The world champion of good feelings is knowing that someone cares about you and is thinking of you. And while a lot of men might operate with the emotional range of a straight razor, even the beardiest craft beer guy or tailor-fit finance bro is going to feel warm and fuzzy and like a little kid when you surprise him with a great gift.
Whether it’s a unique personalized gift for him or just a cute little thoughtful gift for no reason for your boyfriend, dad, or brother, it takes some thought and planning to really surprise the men in your life and make them melt into a puddle of appreciation for you.
WAYS TO GIVE SURPRISE GIFTS
Receiving a surprise gift is like getting hit in the face with a hug. And sometimes, the way you give the perfect gift is as fun and exciting as the gift itself. Here are fun ideas on ways to give a surprise gift to men.
Scavenger Hunt
Put together a series of clues or riddles that the person has to solve that will lead them to the gift. The hunt can take place in your house or apartment, or really go for the gold and set the scavenger hunt up around town to make a day of it. Adventurous guys will be thrilled to get the scavenger hunt experience.
Wake-n-Gift
Wait until your man falls asleep and leave the gift on the kitchen table for him to see when he wakes up. It’s like Christmas in July.
Save the Date
Send them a vague Google calendar invite that blocks off time if the gift involves travel or a night out. This will build up suspense and curiosity for the surprise gift reveal.
Commute Saver
Leave a gift on the front seat of your man’s while he’s at home or work. Opening your car door to find a little love makes the daily commute bearable.
Special Delivery
If your dad or brother lives far, order them something through the mail that will be delivered right to their doorstep. It sure beats opening the mailbox to find bills and flyers for the latest Chinese restaurant opening.
Hey-I-Got-You-This-Thing
If you don’t have the time to plan a clever way to surprise your man or just flat out don’t want to get too cutesy with it, then just come right out and say, “Hey, I got you this thing.”
Surprise Gifts For Beer Snobs
Getting a gift like a beer basket is a great way for a guy to unwind on a weeknight or stay hydrated on a Saturday. There are a lot of great beer gifts for men to consider, especially if they are beer snobs and are particular about the crafts they quaff. We’ve got them all here.
Gift baskets are great because the presentation and add-ons like pint glasses or beer snacks blow a simple six-pack out of the brewery. Plus, you can even get personalized gifts, such as customized alcohol gear, along with the alcohol and snacks.
IPA BEER GIFTS
This Hop Head IPA Gift Basket is great for beer drinkers who like their beers like New York Jets fans like their football team: bitter. The basket comes with a selection of California-style IPAs, a handy bottle opener, a pint glass perfect for frosting, cool freebies like a koozie, and a greeting card you can personalize.
BEER AND BEEF JERKY GIFT BASKET
This beer basket is just like it sounds. The gift of beer and beef will make most men blush. This personalized beer gift set comes with six beers and 4 bags of beef jerky to satisfy any craving. Jerky is probably the perfect snack to pair with beer.
And if your guy wants to burn off those beer calories by hitting the weight room, beef jerky is the ideal source of protein for post-workout cravings. It’s the perfect gift for him.
The Best Surprise Gift Ideas For Men
The perfect gift doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg, but it should be thoughtfully chosen to delight the recipient. Choosing gifts for men can be challenging. That’s why we’re here to help with a list of personalized gifts for men, from unique gifts to experience gifts. Get your gift ideas here.
Surprise Him with the Gift of Time
A GREAT WATCH WILL NEVER GO UNAPPRECIATED
Watches are some of the best gifts for men. Our friends at Nordgreen make some fine Scandinavian timepieces. Any man in your life would love to get a watch from the likes of them. So the next time you are searching for a great unique gift, think about getting a watch from them.
Surprise “Get Away” Gifts
SURPRISE WEEKEND GETAWAY
Sometimes you just need to get away, especially if work is stressful or life keeps throwing tomatoes at your head. The surprise vacation provides the anticipation for and relaxation of a vacation without the stress of planning.
The gift of travel doesn’t need to be a backpacking trip to Prague that breaks the bank. It can be as simple as booking a lake house for a weekend or spending a few nights in a city you’ve never been to. This is one of the most thoughtful gifts you can ever give to the hardworking men in your life.
SURPRISE STAYCATION
Staycations are the new vacations. You don’t have to deal with the hassle of traveling and booking flights or the indecision of whether getting premium insurance on the rental car is worth it. You’ll just drive extra carefully, right?
The staycation is especially great if you live in or near a city. With the abundance of Airbnb lodging, you can find great deals to spend a night or two and get a new perspective on a familiar place. And a nice perk of staying local is booking a really fancy place in a high-rise downtown to see how the other half lives. It’s a bonus if you can find a place with a pool or spa. This is one of the best gifts for men who are stressed out and in dire need of a vacation but can’t travel far.
BEERCATION
A fun part of the craft beer boom is the new tourism industry of visiting regional breweries. And there are a lot of breweries that you can actually spend the night at in a private room. This is a great gift for fathers and men who are huge fans of beer.
Budgeting Tips
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Travel alerts: Sign up for travel alerts with a travel site, like Kayak or Google Flights, to specific cities you’d like to go to, and jump on a good deal when it comes your way.
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Crowdsource the cost: If you book a lake or a beach house for a weekend, round up some friends to come with to cut costs and turn it into a party.
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Hotel discount apps: If you listen to any podcasts, you’ve probably heard of the Hotel Tonight app for booking last-minute hotels at discount rates. Though I’m not getting paid for this ad read, it’s a great tool to save some money on a place to sleep.
Surprise Concert Tickets
A lot of adults spend their free time thinking of ways to break the routine and monotony of how they spend their free time. People are always looking for new ways to have fun. A tried and true good night out is going to a concert. It could be at a stadium, theater, or a small nightclub, but seeing a live show is a great way to let loose. Sure, it’s not one of those unique gifts, but your guy will be absolutely thrilled to watch a concert by their favorite band or artist.
Tips for Scoring Hot Tickets
Spotify: Sneak a look at your gentleman’s preferred music app, like Spotify. See what artists they are listening to. Spotify rolled out the Concert feature on its desktop version a few years ago, and now you can see artists’ upcoming shows in your area. Take a look to see if his favorite artists are coming to town. As far as personalized gifts go, you can’t get more personal than getting tickets to see his favorite artist.
Mailing list: Everyone is already subscribed to way too many email lists, but if you’re thinking ahead of how to surprise your boyfriend or husband, then signing up for his favorite artist’s mailing lists is a great way to get a heads up on upcoming tours. You will also get perks like advanced notice of shows with access to presale tickets. Some artists even offer discount codes to save money on tickets.
Your local alt-weekly paper: Print is dying, but that hasn’t shut down all the alt-weekly newspapers around the country, pumping out coverage of the local community and music scene. Pick up a (usually free) copy of the paper to scan local clubs’ upcoming shows.
Surprise Subscription Gifts for Men
The world is full of subscription services now. They can be really useful and enjoyable, but sometimes you just don’t want to commit to one. These types of things can make great gifts: something you’d love to have or try but don’t want to put down the money for. Here are some fun subscriptions to get someone to shake up their routine.
Meal kit delivery service: Take your pick—Blue Apron, Home Chef, Hello Fresh. There are a ton of them. And they usually give aggressive discounts for initial orders. And if you’re a professional deal hunter like me, many provide a free referral order when you sign up. You can swap these free deals between you and hubby to get some great meals on the cheap.
HBO Now subscription: The internet is the new water cooler, so if you and your partner are online and feel left out of the conversation because you haven’t seen the latest Westworld episodes or need to catch up on Game of Thrones, then getting an HBO Now subscription is a great gift to activate the binge watcher in all of us. If you have a media streaming device, like Roku or Apple TV, or a smart TV then you can get run HBO Now through that. A nice bonus is that the service usually offers a free month of service to start, or you can purchase HBO Now gift cards.
The Gift of Tidiness
Sometimes the best gift is helping someone help themselves. We don’t need to get too stereotypical about messy dudes, but if you haven’t yet been able to train your man to tighten up their cleaning habits, then why not surprise them with a cleaning service for their house or apartment? Now that’s one of the most unique gifts you can give your guy.
This gift is more practical and might not be exciting as others, but who cares? If you’re looking to surprise a special guy in your life, then the state of their abode probably affects you. So a clean house is a gift to yourself. Check out services like Tidy that have specific gift packages you can buy. Once they feel the peace of mind that comes with a spotless kitchen and a dust-free TV, they’ll appreciate the gift more.
