Father’s Day is a right old ballache (and I don’t even have any balls) of a time to find the right gift idea. I love my Dad. A lot. But trying to think of father’s day gift ideas is easier said than done for the man who tells me not to buy him Star Trek (despite him being a trekkie), not to buy him anything train related (probably because I can’t afford a Princess Elizabeth Hornby train – yet), and forgets the one thing he had an idea for that he wanted. Although that last one is partly my fault as well as I didn’t write down what it would be as I assumed he would remember it!

So I am going to take a punt on my lovely Dad not looking on here before next Sunday and try and help any of you who are like me and struggling to work out what to buy the man who doesn’t want anything.

My current thinking on Father’s Day gift ideas:

1. A sock subscription. Because Dad’s love socks (quite frankly who doesn’t) and it is guaranteed to be something he will wear. Not guaranteed to be something he will appreciate though as socks can be that one present you hate to love (or is that love to hate)? I do love the colour of all the socks though at Henry J Socks but I have a feeling that my Dad, who favours black socks will not. So onto the next idea…
2. Something like a multi-tool pocket item like this Crank Brothers Pica Multitool as my Dad is very, very, handy (he is a TV engineer so it goes with the territory) but 1) I can’t tell if you can use this tool on other things 2) the reviews aren’t great and 3) he doesn’t have a bike so if you can’t use it on other things it is a bit wasted.
3. Beer jam or Beer jelly. I love the look of the ones from the Potlicker Kitchen but they don’t ship to the UK unfortunately (although understandable when you think of the weight of a jar) but I do like the fact that it is a slightly different spin on just buying him beer which is something of a fall back position this close to Father’s Day!
4. Real Ale Chutney. The closest I could get to something that ships within the UK and while it does fit the bill of item 3 it does also seem like something you could get in Tesco. Not that there is anything wrong with that but if I am going full on beer-related gift I want it to be a bit more special than something I can get 2 miles away from home.
5. Some sort of crowdfunded/kickstarted beer related project. I found the Two Guys from Brussels on Crowdfunder which would have been perfect (it was local, it involved beer, there was also chocolate, and gifts were received as part of the funding) but unfortunately (well fortunately for them) the project has been successfully funded. So I am currently looking at Wildcraft Brewery which would see Dad get his name on a Wall of Fame (which he would probably hate to be honest but the notion is nice), beer, and an invite to opening night. The only downside is the distance – Norfolk – which is some way from North Wales for him.

Back to the drawing board for Father’s Day gift ideas?

I have a feeling that my big brother will not have thought of any ideas for gifts (although I could be wrong) so my plan is to run a few of the ideas above past him and see what he thinks will work best. If nothing fits the bill then perhaps I will have to get him a jar of nothing or see if I can turn the phrase ‘a poke in the eye’ into a similar gag gift? Answers on a postcard (or in the comments) please…