It’s time for the 2016 Manly Christmas Gift Guide!
For the 7th year in a row, I am featuring the Top Ten Manly Christmas Gifts for Men – stuff that men want but don’t ask for.
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Every year you’ve come to expect it, and every year I get ready for angry liberals complaining about my advocacy for pocket knives, guns, scotch, pipes, and leather.
After doing this list for 7 years, I now get stopped by wives who say, “Thanks for your annual Men’s Christmas Gift Guide. My husband loved the thermos and knife that you recommended.” Recently, a Catholic dad related to me, “My wife followed your Christmas manly gift guide. Thanks for recommending the scotch decanter. I love it.” 2 year ago we even caused Amazon to sell out of pocket Douay Rheims Bibles.
Like last year I have an improved list with more information on knives and how a lady can choose the right knife for the men in her life.
Men, it’s not bad taste to forward this post to your wife’s email account.
When your man gets back to work after Christmas and someone asks, “So what did you get for Christmas?” let him say something more than “Oh you know, a couple of new shirts and a tie.”
Top Ten Manly Christmas Gifts for Men (drumroll…)
Below is a guide for Manly Christmas Gifts: your husband, brother, or grandpa. Seriously, you can’t wrong with the following ten gifts. They’re all winners. So here we go:
10) The Best Meat Carving Board Ever
I was going to say “carving knife” but this can be so expensive and so custom (but if you want an awesome kitchen knife, this is it). So let’s get to something just as important as an excellent knife: the carving board.
You want a carving board that has traction so meat doesn’t slide around. You also don’t want the board to slide on the counter (safety!). You want a blood groove. Most of all you, want it BIG. So this is the one that I have and it’s perfect: OXO Good Grip Board
It’s so awesome. I smile whenever I use it. You will be thanking me for years to come.
9) The Gift of 100% Organic Game Meat on Your Table
Perhaps on of the greatest feelings in life is killing, butchering, preparing, cooking, and serving your own meat to people that you love. Most men don’t know how to do that. Let’s fix it with Steve Rinella’s beautiful book:
This book is exciting to look through and it will inspire majestic thoughts or grilling your own elk tenderloin. Steve Rinella is the guy on the MeatEater TV show and the MeatEater Podcast – highly recommended for men.
In case you missed it, get the man Steve Rinella’s Hunting, Butchering, and Cooking Wild Game. Maybe 6 months from now, you’re family will be enjoying some wild game stew – compliments of THE MAN.
8) Tool Box with a Lock
As a father of many children, my tools often get “borrowed.” I find them 3 months later beneath a bush in the backyard. I used to get angry about this, and then I just owned it. If I want tools, I need to think of a smart way to maintain tools. The answer is a lock. My first attempt failed because the built in combo lock was cheap and the children destroyed it.
So my new solution is this combo depicted below:
And then you’ll need a lock like this one:
I don’t recommend combination locks, because my kids watch me do it and figure it out. Keep the key on your car keychain and in your pocket. If you have room, you can keep your toolbox in your car or truck.
And if you want to go all out, buy him a new set of tools like this tool set here and then transfer the items into the bigger tool box..
7) Carbon Fiber Money Clip that also holds Credit Cards
I previously recommended a metal money clip that held credit cards, but here’s the problem. After 2 years, the metal flexed and became loose. Also the in and out caused my credit cards to get scratch and worn. So I’ve made the switch to a carbon fiber money clip and I love it. So far it has stretched or become loose:
It’s strong, attractive, and light weight. Get here at amazon.com for under $15.
6) A Good Historical Novel (WARNING: shameless personal plug below)
This #1 Amazon Bestselling historical (Catholic) fiction novel:
Sword and Serpent has a lot of women fans, but it’s an uber-manly about historical Roman figures: Constantine, Saint George, Saint Nicholas, Diocletian, et al.
This Kindle version includes a map and other cool stuff. If he likes war, Rome, history, battles, legend, etc. then he’ll love Sword and Serpent.
SAMPLE REVIEW: Excellent book ! I read this with my 13 year old son and it provided inspiration for him and great father-son bonding time for both of us ! (He usually HATES reading but says this was the best book he has read). It evokes a variety of emotions. Poignant, thought-provoking, humorous, inspirational, and exciting all in one ! It is a historical FICTION though. The author places the various characters (though true people in the same time period) in contact with each other though there may be no historical evidence of association. But it works for a great story. An added plus is a glossary at the end for those readers with limited knowledge of vocabulary referring to the Roman military or architecture or other Latin terms used in the book.
This historical fictional novel is 100% clean but it does have some blood and death it. Not recommended for audiences under the age of 12.
Read a sample or read over 300 5 star reviews about Sword and Serpent by clicking here.
And the sequel to Sword and Serpent came out earlier this month debuting at #1 bestseller in 2 categories. It’s called The Tenth Region of the Night and hailed as better than the original first volume.
5) A Nice Leatherbound Pocket Bible
This is another great gift that makes the list year after year. About 30 years ago, people starting making lame paperback Bibles. If it’s the inspired, inerrant Word of God, at least wrap it in real leather and gild the page edges…
Here is the one you need to get him. It’s Douay Rheims (Catholic, yet old school language), but it’s only Psalms and New Testament published by Baronius. It fits perfectly into the side pocket of a suit or blazer. I carry it in my sports coat, and it holds up to use. It’s absolutely beautiful and has a ribbon to mark your place.
Did I mention that it’s only 27.95?
UPDATE: If you want the entire not just the Psalms and New Testament, get his: Full Douay Rheims Leather Bible.
Oh, and please buy him the black leather version. Men don’t carry white Bibles unless they are 7 and receiving their First Communion. Baronius also makes an impressive real leather Family Bible.
4) A Hip Flask
Here’s the situation: Life in the American South calls for attending Baptist weddings. Baptist wedding receptions are dry. Yes, I know, if Our Lord Jesus Christ were there, he would turn the water into wine, but that policy is not observed at teatotalling wedding receptions…so…he needs this:
An 8 oz hip flask. It’s stainless and the perfect size.
Let’s do the math, a normal serving of scotch is 1.5 oz. So 8 oz / 1.5 oz = 5.33 servings. With this hip flask, you can save the day for your man and four of his friends. How cool is that. Scotch sold separately.
Get this perfectly sized hip flask on amazon.com.
PS: Don’t forget to also get the hip flask funnel or he may get irritated trying to fill the tiny mouth of the flask and spill some! Here’s the funnel – sold separately.
3) The Gift of Catholic Theology and Leadership: NSTI
Western culture is literally rotting away because authentic male leadership has evaporated. Christianity in many places is transforming into a sentimental and weak form of Churchianity – performing Church without a vital and virtuous connection to Jesus Christ. We need men to take the lead at the parish and in the home , but a man can only take lead IF HE KNOWS THE CATHOLIC FAITH WITH HEART AND HIS HEAD.
For over 2 years, we at the New Saint Thomas Institute have been delivering high quality, HD video Catholic theology courses online to over 3,000 students in 60 nations. It’s real orthodox theology based on Scripture and the Church Fathers. Logic, not emotion, is stressed. And our classes are usually only 10 minutes long – designed for the busy person on the go. Classes can be watched on computer, tablet, or listened to on iPhone/Android or via bluetooth.
If you’re a reader of mine, but not yet a Member of the New Saint Thomas Institute, please sign up. NSTI is where I now do the core of my theological teaching and leadership. Here’s a sample from our Apologetics training module:
Tuition is without contract or long time commitments. It’s month to month like Netflix and you can earn a Certificate in Catholic Theology as you finish our theological modules (Thomas Aquinas, Mariology, Christology, Eucharistic Theology). After 3 years, we have a 97% student retention rate, so you know we’re legit.
Sign up as student at the New Saint Thomas Institute by clicking here.
Your Top 2 Manly Christmas Gifts
Like last year, the top Manly Christmas Gifts are Knives. The knife is the most popular manly Christmas gift – year after year. I tried to think of something that would knock it out of first place. I couldn’t do it.
A man without pocket knife…woe is he. You can use a pocket knife to cut string, pull out splinters, slice apples on a picnic, etc. Growing up, my dad always carried a knife in his pocket. And if a thug jumps you, you’ve got something rather than nothing.
You can slip a knife into his Christmas stocking and he’ll be thrilled when he discovers it. It will be the first time in a long time that he had a toy to play with on Christmas morning. If you have a son who’s coming of age, you should slip a Swiss Army knife into his stocking. If you get your husband a knife for Christmas, he can use it all morning to open up Christmas gifts, toys, cards, and packages. He’ll be happy to use his new gift all morning.
I’m recommending two knives this year depending on your need:
2) An Every Day Carry Knife for the pocket of his jeans and khakis
1) Swiss Army Knife (especially for your 8-18 year old young man)
See details below:
2) The Everyday Carry Knife: Ken Onion Tactical
This is the knife that a man carries in his pocket every single day. With this knife he opens mail, cuts string, cuts tags off clothing, removes splinters, and all the other odd jobs suited for a knife.
My one criteria for an “every day carry” or “EDC” is that it have a pocket clip that keeps it from falling out of your trousers at the baseball game. The other important thing about an every day carry knife is that it be lightweight. You don’t want to carry a heavy lump in your jeans pocket. The pocket clip also keeps the knife high in your pocket so it’s comfortable whenever you sit down or drive.
This is the one in my pocket! I recommend the Kershaw’s Ken Onion Tactical as your every day carry.
1) Swiss Army for Younger Men and Boys
If your man is a gadget guy then he’s probably a fan of the multi-tool or Swiss Army.
These are the knives that have many, many other tools attached: bottle opener, saw, tweezers, toothpick, pliers, etc. The Swiss Army knife if perfect for a boy’s first knife (age seven). If he’s reached the age of reason, he should have a knife.
PS: If you want your man and/or boy to get out into the outdoors and use their knifes, then check out our new Catholic bushcraft apostolate for priests, fathers and sons: The Troops of Saint George! He’ll learn how to use a knife, start a fire without matches, and prayers in Latin. It’s legit, strenuous, and fun. Start a Troop in your town or parish. We have a TSG starter kit waiting for you.
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