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The Top 5 VERY Last-Minute Gifts For Dad


So it's Saturday and you know you are knee deep in a huge mistake. You were busy all week. I know. I was too. You don't know what to get "for the man who has everything." To which I'm sure he would laugh, or simply not respond at all. Or, maybe you just plain forgot, which I genuinely understand. Father's Day is almost five days early compared to previous years. I was pretty psyched myself when I discovered this last week. This will be the first time my son's birthday, which falls a day or two before or after Father's Day, won't be the factor that typically preempts my ability to singularly enjoy the day. Hopefully, this year, I won't find out there are other factors.

The point remains that you're currently empty-handed and idealess on what to get Dear Old Dad and you actually believe socks, grocery store cologne, shaving cream under $35 and a tie of any price is insulting. And because the day is tomorrow there is no amount of money you can pay Amazon to get a gift to you by Sunday. Fret not! I've got some VERY last minute suggestions for you that won't bust your wallet (or even if they do, it's worth it) and are as far as your local Target and as close as your laptop.


Sonos - my favorite HiFi wireless home speaker system. Give Dad one or two of these and in less than thirty minutes his favorite room(s) will be filled with his favorite sounds. And yours too. If you've got deep pockets, get him the Sonos Playbar and Sub and prepare for your tinny sounding television to be transformed into a floor shaking theater. Just in time for the World Cup. Yay! Sonos products are available at your local Target and Best Buy and range in price from $199 to $699 apiece.


Bicycle - this is a great idea at nearly any age unless Dad doesn't know how to ride a bike, then it's a terrible idea. I don't think you'll ever see me in lycra racing gear, riding on a touring cycle in a pack of twenty to thirty guys indignantly hogging lanes that are typically occupied by those big powerful things called cars, but I am a proponent of the local bike shop where all these guys shop. It beats going to a big box store and simply picking the bike (which is typically zip tied to a display) that looks the nicest. Firstly, it supports local business. Secondly, the folks who run bike shops, eat, live and breathe bikes. They know their stuff backwards and forwards and will suggest the right bike for you based on your - in this case - Dad's wants and needs. In most cases they'll even let you bring it back if Dad doesn't like it. If Dad does like it he can bring it back to the shop and get it adjusted exactly to his height and pick up plenty of useful accessories to go along with it. Expect to spend no less than $300 and please don't spend more than $1,000. Most bike shop sales reps won't let you anyway unless you're a professional/sponsored cyclist or become hostile over your right to waste your money.



Streaming Service Subscriptions (Netflix, Hulu, Crackle, etc.) - you don't have to go any further than your laptop to buy Dad this amazing gift. This works whether you have a streaming device, such as Xbox, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV or a Roku Box, or not since these services also run on computers and mobile devices (phones and tablets). Think TV anywhere at anytime. He may even be less inclined to hog the main television. With one of these, chances are he will have watched what he wanted to watch at work, on the toilet or if he's like my boss, he may just whip out his mobile device and begin watching in the living room while the wife and kids watch something else entirely unbearable. These services begin at $7.99. A good amount are free.

Wearables - if you aren't familiar with this term mark my word, by the end of this year, people are going to be running out in droves to pick up a wearable device. Although many brands rushed to market and bombed with their wrist versions of your smartphone, the newly improved wave of devices entering the market are centered around health and wellness monitoring and sync beautifully with your phone and in some instances, across apps. My personal desired favorite right now is the Misfit Shine (pictured below). If I get one, I'll write here about the experience. Prices typically range from $99 and can go as high as $400. These devices are available at Target, Best Buy and sporting goods stores such as the Nike Store, Dicks Sporting Goods and REI.


Power Tools - finally, the you-can't-go-wrong-choice. The respectable rechargeable choices come from Home Depot and Lowes and most are probably currently on sale because Father's Day is tomorrow. Ryobi, Dewalt and Milwaukee are some brands to check out. If the dad in your life isn't that kind of man, then get him a power driver (a fancy name for an electric screw driver). Today's products are very good and pretty powerful. Look for a promotion that's offering more than one lithium battery as a part of the package. There's nothing worse than being unable to complete a project because a battery has to charge or even worse having to buy a new one altogether because these things aren't foolproof. Great sale prices range from $99 - $199. Anything less is potential junk. Anything more should be left up to Dad. Worst case scenario, get him a gift card for one of these stores so shop for himself.




I hope this helps. If the Dad in your life doesn't happen to live with you or nearby, I don't know what to tell you. You messed up. But rest in the comfort that dad is Dad. He loves you. So at the end of the day a gift really isn't necessary. But it's nice to be nice to the one who goes overlooked most of the time, because in essence, if he is overlooked, or taken for granted that means he's doing his job. At the very least call him up and tell him you love him. And for the love of all things good and holy, please, don't call collect.

Before you go, meet Ross and watch his testimony on what it means to be a father.

Superman photo credit: JD Hancock via photopin cc

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