. So, there’s a lot more make-shift office spaces going around too.
My husband works in the closet in one of the bedrooms. We call it his Clo-fice. I’m honestly impressed with how he’s fit everything in there. He works all day and often several hours at night. For a present last year, I took a page from my sister and bought him a mini fridge and matching microwave so he could have cold drinks and snacks anytime he wants. That way his work space feels a little more like a man-cave. It doesn’t fit in the tiny closet but we put it right outside his door so it’s easily accessible. Here are links to the fridge and microwave we bought. They are so cute and I love the colors!
Find some space that is just for dad and make it a little more special for him.
Embroider His Favorite Meme
Pick a meme that makes him chuckle and embroider it. If you can’t embroider, write or draw it out nicely and frame it.
Find the meme. Type it out in a word document. Enlarge it until you have it the size you want it in real life. Cover the screen with tissue paper and trace it onto the tissue. Use that to trace it onto some fabric using some carbon paper in between. Grab a hoop and some embroidery thread and go to town!
Here’s a great video by one of my favorite youtubers, Diana Vingert. First Steps in Embroidery: For Beginners. She shows you all the basics.
This one is my present to Nathan this year so I asked him not to read my post until after Father’s Day.
Meme’s are just part of life these days. They’re everywhere and so enjoyable. We love texting each other ridiculous, hilarious memes.
When we were in the hospital getting ready to have our 6th baby, we spent an hour laughing so hard we were crying as we scrolled through a bunch of memes. We finally had to stop because my contractions were getting stronger and the laughing was making it more painful. But that is one of my favorite memories now.
To commemorate our love of silly memes. I decided to embroider one as a present. Here’s the original:
Here’s my version. It’s not quite done but I wanted to get this post up as quick as I could.
He can hang it in his closet-office and think of me.
Thanks for stopping by! I hope this list was helpful 🙂 Whatever you choose to do. Remember to do it with love.
Don’t forget to pin it!
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