The problem with buying for men at Christmas is not a shortage of options. It is that the obvious options are all slightly insulting: another pair of socks, another novelty mug, another gift set of shower gel he will never open.
Personalisation solves it for a simple reason. It moves a gift out of the category of things anyone could have bought and into the category of things only you would have thought of.
Start with what he already does
The best personalised gift attaches itself to an existing habit rather than trying to create a new one. Work through his week:
If he has a drink on a Friday night
This is the richest category by a distance. An engraved pint glass or tankard with his name on it turns into the glass he reaches for automatically. If he is a whisky drinker, a glass tumbler works the same way. Gin drinkers get gin glasses, and for anyone who takes something stronger out and about, a hip flask is the classic.
If he is a smoker
An engraved personalised lighter is one of the few gifts in this price bracket that gets used daily. One thing worth knowing before you buy from anyone: lighters are posted empty. Postal regulations do not permit fuel in the post, so it will need filling before first use.
If he is into food
A cheeseboard and knives set engraved with a family name is the kind of thing that comes out every time people come round. Breakfast boards are the lower-cost version of the same idea.
If he commutes
Travel mugs and insulated water bottles get used more than almost anything else on this list, and a name engraved on one solves the office-kitchen problem of everyone owning the same bottle.
For the man who genuinely has everything
Two categories work well here because they are things people rarely buy themselves:
- Pocket watches - impractical in the best way, and the engraving on the back is the whole point.
- Cufflinks - useful if he wears a suit, and initials are all the personalisation they need.
Do not overlook the small stuff
A gift does not have to be expensive to land. Engraved keyrings and bottle openers both sit comfortably in stocking-filler territory, and the whole under £10 range is worth a look if you are buying for several people.
What to actually put on it
- A name alone almost always beats a joke. Jokes date; names do not.
- If you do use a message, keep it to something he would say rather than something a card would say.
- Dates work well for milestones - a first Christmas together, a fortieth birthday in the same year.
- Check character limits before you write. Most items cap each line, and a message that has to shrink to fit never looks as good.
When to order
Personalised items are made to order, so the comfortable window is late October through November. December orders are possible but you are buying into the busiest stretch of the postal year.
Start with the full personalised Christmas gifts collection, or browse what is new if you bought from us last year and want something different.