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I am a fan of gift cards. While I try to unclutter the world of men’s gifts, there have to be guys out there that are just impossible. In this case, a gift card works great, let him get what he wants, whatever that may be today.

I am not, however, a fan of giving gift cards to people that you don’t know too well (i.e. coworkers, new in-laws, etc.). Some may disagree siting that gift cards are perfect for folks you don’t know well. How else could you get a thoughtful gift for someone who’s personality you don’t know? While I see that reasoning, I think this is a real opportunity to make an impression on a future friend. Pick out something that would appeal to a great deal of folks. The problem with a gift card in this situation is that in almost all cases, you have to specify a dollar amount. Even if you are a little off the mark with your choice, a $5 gift is much more thoughtful than a $5 gift card (you may as well just hand them the money!).

A recent post a Guyville prompted this post. Their post cautions the use of generic gift cards (i.e. Visa, Mastercard, Amex.). Often there are fees associated with these. They suggest using cards from a specific store where there aren’t likely fees. Link.

See Brenda Keener’s much more serious look at how to buy gifts for men. She is obviously someone with lots of experience on the subject. She is certainly right in that it takes a completely different mind set to buy for him, than for her. But it can be done! Link

Check out Becca’s thoughts on buying gifts for men. While I don’t agree that most men’s gift puzzles can be solved at Home Depot, she makes some very humorous and insightful suggestions. Rule 4 is my favorite. Sometimes the best advise is telling folks what not to do. Link

OK, catchy title for what we saw as the top 5 gifts for men of the 2006 holiday season. We make it no secret that we are closely affiliated with The Round Table - Unique Gifts For The Hard-To-Buy-For Man, so these top gifts come from sales from that store.

1. Deluxe Sudoku Puzzle Board
Sudoku hit us all by storm and it has proved to be an addicting game to rival the crossword puzzle. I personally have always wanted to be smart enough to do a crossword, but I am not afraid to admit, that I have never even come close to completing one, and not for lack of trying. Sudoku is the game that anyone can play, just line up the numbers in the correct block. Takes time and practice, but is a really good puzzle to keep him busy. Lots of guys will now be able to work their puzzle in real time, on the table and not have to worry about erasing mistakes. The Deluxe Sudoku Puzzle Board was our most popular single item this holiday season.

2. Pocket Watches and Cuff Links
There seems to be a revival brewing of the modern gentleman. For the past several years, it has finally become cool again for him to be decorated and refined. This year’s sales of pocket watches and cuff links shows this trend is getting ever stronger. Admittedly, we have a small selection of these items, so I can only imagine what more heavy sellers of these items must have experienced. Our most popular item was the Gametime Team Pocket Watch, available in about any team or college you can imagine. While we have an even more limited selection of cuff links, many of you gentlemen will have a nice set under the tree as well.

3. Skill Stop Slot Machine
With the popularity gaming and gambling still on the rise, we’ve been looking for the next big thing. Frankly, I would’ve thought the poker thing would have died down by now, but what do I know. These Skill Stop Slot Machines are authentic machines that are used in international casinos. I guess to deter cheating, they have to be switched out all the time. So these machines could have been used for as little as one month, to as most 2 years. So they are practically brand new. You use tokens and manually stop each reel by pushing the corresponding button. We literally couldn’t get enough of the Welcome To Las Vegas Skill Stop Machine, shown. We had to turn down orders.

4. Oxford Round Leather Flask with Shot
Personalized gifts are always popular. There is something to be said for giving someone a gift in the first place. It’s always the thought that counts, but when you go the extra mile to give a gift with their initials, name, or some other personalization, it really shows. In my humble opinion, this is one of the nicest new flask designs I’ve seen in quite some time. Personalized with a single initial, the center section pops out to be used as a shot glass. Holds 6 oz of his “favorite beverage”. We expect the Oxford Round Leather Flask to be a hot item again once wedding season comes.

5. NFL Emblem Money Clip
Pro football continues to be hugely popular in almost everything we sell. The hottest this year was the NFL Emblem Money Clip. Every team is available, and you can personalize (see above) with two lines of text. Use his name and the date, or get creative. “Hail to the Redskins”, “Pittsburgh Steelers - Superbowl Champs”, etc.

I totally love pool. A pool table is the absolute more important part of any game room. I think it really makes it fun to play with non standard billiard balls. Forget solids and stripes. These days, you can get billiard sets with for favorite sports team, different colors and designs; almost anything. sometimes, I even think that the balls are just neat to have around.

Now your extra sets of fashion billiard balls can be put on display for all to see. Introducing the Billiard Ball Display Case. This attractive and unique triangle ball display case holds 15 billiard balls. Magnetic closure at the top of the triangle securely holds the glass window door. All wood construction in black or mahogany finish. Balls are held in place by circular divots. Keyhole hanger on back, ready for hanging on your wall. From our friends at The Round Table. $79.99.

Last month in one of my favorite magazines, Men’s Journal, there was a feature on the 25 Best Beers In America. It reminded me that lots of people never venture out of the comfort zone and try something new. But given as a gift, he might relish the opportunity to explore a new favorite.

Package a six pack of an interesting brew along with a personalized beer mug. May we suggest the Ferdinand Mug from our friends at The Round Table? You can personalize this with one single initial so to make a classic and subdued statement of ownership (one that “My Smoopie” can never do). Can’t beat it for $12.99.

Maybe you don’t tell him enough. Maybe you tell him everyday, but that’s still not enough. In any case, being a man myself I can tell you, we appreciate hearing how much we mean to you. No matter how we may act at the time.

So, what a nice and subtle reminder this is. I found this Leather Embroidered Paperweight at Plumb Party. The size of a index card, this desk accessory will make him smile when he looks at it. ($42).

When it comes to difficult, nothing comes close to buying jewelry for men. At one point or another, you may feel like you want to get him something extra special. After all, I’m willing to bet that he’s given you plenty of nice pieces of jewelry over the years. So naturally, you may want to find him the right piece for him to mark an occasion.

This endeavor takes can be very tricky, men only like certain things, and the last thing you want to do is give him something that he just throws in a drawer and never looks at again. That is why I like Just Metal. This site specializes in titanium jewelry for all, but has a really nice selection of men’s items. Now I ask you, what guy wouldn’t think it’s cool to get TITANIUM as a gift?

Pictured is one of my favorites, the Fusion-Matic Detachable Titanium Ring. This is a very unique polished titanium ring with a brushed, detachable band in the center. A really cool ring for a really cool price ($119.95)