The Christmas Edit – A Gift Guide For Him

Is it just me, or are men so hard to shop for?! I could make a list a mile long for my mom or best friend, but when it comes to my Dad and Darren, it takes me forever to think of one tiny idea! Darren will tell me he likes something, I’ll try to suddenly and sneakily act inquisitive about which one and so on, only for him to instantly tell me all the reasons he actually doesn’t want it. To think they say women are complicated…

But this year, I upped my game. I started with the ultimate Darren approved stocking, the theme – cocktail hour, complete with cocktail candies, cocktail glasses, cocktail ice cubes, and of course whiskey – his favorite!

I got Darren some candies from Sugarfina last year that he really liked, and my whole theme started when I saw their “The Vice Collection” gift set on their website; the candies include Maple Bourbon Caramels, Cuba Libre, Martini Olive Almonds, Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Cashews, Chocolate Bacon Pretzels, Pale Ale Pints, Single Malt Scotch Caramels, and Bourbon Bears – basically Darren in candy form. From there, I went to my favorite place on Earth – Target. In their glassware section I found these personalized cocktail glasses, which were so affordable, so I got an “S” and a “D,” so we could have some drinks together. I also picked up the ice cube tray and Old Fashioned mix at Target, and then I just hit the local liquor store for some minis. I love this gift idea, and although I’m calling it a “stocking,” I think this is a great actual gift idea, especially if maybe instead of minis, you did a full size bottle of something.

Next, I got Darren a personalized leather bag to keep his toiletries in. He doesn’t have anything to hold his hair gel and shampoo, whether when we go on vacation or for his daily trip to the gym, and I loved the look of this one I found on Etsy. I got it from the Portland Leather shop and this is the size large in the “Grizzly” color. I love it so much, and got a little DR engraved on it too. I also bought Darren this set of shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, and lotion. It’s kind of a long story, but when we went to Miami we stayed in the most amazing smelling hotel, the Miami Edition, and through a little research I found out that the candles, room sprays, and everything in that hotel is actually part of a curated scent that the hotel and Le Labo co-created, so I wanted to get these for Darren to make him think of sunnier days in the sand, but also they just smell so cedar-y and good!

Darren recently told me that his slippers needed replacing, and in the same moment that I thought gift idea, he told me he already ordered a pair, but then he said that he didn’t love them as much as his old ones and so I decided to get him ones that looked a bit like the old ones that he wore and loved, but something that will last a while and keep his feet cozy too. I got these from Ugg and really hope he likes them. I especially like the color of them.

I got Darren some clothes this year, which is actually terrifying me; he doesn’t wear one size, it depends on brand, day of the week, and I have NO idea what else, so I took a risk and ordered him some clothes he had saved on Instagram! He showed me these one day, and I told him I loved the style of the photo and asked that he DM it to me, very sneaky I know. I pretty much bought them the next day, since Banana Republic frequently does a 40% off promotion. These are the Banana Republic X Kevin Love collection, and the sweater and pants both feel really great quality, just hoping/praying for a good fit! I also ordered the varsity sweater from the same collection and I’m loving the rugby-style stripe on it!