20+ cool men's gifts that don't suck (because let's be honest, so many do)

 

We love shopping for men!  Yes, really. There’s just so much coolness out there…and we’re determined to help you find it. Whether you’re shopping for your sweetheart, your husband, your father, grandfather, your grown son, you’ve come to the right place.

Now of course all men are different — he may be sporty, political, handy, sentimental, rockin’, artsy, or a combination of all of the above. Hopefully we have him covered here with these two dozen gift ideas.

Just don’t expect to find any bad Christmas sweaters or joke-y candles that smell like farts. Just the good holiday gifts for men. Promise.

 

All picks have been editorially determined by our staff. There has been no compensation for inclusion in this guide. 

This guide contains affiliate links and some purchases help support our own small business at no additional costs to you.. 

All discount codes expired 2018

For more up-to-date discounts and gift ideas, please visit our 2019 holiday gift guide or 2020 small business holiday gift guide

Shinola Leather Watch: Coolest Men's Gifts | 2017 Holiday Gift Guide

Shinola Runwell Watch

It’s the new classic.

$550, Nordstrom

Get a reprint of any favorite photo from the NY Times archives. Whoa! : Coolest Men's Gifts | 2017 Holiday Gift Guide

Custom Photo Reprint from the NY Times

Whoa. Any favorite photo at all. Amazing.

$155, NY Times Store

Fire Dept Coffee supporting fire department and military orgs: Coolest Men's Gifts | 2017 Holiday Gift Guide

Fire Department Roasted-to-Order Coffee

Supporting firefighter and military charities. And his ability to stand upright in the morning.

$11.99+, Fire Dept Coffee

Coolest Men's Gifts: Bespoke bow ties from William + James | 2017 Holiday Gift Guide

Limited Edition Bespoke Bow Tie

If he’s a bow tie guy (and we do love our bow tie guys!), this shop is just exquisite.

$65, William + James

Coolest Men's Gifts: Gourmet Chili Sea Salt Gift Set | 2017 Holiday Gift Guide

Gourmet Chili Sea Salt Collection

Chili! Sea salt! Together! I mean, what’s not to love?

$45.50, Gent Supply Co

Coolest Men's Gifts: Bose Waterproof Mini Speaker | 2017 Holiday Gift Guide

Bose Soundlink Micro Waterproof Speaker

Impervious to seawater, sweat, and pesky juice box spills.

$109, Amazon

Coach Beanie for Men. Ooh! | Coolest Men's Gifts | 2017 Holiday Gift Guide

Coach Cashmere Beanie

Mmm…toasty.

$99, Coach

Tattoo playing card set | Coolest Men's Gifts | 2017 Holiday Gift Guide

Tattoo Playing Cards

Every one is lucky.

$5.47, Amazon

Tattoo playing card set | Coolest Men's Gifts | 2017 Holiday Gift Guide

Wild Sockeye Salmon Gift Box

GIve your favorite outdoorsman four pouches of highly rated, sustainably sourced salmon from a company that lives its values when it comes to the planet and our natural resources.

$48, Patagonia

Top-rated Braun 7 Advanced Electric Shaving System| Coolest Men's Gifts | 2017 Holiday Gift Guide

Braun Series 7 Electric Shaving System

The men we love swear by it.

$143.99 on sale, Amazon

Soft distressed leather backpack in black or brown from Moral Code: Coolest Men's Gifts | 2017 Holiday Gift Guide

Premium Distressed Leather Backpack

Oof. We could definitely borrow that one ourselves.

$398, Moral Code
Use code CMP20 for 20% off all orders + free shipping

Take him on a local whiskey distillery tour: Coolest Men's Gifts | 2017 Holiday Gift Guide

Stillhouse Whiskey Distillery Tour

Worth a trip to Brooklyn. Or, look for another one near you.

$30 for 2 people, Xperience Days

Forza Motorsport Deluxe Game: Coolest Men's Gifts | 2017 Holiday Gift Guide

Forza Motorsport 7 Deluxe Edition for XBOX ONE or PC

Currently among Metacritic’s top 5 XBOX ONE games. And we always trust those guys.

$79.99 download, Microsoft

Sonos Playbar Wireless Home Entertainment Sound System: Coolest Men's Gifts | 2017 Holiday Gift Guide

Sonos Playbar

The ultimate home entertainment wireless speaker. Get ready to turn up the volume.
(Also, you are really really nice if you get this for him!)

$699, Target

A favorite book he's been meaning to read....and time to read it! | Coolest Men's Gifts | 2017 Holiday Gift Guide

Great Books and Time to Read Them

For starters:
Unseen: Unpublished Black History from the NY Times Photo Archives
by by Dana Canedy, Darcy Eveleigh,‎ Damien Cave,‎ Rachel L. Swarns
Vacationland by John Hodgman
Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman
Five-Carat Soul by James McBride
.

Find them at Amazon, or your local indie bookseller

Gorgeous soft cashmere-cotton men's hoodie from JCrew | Coolest Men's Gifts | 2017 Holiday Gift Guide

Men’s Cashmere Hoodie Sweater

For him. And you. Oh yeah.

$148, JCrew

Classic vintage style electric SMEG juicer...and a crate of Honeybelles! | Coolest Men's Gifts | 2017 Holiday Gift Guide

Retro Style Citrus Juicer

Make it extra special with a crate of Honeybells from Hale Groves

$159.95, William-Sonoma

Have an entire Junior's Cheesecake delivered | Coolest Men's Gifts | 2017 Holiday Gift Guide

Juniors Cheesecake

So worth it. Take it from the New Yorkers here.

$65, Goldbely

Turtle Beach advanced gaming headsets for PS4 or XBOX ONE | Coolest Men's Gifts | 2017 Holiday Gift Guide

Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Wireless Gaming Headset for PS4

What better way to say, “I honor your man cave.” Even if we don’t say “man cave” anymore.

$84.96 on sale, Amazon 

Basquiat modern art: Robot on skateboard triptyque at MoMA Store | Coolest Men's Gifts | 2017 Holiday Gift Guide

Basquiat Robot Skateboard Triptych Art

The absolute coolest. Clear a wall.

 $500 ($400 for members), MoMA Store

Obama: An Intimate Portrait by Pete Souza | Coolest Men's Gifts | 2017 Holiday Gift Guide

Obama: An Intimate Portrait, by Pete Souza

8 years of “yes we did.”

$21.59, Amazon or an indie bookstore near you

Gorgeous TUMI crossbody messenger bag | Coolest Men's Gifts | 2017 Holiday Gift Guide

Tumi Alpha Bravo Beale Crossbody Bag

Everything Tumi is always good. Make a note of that.

$194.99 on sale (20% off!), Nordstrom

Santoku Global Kitchen Knife | Coolest Men's Gifts | 2017 Holiday Gift Guide

Global Hollow Edge Santoku Knife

For the king of the kitchen, or master of the grill.

Women SCOTUS Tee by Boredwalk Tees for woke men: Coolest men's gifts | Holiday Gift Guide 2017

The Women of SCOTUS Helvetica Tee

Because woke men are our favorite men.

$25, Boredwalk LA

Enter to win a VIP meet and greet with James Corden to raise money for charity! : Coolest men's gifts | Holiday Gift Guide 2017

The Chance to Meet James Corden and Sit VIP at The Late Show

No guarantees. But every $10 is another chance to enter. And another $10 that supports the important work of The Prince’s Trust in his name.
And hey, if you win…well, wow.

$10 each entry, Omaze

 Be sure to visit our 2020 Small Business Holiday Gift Guide
which helps support dozens of indie shops, makers and artists with the best gifts for everyone on your list.

See our 2021 Holiday Gift Guide here

And don't miss our guide to 50+ of the coolest gifts for kids under $50.