I’ve got some scary news folks. As of today, Christmas is officially less than a month away. That’s four weeks. Or 26 days if you prefer to think of it that way. No matter how you slice it, the holidays will be here before you know it, and if you’re anything like me and struggle every year to find the perfect gift for everyone on my list, I’m here to help. For the men in your life, here are six ideas that are sure to please.
For the Home Body
If you’ve got a guy on your list whose home is his sanctuary, look no further than the Nest Learning Thermostat. Not only is it a modern and beautifully designed, but the Nest Learning Thermostat is quite simply one of the most technologically advanced heating and cooling systems ever to be made commercially available. Once installed, Nest will learn from your guy’s habits, and in about one weeks’ time program itself based on his schedule and temperature preferences. It will then refine its schedule as his habits change. And the best part? By connecting it to Wi-Fi, he can access it via his laptop, smartphone, or tablet.
For the Gamer
Said to be an “all-in-one entertainment system,” the Xbox One takes gaming to a whole new level. Not only will the gamer on your list love the realism of all his favourite games, with the Xbox One he can record, share, and broadcast his moments of glory to all his gaming friends. But the Xbox One is more than just a gaming system. With it, you can find and watch movies and TV shows, use your smartphone or tablet as a remote, and even work out the kinks of a long gaming session with the Nike+ Kinect Training feature. I have to admit, this gaming system really puts my childhood system – Atari – to shame. Sigh, remember Pong?
For the Adrenaline Junkie
The GoPro Hero 4 is the ideal go-to for anyone on your list who likes to push the envelope. I took my GoPro to Mexico recently and had a blast with it. I went zip lining, cliff jumping, and snorkeling, and then re-lived all my adventures when I watched the footage after the fact. I’m not a mountain biker, but my adrenaline loving brother is one of those nuts who likes to plummet down the side of a mountain for fun, and he swears by his GoPro. With the GoPro HERO you can capture professional-quality video with 1080p60 and images with 12MP. It’s also got a built-in touch display to control the camera and play back footage, and built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
For the Gadget Lover
Wearable technology is everywhere these days, so if you’ve got a guy on your list who is all about gadgets, then the Martian Notifier Smartwatch is a fantastic choice. Contrary to what the name of the watch might suggest, it does not alert the wearer to the presence of alien life forms. Instead it synchs with your smartphone and provides real-time alters and notifications you when you’re getting a call, text, tweet, email … the list goes on. That means that the wearer can be at the gym, in class, at work, anywhere at all and never miss an important call again.
For the Sports Fan
Whether he’s a football, basketball, baseball, or hockey fan, you’re covered with the selection of sports collectibles at BestBuy.ca. My personal favourite – this replica Stanley Cup from Top Dog Collectibles. There isn’t a hockey fan I know who wouldn’t love to add this to their man cave. Officially licensed by the NHL, this replica cup is two feet tall and a whopping 18 pounds, but I honestly don’t see that deterring any tried and true hockey fan from bringing it with him to the pub on game night. Heck, throw some ice in there and it can double as a beer cooler!
My Personal Favourite
In my opinion, you can never go wrong with an awesome pair of headphones like Beats by Dr. Dre – Beats Solo2. It doesn’t matter if the guy on your list is a workaholic who needs to tune out his noisy neighbours when he works late into the night or a music lover who always likes to be on top of the latest indie beats, the Beats Solo2 on-ear headphones are a fantastic choice. Their sound quality is top notch, and their curved flexible headband is super comfortable and kinda conforms to your head over for a custom fit. Perhaps the best feature though is the RemoteTalk cable, which lets you easily change songs, take calls and adjust the volume of your tunes. And, um, if any of my loved ones are reading this, they also come in pink and are equally appreciated by the females on your shopping list, just saying.
