Unique mens gift ideas. His own personalized dogtags.

I'm asked a lot for unusual ideas for mens gifts. Something that he wouldn't think of in a million years if you asked him what he wants for his birthday this year.

So here's one I've come across lately that I think fits the bill as pretty unique. Not something that would appeal to all men, certainly, but it will appeal to many I think. And you should know if your man is the type who'd love to have his own personalized dogtags.

Just like the army, except that you can choose the text for the dogtags. It will be imprinted for you, and you'll be able to select one of 4 different styles, choose your own  silencer color, choose the chain that it hangs on and hey presto, you've got him his own dogtags that you've designed for him, and which say what you want them to say. Read more

I was looking for an unusual gift idea, here's a good one.

I've written a bit lately about golf gift ideas. Not that there's anything wrong with that, there's so many golfers and so there's got to be a heap of people out there looking for ideas for a gift for a golfer.

But I thought I'd look for something not related to golf this time. And something that's, well, different.

This is what I found. A mousepad that doubles as a finger drum as well.

Now that's different. If he spends a lot of time on the computer as I do, and needs a break from time to time he just takes his mouse off the pad and starts drumming.

It's an electronic drumpad that allows him to play 8 different percussion sounds, including bass, snare, two rack toms, a floor tom, hi-hat, crash, and ride cymbals.

And all he needs to do to start drumming if to use his fingers.

He can adjust the volume, and he can even record his own drumming. Read more

So your man loves art. Can I suggest something different that might get his attention?

Great artwork is wonderful. By artwork I mean paintings and drawings, I know there's lots of other things that are artwork as well, but I just love paintings and drawings. And I've written about elephant paintings before.

I just figure that if you're going to get him something arty then why not go for something completely different?

How about Australian aboriginal artwork? Very different indeed, in fact quite unique.

The Australian aboriginal culture goes back tens of thousands of years, and they have produced an extremely unique and distinctive style of artwork that I love.

You can see quite a few examples that I've put up here. Very different from what you're used to seeing I bet. And Australian aboriginal artwork is getting hot on the international art market, with some pieces going for huge prices, so it may be a good investment as well, although if you're buying for that reason you need to do some more homework.

From quite cheap to very expensive.

But I just love the look and the style. So if your man is into art why not something to take his breath away that's totally different. Here's somewhere you can find Australian aboriginal art, though a google search will find lots more. Aboriginal Art Shop This site is where I found the images displayed.

Are flowers a good gift for him?

I've been thinking a bit about this. Is it a good idea to give flowers to men? Men give flowers to women all the time, and women like it. But what about a woman giving flowers to a man to tell him how she feels about him?

Good question. I think it's pretty fair to say that 10 or 20 years ago the answer would have to have been no. Men were men and there were no metrosexuals. The word didn't even exist and men didn't care so much about their appearance, or perhaps their decor or other things that are more traditionally the province of women.

However men are supposed to be more in touch with their feminine side, and it may well be that a gift of a rose to a man is now a fine gift for a sensitive man.

Make sure you know your man though. There are men who'd love a rose or 12 as a gift, and some who wouldn't. And the best person to make that judgement is you. You know him better than anyone else probably.

Perhaps he's the sort of man who loves a good spa, or manicure, or mudbath or facial. He'll probably love a bunch of flowers. Some wouldn't. But then there's women who don't like flowers too.

I have even read recently that there have been surveys done on this and that the result, surprisingly, is that around 70% of men would appreciate a gift of flowers. That figure surprised me, if I had to nominate a figure I'd have thought it would be a minority. There you are, the modern man has made great strides in the last 10 or 20 years.

Read more

Sometimes it's a little too easy buying a "normal" gift.

There's no doubt that as a society we're getting, on average, fatter. Both men and women. And this brings with it some related health problems. Like heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes, and more.

I've written before about giving the gift of health to a man. I think that sometimes we get too bound up in the gift giving thing and end up missing some of the most important gifts we can give each other. Like love, time, commitment, and lots more, including health.

Of course it can often be much harder to do this. If it's his birthday it's easy to jump on the net, find a nice looking present and buy it. Job done. Giving him something more serious and personal can take much more.

Now of course you can't just give him health. That's something that must be worked on for a lifetime. But you can do lots of things to ensure that he is more likely to be healthy than he would be without your efforts. Encourage him to exercise more. Cook nutritious food and so on. There's lots you can do that take effort on your part, but are worth it in the long run.

And when I come across something that I think is worth mentioning I'll do so here as well. Here's one. Chelation Therapy.

Now I confess that this is new to me, and I haven't personally tried it, so I started doing some reading about it. I was surprised with what I read. It involves the use of an amino acid (EDTA) to clean the bloodstream thereby producing a range of health related benefits. Read more

It's often hard to think of great gift ideas for grandad.

I have been thinking about grandpas lately. And gift ideas for grandads. Because of course if it's his birthday then grandfathers need a great gift idea too. Problem is often that your options are more limited.

He's often got just about all he needs, and often his needs are more limited than they used to be. Sometimes he lives in some form of retirement accomodation as well, and so has limited space. I know that's what my grandparents did.

So what do you get grandad when his birthday comes around?

Often a great gift idea is one that makes him more comfortable in some way.

Here's an idea I came across that I think would make a lovely gift for a grandfather. Shower chairs. Often older people can be prone to falls and broken bones, and the shower is a prime place for a fall. But a bench that he can sit on should eliminate the risk of falls and make for some quality shower time.

It's adjustable so he can make it the exact height he wants. It has rubberized feet to prevent slipping and protect the floor of the shower. And because it can be lowered it could be used in the bath as well if he isn't up to getting right down onto the bottom of the bath.

Now a shower bench isn't a new idea, but this is one of the best looking ones I have come across. And unlike most that are made of plastic and look a little ordinary, this one is made of teak that is known to be water resistant and shouldn't build up mildew or warp, and looks good.

It's from First Street. They do products and gift ideas for "Boomers and Beyond". It's a great idea, a shop dedicated to the older person and the older persons needs. So they have a lot of good ideas that would make fine gifts for older men, and which you may not find in the average gifts store.

For instance a wallet that's designed specially to go in the front pocket of his trousers because sitting on a wallet isn't so good for the back. Read more