We are really excited to post our 2021 Christmas Gift Guide for Him. We hope you will love our gift and stocking filler inspiration.
** Some (not all) of these products have been gifted to PackThePJs **
Village Green Signs
What do you buy the man who has pretty much everything they want or need? Well, my dad falls into this category so usually ends up with socks or yet another pair of garden secateurs. But this year I thought I’d think outside the box … the box in question being his house. He had the outside painted this year, so a brilliant gift will be a new house name/number. I love slate, and I loved the simplicity of this Oxford slate plaque from Village Green Signs. It’s great value at just £24.00.
Ordering is really straightforward too, as the design updates as you input the words and numbers – so you can play with fonts and font sizes until it looks just right for you. Dad is going to love it. I bet it’ll be installed on his house before the turkey is ready to come out of the oven on Christmas day!
Not a fan of slate? That’s ok – Village Green Signs also offer a wide range of ceramic and acrylic styles too. Modern or traditional, all bases are covered. This is a gift that will last.
Plant-based Shaving Brush and Shaving Bar
Beards don’t suit everyone, even though they are trendy these days. For those who prefer a smoothly shaved face, getting a good razor and shaving soap lather is key to success. Historically, shaving brushes have been made with badger hair. Now, I’ve just been reading a post on the Clear Confidence website … and the practice (still very much active today) is barbaric, cruel and totally avoidable. These beautiful wild animals shouldn’t suffer just so their hair can be used to make shaving brushes. Fortunately there are now synthetic alternatives that are just as good – better in fact, as you’re not hurting an animal to make it.
This plant-based shaving brush (£9.97), along with the Eco Warrior Shaving Bar (£4.50), are plastic-free and vegan. The moisturising shave bar (from the Little Soap Company) creates a luxurious lather that moisturises and soothes the skin before and/or after shaving. It contains coconut oil and plenty of shea butter and is scented with bergamot and lime. It smells lovely!
So here we have the tradition of a wet shave, with a modern twist of the products being ethical, plastic-free, and vegan. It’s the way forward x
Waboba Moonshine Light Up Moon Ball
And now for something completely different! It’s a small stocking filler that I reckon any man will love … It’s a high-bouncing Waboba Moonshine Light Up Moon Ball (£6.99) that lights up when you bounce it. Small enough to fit in a pocket at just 65mm diameter, you can bounce and throw it down the park, on the beach, against a wall … a game of catch when on a picnic to keep the kids amused.
Buyagift Blacksmith Experience and Weston’s Cider Tour in Herefordshire for Two
I know of at least two husbands of friends who would love to have a forge in their garden. Blacksmithing could well be the ‘next big thing’ … so why not treat the man in your life (and his friend – maybe you?) to a day experience at Oldfield Forge in Herefordshire? This Blacksmith Experience (£142) also includes a tour of Weston’s Cider, with a tasting session 😊 During your experience you will make a bottle opener (maybe you can use it when you get to the cider tasting?!) But what a fab day out to look forward to – a great gift, for that great guy in your life.
Luchador Bottle Opener
This is a Mexican wrestler bottle opener – not some guy in a gimp mask, which is a comment I recently overheard! This Luchador bottle opener (€9.00) is one of three designs by Andres Lhima, who won the Mexico Design Challenge, which is a program organized by Kikkerland. The mini wrester applies a famous lock hold on the bottle, to release the top. Collect all three!
The Five Regions of Scotland Whisky Tasting Gift Box
You won’t need the above bottle opener to enjoy this gift. In fact, you need nothing other than time to sit back and enjoy it! From The Really Good Whisky Company, this Five Regions of Scotland whisky tasting gift box (£39.99) contains a whisky glass and five 30ml bottles of the finest Scottish whisky. There’s a booklet with it too that gives advice on how best to taste each whisky, and tasting notes to help you along. Or, there’s a QR code where you can access online videos of professional whisky tasting of the same sample as you’ll be enjoying. So it’s not just a delicious gift, but an education as well!
Magnetic Pointing Bookmark
Are you planning on buying any books this Christmas? If you are, then these magnetic pointing bookmarks (€3.50) will make a fun addition to the package. There are 4 bookmarks, which can be used to mark pages, or paragraphs within a page. They make me smile because, for some reason, they remind me of Monty Python!
Rugby-themed Stand4Socks Ethical Socks
Sports are a common theme when it comes to Christmas presents … and that includes socks! Stand4Socks has a range of sports-themed socks – though with a strong Welsh background in this family, rugby is the dominant one! For every pair of socks you purchase from Stand4Socks, they’ll give a pair to a homeless person. Socks are the number 1 requested item by homeless shelters, because they are rarely donated. Not only does the purchase of these socks help keep the feet of those less fortunate warm and healthy, but they are really high quality socks. These Rugby Socks (£11.99) are 78% combed cotton, 20% polyamide and 2% elastane – they are very soft! They feature seamless toes (Seam3Toe™), a comfortable foot arch (Comfit Arch™) and a reinforced heel and toe.
Team Sport Go Karting VIP Race Experience for Two
So, the men in your life are adrenaline junkies? Here’s a brilliant gift suggestion – a voucher for a VIP go karting session (£90.00) at a Team Sport indoor venue. There’s 35 to choose from, so there’s bound to be one near you. The experience is for two people, the venues are open 7 days a week, and the voucher is valid for 24 months. Included with this gift is 2 x 15 minute sessions of track racing. You’ll be loaned a sanitised race suit and helmet. After a safety briefing your laps will be electronically timed and emailed to you. And because the venues are indoors, it isn’t weather dependent. It sounds a lot of fun, do you agree?
Don’t be a Dik Dik game
Ginger Fox are known for their board games – Popmaster, House of Games, Taskmaster, Who Wants to be a Millionaire. But they also have a range of humorous games … and Don’t be a Dik Dik (£9.99) is one of several in their range. The game is all about pairs.
You shuffle the cards (which include creatures like the Tufted Titmouse, Large Cockchafer, Sticky Willy) and deal them all out. Each creature, except the Dik Dik, has a pair. When it is your turn, you ask a player for a specific card – if they have it, they have to hand it to you. That makes the pair, so you place them upright on the table. You keep doing this until just one card remains – the Dik Dik. You don’t want to be holding this card at the end. This is a simple enough game to be enjoyed by all ages over Christmas, especially after a drink or two … fancy asking aunty if she has the Wunderpus?!
Harper Brown Sheep Leather Gloves from Trendhim
Now, what to buy for the more refined character? Someone who demands quality over quantity. Someone who potentially already has everything they need. Quite often these are the people who get bought socks, pants, a voucher, or a gift set of smellies (that they won’t use as they only use a certain brand!) So I’m proposing, instead, these Salt & Hide leather gloves from Trendhim (£45.00) as a present that will be well received. They are stylish as well as functional. Made of lightweight materials the outer is genuine sheep leather, and they are fleece lined. Also available in black and two variations of brown, they scream class!
Luxury Bridge Set from Jaques of London
Do you usually play cards and board games with your visiting family over the festivities? We do … well, we used to. My super-competitive uncle didn’t like that I scooped the penny pool a few Christmases ago, and he’s avoided playing ever since! It isn’t all that often that we manage to get extended family together, so rather than sit and watch TV, have some fun playing games instead. One suggestion, that can be played across all ages (though favoured by the older family members) is the card game, Bridge. It’s a grown-up Trumps (well, sort of) and is usually played with 4 players. This Mahogany Complete Bridge Set from Jaques of London (£14.99) is a fabulous gift in itself.
The item arrives beautifully packaged in a hand-made mahogany box. Baize-lined inside, you’ll find two packs of cards, a bridge scoring block and pencils.
L’Occitane Cap Cedrat Gift Set
The men in the PackThePJs extended family are quite boring when it comes to their ‘go to’ brands of aftershave and skincare … they are very predictable. But I believe that Christmas is an opportunity to introduce them to new products – and I always head to L’Occitane Homme for this. When I squirted the Cap Cedrat eau de toilette on my wrist I just knew that it would become the new favourite brand. Citrusy, woody, a bit minty – a soft masculine blend that leaves a lovely scent.
This Cap Cedrat Collection (£62.00) consists of a 75ml bottle of eau de toilette, 250ml shower gel, and 30ml after-shave cream gel. Singly, these would cost £80. The products come beautifully gift wrapped in tissue paper in a festive box. To be honest, it could go straight under the tree!
