The good version of a tool he already owns a bad one of
Secateurs, a torch, a tape measure, a knife. He will use it within a week and mention it for a year. Look in the shed and find the one held together with tape.
Have a look →Gifts for the father-in-law who wants nothing
There is a particular kind of man — often a father-in-law, occasionally your own father — who responds to "what would you like?" with "nothing, honestly" and means it sincerely.
The gap is almost never a thing he lacks. It is a thing he owns a bad version of and has never got round to upgrading, because upgrading it would feel like a fuss.
A pair of merino socks, and then several more
Everyone jokes about socks. Nobody who has been given four pairs of genuinely good ones is still joking.
Have a look →A wool overshirt
The garment men of a certain age wear constantly once they own one. Safe in navy, olive, or charcoal; risky in anything else.
Have a look →A subscription to something he reads anyway
He has been reading it in the library or the doctor’s waiting room for years. Twelve arrivals with his name on them.
Have a look →A good torch for the car
Deeply unglamorous. Rechargeable, magnetic base, lives in the glovebox. This is the exact register of gift this person actually enjoys.
Have a look →The failure mode is buying something decorative. He does not want an object to look at. He wants a slightly better version of a thing he does.
Stop guessing next year
Holiday Registry is a private gift list for your family. Everyone writes down what they’d actually like, anyone can claim something to buy, and the person it belongs to never finds out. It is free.
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