Choosing a gift for that special guy in your life can be a real head-scratcher.  Beyond a gift card to Best Buy, his favorite DVD or a new tie, men can make gift-giving an arduous task.  Whether it’s your boyfriend, husband, dad or brother, here are a few ideas to help make your gifts unique, creative and still something he’ll actually enjoy.

Customized Golf Balls

If your special guy happens to be a golfer, go a step beyond giving him a package of golf balls.  Many websites offer customizable golf balls, allowing you to make them that much more special with a picture of you and you two together printed right on it.  Obviously, if your special golfer embarrasses easily in front of his friends, this may not be the best gift.  But what dad wouldn’t love to see a picture of his sweet little girl as he enjoys his favorite hobby?  Though, for those men prone to hitting balls into water hazards, you may want to include a snorkel and mask.

Reasons Why You Love Him

Last month my dad celebrated his 70^th birthday.  In honor of this big day, I wrote out 70 Memories, Laughs and Reasons Why I Love You.  To answer your next question, yes, this gift took quite a bit of time and thinking, but it was one of the most meaningful and special gifts for both me as the giver and my dad as the recipient.  The finished product ended up being 18 pages, so I had it bound at Kinko’s and used a picture of us as the cover.  It really was a success and something I highly recommend for any special guy in your life—trust me, you’ll have just as much fun remembering good times as you write it as he will upon reading it.

An Illustration of His Favorite Furry Friend

July 16^th of this year marked my three-year anniversary with my sweet boyfriend.  We’re not much for extravagant gifts, but I did want to get him something special and that he’d have forever.  Our dog, Lexy, is the apple of his eye—his “Princess Pumpkin Nugget,” as he calls her (I really hope he doesn’t read this).  A friend of mine at work, who’s an amazing artist and a fellow dog-lover, creates amazing illustrations from photos you send her of your precious pooch, so I had her do an illustration of Lex.  She sent me the digital file and I took it to Walgreens and had it printed onto canvas.  It turned out ah-mazing and was probably the best gift I’ve ever given Gabe—and it was easy on my bank account, to boot.  In case you’re interested, here’s her Etsy page.

Plan an Adventure

Guys love to be active and adventurous, as do most girls.  Plan something that gets your hearts beating and your blood pumping—experiencing something semi-scary and new together will bring you closer together.  Take SCUBA diving classes, go skydiving or bungee jumping, or, for those of you who are super active, sign the two of you up for a marathon, triathlon or a pairs obstacle/endurance race.  Not only are these types of activities fun, they’re also a good way to burn some calories and push yourself physically.