The classic joke for a bad Father’s Day gift was always the necktie. Safe, expected, and easy.
Those days are long gone, but what is the modern-day version of a necktie? A Home Depot gift card? Something from Amazon still wrapped in its Amazon cardboard box? Ouch. One thing remains true: we all know the low-effort gifts when we see them.
As a small antidote, we've compiled a few Father’s Day gifts that are slow, thoughtful, and personal.
Gifts for Thinking Dads
These are perfect gifts to keep on a desk. Heavy, polished steel. Something to grab and fiddle with on Zoom calls. A little tool for meditation, focus, and relaxation. And a reminder of what a great kid he has.
Gifts for Dads Who Love Music
Nothing brings life to a living room or home office more than a piece of functional art like a Tivoli Radio. But my favorite... put one in the garage and totally transform the space. Garage projects now have a soundtrack to go along with the sawdust and hammering.
With AM/FM, he can tune in to a ballgame or switch to Bluetooth and get a serious upgrade over his phone speaker.
Give Dad a Better Night’s Sleep (and a Cooler Looking Nightstand)
Having a comeback, in defiance of all things digital, are old-school alarm clocks.
Once on the brink of extinction, driven by phone-based alarms, it seems the common sense of just wanting a peaceful, uninterrupted night's sleep still has its appeal.
Alarm clocks are a growing obsession at Slower Things. To start: Braun's mix of Bauhaus and '80s design is hard to beat. But if you are looking for a statement, Båge & Söner is the answer. Made in Sweden, they are a piece of jewelry in the form of an alarm clock. The weight, craftsmanship, and attention to detail easily justify the price. This is an heirloom and a modern classic.
Gifts for Outdoor Dads: Kites
There are few things more fun than kites. They are also the kind of gift that is unexpected and fun. Just give a 60" long wrapped box—what could possibly be inside?
A kite is also a strange animal—social if you want it to be... fly with the family. Or solo, alone in a field or on the beach, they become meditative. Stashed in the trunk, they can be popped out for a quick lunch break or become the key moment of a lazy Sunday.
We are also the only dealer in the USA of these handmade-in-the-UK kites, still made by the original Peter Powell family that has been crafting them since the early ’70s.
Give Dad a Yacht?
Another gift, perhaps a bit more unique, is a model pond yacht. My favorite thing about these is how they serve two purposes. They look great sitting on a desk or in a living room. Actually, most people will just think it’s a non-working model. But they would be very wrong—it only looks like a static model. They are made for water. And they need very little skill to set sail across a lake. Here is a video of mine sailing across Spreckels Lake in San Francisco.
Gift a pond yacht or a kite here
Give Him a Metal Pen:
Any dad worth his salt has a pen handy. To recap: What do dads do? …have pens handy. And have dad jokes handy. Often. Dispense sage advice? Yes. Listen well? Of course. And also, have a pen handy. Please don't deny him a good pen, like the ones below. Also, laugh at the dad jokes.
Dads love chess:
An extremely unofficial survey would probably show that most people who learned to play chess were taught by their dads. That feels a lot more tender than learning from YouTube. In any case, Dad’s chessboard could probably use an upgrade.
Our chessboards are made from clay in Tunisia and dyed with local roots and plants. The women who craft each game use the same 3,000-year-old baking process used for traditional pottery, and each board is one of a kind. Cracks, burn marks, and fingerprints are all part of the process. The colors, design, and patterns were created by Hella El Khiari, an architect and graphic designer from Tunis.
See more chess boards and other games
What do you think makes the best fathers day gift?
I’d love to know. Send me a note at anthony@slowerthings.com and tell me about it. I’ll send a little something in return.
– Anthony
Founder, Slower Things
anthony@slowerthings.com
