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Mr. Magpie, stop reading this right now!
I’ve rounded up such a good list of gifts for my husband this year. I will need to whittle it down a bit and am having trouble deciding what to leave off…!
01. This Breville juicer. There is a famous bar in NYC called Dante where they make a storied cocktail called the Garibaldi — just OJ and campari. The secret is what they call “fluffy OJ,” or highly-aerated orange juice, which the restaurant achieves by using this Breville juicer. Mr. Magpie has mentioned this cocktail, and this contraption, on many occasions and I think he’d get such a kick out of making it at home. PLUS, the juicer is excellent for juicing other things, and we’ve been very into smoothies / juices in the morning.
02. Glass bottles for storing our smoothies and juices.
03. Luggage tags! I realized (very late) that we did not have proper tags for our new suitcases and ended up printing our information using my handy labelmaker and affixing it to the side. Kind of an eyesore. I am contemplating either these or these.
04. Kule socks — I always get him fun socks; he’s a cool sock guy. I love the cheeky styles from Kule, and ordered him these, these, these.
05. Fellow precision coffee maker. He rarely asks for anything but he’s been yapping about this new coffee maker as a changeup from our Technivorm.
06. Hasegawa cutting board. We have one in a HUGE size (like at least four feet long – he loves to pull this out when he’s breaking down chickens or doing anything that requires a long surface) and a tiny size and they truly are incredible. Mr. Magpie often comments on how enjoyable they make it to use a knife! Bonus: they don’t require all the upkeep our Boos blocks do. I’m going to buy him this mid size.
07. I bought Mr. Magpie a “nice” white tee and have been surprised by how often he’s worn it — it’s constantly in the laundry bin. It made me realize that sometimes men just like a good, upgraded basic. Currently have a few options in mind — this Rag & Bone (25% off), this PerfectWhiteTee (30% off).
08. He’d probably kill me for writing this, but he just discovered body lotion recently — we were staying at some lovely hotels in Italy and he said, “God, this stuff is awesome.” Haha! I think I’m going to give him Aesop, or maybe just introduce him to my beloved Necessaire in one of the gender neutral scents.
09. Helinox lightweight camp chairs. He’s been eyeing these since we saw them lining the streets of Aspen, CO for the Fourth of July parade this past summer. (I imagine they were plentiful because many of the Aspenites are frequent hikers/campers, and these come top recommended — ultra-lightweight and collapsible.) He’s mentioned them in multiple different venues since, too — for kids’ sporting events, for outdoor concerts, etc.
10. A few little things for his stocking: Blackwing pencils, a Kaweco pen, a Trask toothbrush (now through 12/1, use code BF2024 to buy two and get one free), Kolsvart candy, Rozsavolgyi Csokolade chocolate.
I also wanted to mention that last year, I bought Mr. Magpie a pair of Smith ski goggles (currently on super sale!) and he flipped out — truly one of the best reactions I’ve gotten to a gift for him in awhile!
A few other really solid gift ideas for men:
01. A mechanical keyboard from the brand Keychron. Mr. Magpie recently bought one of these for himself — people go insane over these. They are really delightful sounding — I think there’s some ASMR to it. I’m confident there are many threads on Reddit singing its praises.
02. A cashmere hoodie (he’ll LIVE in it — Mr. Magpie has one from Todd Snyder — my upgrade pick rec — that he wears constantly).
03. Tailwind smart garage door opener. Mr. Magpie installed these this year and they really are genius. You can set them to auto-close once your car is a certain distance away; you can integrate with Siri so you can shout, “Hey Siri, open the garage!”; you can control with your phone. An engineer’s dream.
04. Handsome Macbook accessories, like a monitor stand or laptop dock, from Grove.
05. Sofirn lanterns — we also have this style. If you want your engineer husband (or any “gear guy” type) to flip out, get him one of these. Our power probably goes out twice a year when we have bad summer storms, and these compact but ultra-powerful lanterns are our answer. Mr. Magpie researched them thoroughly and these are always the top rec. Incredibly bright, long-lasting, etc.
06. Good skincare so he’ll stop borrowing yours — ha. My husband tests whatever I’m testing, but his favorite has been Chantecaille. He really liked this “mask” (which we both used as a hydrating night cream) and this eye gel, and with good reason — Chantecaille products are so luxurious and they really work. But if your spouse would be offput by the ultra-feminine packaging, try Ursa Major! I really like their face wash and have heard incredible things about this rich alpine cream, and both read a bit more gender neutral.
07. An incense smoker! I bought Mr. Magpie one of these in a holiday motif and he truly treasures it each winter. It smells incredible and feels like such a cozy ritual. Make sure you buy the incense cones to go with. If you’re not sure he’ll be into this vibe, try Aesop’s incense sticks. We also love those! There’s a kind of therapeutic element to burning them that I can’t explain. I think it’s about watching the incense dissolve into the air, watching the stick shorten…? Its time-bounded-ness? We love them.
08. Hemen long johns and henleys. Mr. Magpie and my BIL wear these beneath their clothes in cold weather! The styling is rugged minimalist. Something sexy about it, I have to say!
P.S. In praise of getting dressed, or — I love my husband.
P.P.S. A prelude to love.
P.P.P.S. A little bit of fiction.
we LOVE the breville juicer — did not expect it to be in our top 5 wedding gifts used. we make a pineapple/apple/fresh ginger concoction that’s great for both warding off any winter illness as well as a summer cocktail with a few additions. My husband is already eyeing an upgrade ($$$$$) that’s a bit more efficient and easier to clean, but breville is GREAT