Every holiday has its cliches. Mother's Day has flowers, chocolates and jewelry. Father's Day has ties, power tools and watches.
Now, there are certainly men who like such things. But not every dad has a job that requires him to wear a tie, some guys prefer to let a professional fix things and most have cellphones that tell the time just as well as a watch.
Of course, every dad is different, so you'll have to think about what he actually likes. Is he a reader? A cook? A sports fan? Whatever his thing, we've tracked down some of the best Father's Day gifts for various kinds of fathers. After all, it's never too late to start giving original gifts.
For bookworms: A Kobo or Nook
Two new e-readers have launched that are giving the Amazon(AMZN_) Kindle a run for its money. The first is the Nookfrom Barnes & Noble(BKS_), a small, simplified e-reader with an E-ink touch screen that retails for $139. The other is the Kobo, which boasts similar specs and can be had by Father's Day for $129 with free shipping. Both have received rave reviews and neither have the Kindle's largely extraneous keyboard, so they're perfect for the discriminating e-book reader.
For serious cooks: A cast iron pan
Arguably the manliest cooking utensil a guy can own, these pans can get blazing hot, making them perfect for cooking steak, bacon and a range of other foods. And there's no synthetic non-stick surface to worry about scratching. The pans are seasoned with vegetable or animal fat, and the more you cook, the more seasoning builds up. You could get an old rusty one at a yard sale for a song, then rehabilitate and re-season it as a father-son or father-daughter bonding experience. If that sounds like too much work, get a pre-seasoned one from Lodge -- a 12-inch pan costs just $18.97 at Amazon.com. If you have more money to spend, get him a whole set of cast iron cookware, then help him hang sturdy hooks to hang them around the kitchen and give the place a nice rustic feel.
For aspiring pilots: A flight experience
Flying the friendly skies has been a tried-and-true father-son bonding experience since the days of Icarus and Daedalus. If your dad has often murmured of one day getting his pilot's license, try giving him a nudge by signing him up for a flight lesson. While actually getting him enough lessons to qualify for a license would cost you thousands of dollars, many flight schools will offer single-day flight experiences that allow you to learn the basics of flight and even spend some time piloting a plane on your own. It should run you a few hundred, but look for a discount on a daily deal site such as Zozi.com
Now, there are certainly men who like such things. But not every dad has a job that requires him to wear a tie, some guys prefer to let a professional fix things and most have cellphones that tell the time just as well as a watch.
Of course, every dad is different, so you'll have to think about what he actually likes. Is he a reader? A cook? A sports fan? Whatever his thing, we've tracked down some of the best Father's Day gifts for various kinds of fathers. After all, it's never too late to start giving original gifts.
For bookworms: A Kobo or Nook
Two new e-readers have launched that are giving the Amazon(AMZN_) Kindle a run for its money. The first is the Nookfrom Barnes & Noble(BKS_), a small, simplified e-reader with an E-ink touch screen that retails for $139. The other is the Kobo, which boasts similar specs and can be had by Father's Day for $129 with free shipping. Both have received rave reviews and neither have the Kindle's largely extraneous keyboard, so they're perfect for the discriminating e-book reader.
Arguably the manliest cooking utensil a guy can own, these pans can get blazing hot, making them perfect for cooking steak, bacon and a range of other foods. And there's no synthetic non-stick surface to worry about scratching. The pans are seasoned with vegetable or animal fat, and the more you cook, the more seasoning builds up. You could get an old rusty one at a yard sale for a song, then rehabilitate and re-season it as a father-son or father-daughter bonding experience. If that sounds like too much work, get a pre-seasoned one from Lodge -- a 12-inch pan costs just $18.97 at Amazon.com. If you have more money to spend, get him a whole set of cast iron cookware, then help him hang sturdy hooks to hang them around the kitchen and give the place a nice rustic feel.
For aspiring pilots: A flight experience
Flying the friendly skies has been a tried-and-true father-son bonding experience since the days of Icarus and Daedalus. If your dad has often murmured of one day getting his pilot's license, try giving him a nudge by signing him up for a flight lesson. While actually getting him enough lessons to qualify for a license would cost you thousands of dollars, many flight schools will offer single-day flight experiences that allow you to learn the basics of flight and even spend some time piloting a plane on your own. It should run you a few hundred, but look for a discount on a daily deal site such as Zozi.com
