Gifts for the dad who has everything
By Love, All of Us · October 5, 2026
A dad who has everything is a dad who buys what he needs the week he needs it. That rules out most gifts. What is left are three kinds of thing: time with you, a better version of something he already uses every day, and anything he could not have bought because it did not exist until you made it.
One of the ideas below, a family portrait drawn from your photos, is something we make. The rest are not ours.
For the dad who fixes things
1. The good version of the tool he keeps borrowing. Not a set. The one tool he reaches for most, in the quality he would not pay for himself.
2. An afternoon as his apprentice. Ask him to teach you the thing he does that you cannot: the brakes, the fence, the brisket. Show up with coffee and do what he says.
3. A sharpening service. For his knives, chisels or mower blades. He will mention how good they are for a month.
For the dad who says “don’t spend money on me”
4. Breakfast, with all of you there. One morning, every child, his usual place. You pay. No presents on the table.
5. His old photos, scanned and labelled. The box in the cupboard, turned into files with names and years, and one album printed. Sit with him to get the names right. That afternoon is part of the gift.
6. A letter. One page: what he taught you, and when you last used it. It is the one gift on this list he cannot buy, lose or wear out.
For the dad who is proud of you all
7. All of you in one picture. The thing he does not have is a recent picture with every one of you in it. Each of you sends one photo from wherever you live, and you are all drawn together with your names underneath, the dog included. A canvas goes on the wall. For a dad, the mug may get more use.
8. A framed print of the photo he took. He is usually behind the camera. Find the best one he ever took of the family, print it large, and put his name on the back as the photographer.
9. A book of what he says. Every one of you writes down his sayings, the car advice, the thing he shouts at the television. Print it as a small book. It takes one evening in a group chat.
For the dad with a hobby
10. Consumables for it. Line, strings, balls, seed, charcoal, whatever he runs out of. Ask the person at the specialist shop what the good one is.
11. A day doing it, with you along. A round, a river, a match, a workshop. Book it and go with him.
12. A lesson with someone better than him. One session with a coach or a maker he respects. Check the name with whoever he does the hobby with.
From all of you at once
If you are choosing as siblings, pool the money for one thing and sign it from everyone, partners and grandchildren too. One gift with every name on it is easier to give than five separate parcels, and nobody has to guess what the others bought. More ideas of that kind are in gifts for Dad and, for both parents, in Christmas gifts for parents who have everything.