30 Unique Gifts for Sons Who Deserve the Very Best
They may say they have everything, but these thoughtful gifts for the most important men in your life will still be a treat.
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Sons come in all ages and we have an array of hobbies, interests and passions that are as expansive as the western plains. This can often make buying gifts for the men we call our sons a challenge. Oh, and we often don’t offer up a lot of (or any) helpful clues about what we might like for our birthday or graduation, or as a holiday or housewarming gift. While there's no shortage of gift ideas for men who have everything, great gift experiences and unique travel gifts for guys who have the urge to explore the world, the struggle to find the perfect gifts for sons is so very real.
Thankfully, there are a lot of exciting, useful and funny gifts to give your son or son-in-law, and many of them are extremely affordable. These are the best gifts for sons in 2024. I don't know your son, but I have a good feeling there’s something on this list, including one travel gift idea worth the splurge, that he will love and love you even more for having given him.
From his very own inflatable tube guy flapping on his desk to a tiny ‘take a number’ ticket dispenser, your son will love the whole wacky range of hilarious desk doo-dads thanks to RP Mini gifts. Does that make everyone else sad or jealous? They can have a tiny violin just for them.
More and more young people are becoming sober curious to save money and remember more about their nights out. Cans of Blind Tiger spirit-free cocktails look awesome and taste great, meaning he'll sip in style and without having to answer a single question from his friends about why he’s 'not' drinking.
Cool Guy Fridge Odor Absorber by OTOTO
Your son is cool and when he gets his own place, you’ll do your parental job and remind him to put a box of baking soda in the back of his fridge. With this Cool Guy, he’ll turn that basic odor-absorbing task into a funny conversation starter for everyone who comes over to his place and gets a beverage out of the refrigerator.
Chances are, your son loves his car. Wood or stone air fresheners from Drift that are available in an array of aromatic scents like pine, amber and teak will keep it smelling sublime. Plus, it comes with a magnetic clip that lets it easily attach to a car's visor.
Once the temperature dips below 70, I live in a hoodie. This one from Hanes is soft, available in a lot of colors and extremely affordable for you!
Whether he’s 8, 18, or 48 like me, there’s something so serene and calming about kneading Crazy Aaron’s Thinking Putty. Whether he needs to focus or de-stress, this set of mini putty tins in colors pulled from nature makes a great gift for a son of any age.
This is a hilarious party game that’s all about trying to identify movies from the worst descriptions ever written. Going out is too expensive these days, so he’ll love to stay in with this funny movie trivia game.
RELATED: Best Party Games for Adults and Kids
There’s nothing your son can’t do and nowhere your son can’t go, so give him the tools to make sure his stuff — AirPods, phone, watch, Macbook and more — are always charged whether he’s in London or Tokyo. It comes with seven different AC plugs that fit different combinations of prongs (and it's also laser-etched which regions they serve).
I’m on a personal mission to make sure every guy has their own game of Hitster on hand to play with friends and family. It’s the best party game of the year because it tests his musical knowledge through song clips played through Spotify (no account needed) and his grasp of time. (Did that song come out in 1998 or 2001?)
We may giggle because we lived through the fashion of the '80s, but boy-o-boy do boys today love rocking colorful hip bags around their chests. This crossbody bag features an edgy modern design that’s also decidedly retro in style, meaning he’ll adore it, though it does come in other colors and patterns.
The ‘it’ water bottle for Gen Z this year lets him sip through a straw or knock back cold liquids in big gulps from a spill-free, insulated bottle available in a series of fun color combinations. It impressed Good Housekeeping Institute experts because of the two ways to drink and the locking push-button lid.
RELATED: The Best Water Bottles
Golfers can be hard to buy gifts for because they're picky about the type of ball, clubs, shoes and clothes they use and wear on the course. Here's a golf gift for your son he won't have yet but will love — a car organizer for his golf hat, shoes, gloves, tees, balls and everything they've so carefully picked out.
RELATED: The Best Golf Gifts
Master Hot Sauce Collection Sampler Set
With ghost pepper, bourbon-infused, garlicky, pineapple-flavored and more, this set of 30 hot sauces will open up his senses and his sinuses!
LEGO sets are always a great gift idea for sons of all ages because there's a set for every interest: sports, pop culture, cars, birds, and art. This set lets them create four cool, connectible, graphic space-themed post cards — great for those who are into science.
Sure, we’ll go on for hours about our teams and favorite movies and music, but we aren’t always the most talkative when it comes to what’s going on in our heads. The mental health consequences of this trait are less than ideal, so give your son or son-in-law an ingenious ‘game of stories’ that encourages him to open up, have fun, be vulnerable and share bits and pieces about himself with his friends and partners.
If your son works in a warehouse, restaurant kitchen or frequents crowded concert halls to mosh along with his favorite bands, give him a pair of durable, protective Keen utility shoes that will keep his feet happy.
This new Philips all-in-one trimmer will help him keep his hair, face, and entire body neat and tidy. It comes with 21 pieces to ensure he gets to look just the way he wants.
This battery-powered outdoor tool will help him keep his yard, garden and patio edging looking sharp all year long. And, since it weighs less than four pounds, it won't be too hard on his back, either.
Help turn the iPhone or Android that’s already (and always) in the palm of his hand into a high-tech gaming console. Newbies and expert gamers alike can play their favorite Xbox and PlayStation games from anywhere in the world with ease with the Backbone One.
Sons come in all ages so buy the best gift for sons that spans generations! This ingenious all-ages trivia game pits Boomers against Gen Z and Millennials against Generation X to see who can identify the unique slang, products, dance moves, and pop culture of the times. We get old but games that bring us together never do.
Jeff is a dad of two daughters, an avid traveler, a photographer, an author and a freelance writer who lives in the suburbs of Philadelphia with his wife and their cats. In addition to Good Housekeeping, he's written for Parents, Fodor's, Food and Wine, Real Simple and Reader’s Digest, among other print and online publications. Jeff is the publisher of the quarterly literary magazine, Stanchion, and his book, Streets Cats and Where to Find Them, will be published by Running Press in the Summer of 2025.
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