What Should I Get for My Dad for Christmas

One press picks a Christmas gift idea for your dad, with a line on making it his.

A bookmark of fingerprint snowmenWhite paint, a fingertip and a pen for the faces.

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How it works

Dad says he needs nothing, and you are left asking what should I get for my dad for Christmas? Press the button for an idea, each with a line on making it his.

Read the full guide

Things, days and keepsakes

After your first press, a list under the button narrows the draw. Workshop and garage holds gifts for a dad who fixes and builds. Outdoors, Food and the grill and Comfort hold things to wrap. A day with you and Keepsakes hold time and memories.

Gifts the children can give

Easy for kids to give holds ideas small hands can make or do: a paper tie covered in drawings, labels for every drawer and jar of screws, a car wash by the children, buckets and all.

Tips

Write down what he grumbles about during the year: the dull mower, the dark bench, the tool he had to borrow.

Questions and answers

What do you get a dad who says he wants nothing?

Time, help or a memory: an extra pair of hands for his winter project, an afternoon of his stories, recorded, or the card game he taught you, best of five.

What can kids give dad for Christmas?

A drawing of dad at work, framed, a jar of jokes the children wrote for him, a medal for the job he does best, or his boots cleaned and polished by the children.

What is a good sentimental gift for dad?

His father's tool, cleaned up and made usable, an old photo of him, restored and printed large, or the best advice he gave you, lettered and framed. Keepsakes holds these.

What can I make my dad for Christmas?

A pegboard with an outline for each tool, a notebook of how he fixes things, started for him, or a map with a pin for every family trip he drove.

All 63 gift ideas

Workshop and garage 20

A fistful of flat carpenter's pencils Flat, cheap and always lost; a handful is welcome.
A framed photo of the car or truck he loved most Find it in the family albums and have it printed large.
A fresh set of the bits and blades he wears out Drill bits, saw blades and sandpaper; check the sizes in his boxes first.
A magnetic tray for screws and small parts It saves crawling under the car after a dropped nut.
A notebook of how he fixes things, started for him Ask him to explain one repair and write it down; the other pages are his.
A padded mat for a cold garage floor For kneeling by a wheel or lying under an engine.
A pegboard with an outline for each tool Draw round every tool so it has a home, and a borrowed one is missed.
A project to build together over the holidays A birdhouse, a shelf or a sled: he teaches and you hold the other end.
A radio for the garage Tune it to his station before you wrap it.

Show all 63 gift ideas (54 more)

Workshop and garage, continued

A sharpening day for every blade in the shed Mower, shears, chisels and kitchen knives: collect them, sharpen them, bring them back.
A thick sweater for the workshop One he does not have to keep clean.
A toolbox with his name painted by the children Big letters on the lid; drips are part of it.
A tree ornament shaped like his favorite tool Card, foil and glitter make a hammer or a wrench for the tree.
A work apron with the children's handprints Fabric paint, one hand each and the year written underneath.
An extra pair of hands for his winter project Ask what he plans to build or fix and book yourself in.
His father's tool, cleaned up and made usable A plane, a hammer or a saw from the family, with a new handle if it needs one.
His workbench cleared and relit A bright light over the bench and everything hung where he can see it.
Labels for every drawer and jar of screws The children write the labels; he tells them what goes where.
Tickets to a show of machines he loves Cars, boats, tractors or tools: go with him and let him explain.
The tool he keeps borrowing from next door Ask the neighbor which one it is.

Outdoors 8

A date set for the hike he keeps talking about Book the day off and check the route; this time you carry the heavy pack.
A day ticket for the thing he does outdoors Fishing water, a golf course or a ski hill: buy the pass and go with him.
A fruit tree to plant when the ground thaws Give him the tag on Christmas Day and plant it together in spring.
A garden bench Put it where the evening sun lands.
A map with a pin for every family trip he drove Add the year beside each pin, as near as you can remember.
A pocket guide to the trees or birds near him Pick the one for his region and write the date inside.
A winter walk with lunch at the end His choice of path; your choice of where to eat.
Firewood split and stacked for the winter Stack it where he can reach it from the door.

Food and the grill 11

A big tin of the nuts he picks out of the mix Only that kind; nobody else is allowed any.
A breakfast basket: coffee, jam and good bread The children pack it and carry it in.
A lesson at the grill, with you doing the work He talks you through his best dish; you chop and wash up.
A snack bowl filled with his favorites The children choose the mix and guard it until Christmas morning.
A standing breakfast date on the first Saturday The same diner each month; he orders and you pay.
A thermometer for the roast It ends the "is it done" debate he starts over every holiday roast.
A waffle iron and a Sunday to use it together Bring the batter and the syrup on the day.
Christmas morning breakfast, cooked for him If he has manned the stove every Christmas you remember, he sits this one out.
His mother's recipe, tracked down and cooked Ask an aunt or a grandparent and bring the dish to Christmas dinner.
His team's big game, watched at his place You bring the food and stay to the final whistle.
Three kinds of wood chips for the grill Apple, hickory and oak, if he likes smoke in his cooking.

Comfort 7

A film he loved at your age, watched together He picks, and you do not look at your phone.
A lamp for the spot where he reads Check it lights the page, not the screen across the room.
A new cushion for his chair The chair is not going anywhere, so make it better.
A thick book on the subject he always brings up History, engines or one sport: the thing he never tires of.
A year of his newspaper, the paper kind On the doorstep each morning, if he still likes the crossword in ink.
An armchair caddy for the remote and his glasses It hangs over the arm, so nothing slides down the side.
An hour's nap on Christmas afternoon, guarded The children keep the noise in another room; that is their gift.

A day with you 5

A calendar of small plans with dad One a month, drawn by the children: a bike ride, a pancake morning, a film.
A car wash by the children, buckets and all A voucher under the tree, to be claimed on the first mild Saturday.
A day at a transport or history museum Planes, trains or ships; let him set the pace.
An afternoon of his stories, recorded Ask about his first job and his first car, and record it on your phone.
The card game he taught you, best of five Bring the deck and let him deal first.

Keepsakes 8

A bookmark of fingerprint snowmen White paint, a fingertip and a pen for the faces.
A drawing of dad at work, framed Whatever they think his job is; write their explanation on the back.
A message from the children for his drive to work Each child says good morning and tells one joke; send it to his phone.
A photo of him at your age beside one of you now The same age, side by side in one frame.
A photo of the children holding letters that spell DAD One letter each; with one child, three photos in a row.
An old photo of him, restored and printed large Scan it, have the creases cleaned up and choose a plain frame.
The best advice he gave you, lettered and framed Use his exact words, even if he denies saying them.
His father's watch, repaired and running Have it serviced quietly and wind it before he opens the box.

Easy for kids to give 4

A jar of jokes the children wrote for him One folded joke for each morning until the jar is empty.
A medal for the job he does best Cut from card and foil: Best Pancake Flipper, Fastest Shoe Tier.
A paper tie covered in drawings He wears it to Christmas dinner; that is the rule.
His boots cleaned and polished by the children Brushes, polish and newspaper on the floor; he inspects the shine.

How this list was compiled: Own list of Christmas gift ideas for a dad, written 2026-10-01. Ideas only: no brands, shops or prices, and no alcohol, tobacco or weapons. No idea title is shared with the site's other gift and list pages (checked by script). The groups are our own. Licence: own work