Dudes Share the Holiday Gifts Men Actually Want (Hint: No Beard Oil)

Ada Elder

Dec 19, 2022 12:30 PM EST

Giving people gifts can be one of the more challenging aspects of the holiday season. Especially when you're dating someone who isn't straightforward about the presents they would actually like to receive. The people in my life who I struggle to buy gifts for are my parents and my boyfriend. My parents simply have everything they could ever want and have abandoned the quirky interests of their past (like Mexican dioramas) for a more quaint and pastoral lifestyle in their new home of Vermont. My solution? Buy them ingredients to make all the food they miss from New York City.

The boyfriend, however, is another story. He's not very communicative about what he wants, so unless I get him socks and underwear to replace the ones that have holes, things aren't going to be very interesting. As Twitter user @RosemaryCard pointed out this past week, all the available guides to men's gifts seem hypermasculine and revolve around leather, knives, whiskey, and beard oil. Not really my dude's vibe. Fortunately, @RosemaryCard asked men what they actually want for the holidays, and they were happy to provide some helpful (and humorous) suggestions.