Top Father’s Day Gifts
by Kimberly Phipps
As women, we have our issues. But being hard to shop for is usually not one of them. Men are different. Here are some ideas for the top Fathers Day gifts that are sure to please the original man in your life.
Why guys are stuck holding your purse
Ever notice that about 80% of the stores you see at a typical mall are filled with stuff for women? There are entire store chains devoted to scented candles alone. Not to mention one store for casual jewelry, another for fancy jewelry, sexy underwear for skinny girls, clothes that promise to keep us 21 forever… But then, there’s shopping for guys. You have that one store that sells a hodge-podge of weird electronic stuff you’ve never heard of—battery powered slippers, infrared nose-hair trimmers, and the like. There’s the surfer dude store, but if the gift recipient is over 25 (which hopefully most dads are) a new skateboard might not be something he should be using on a daily basis.
It’s no wonder that the old ties and socks end up being what Dad gets most. After two or three stores of nothing special, it’s tempting to give up in the quest for something unique for Dad on Fathers Day. If your dad is like many, he will seem to be appreciative of whatever you get him. And who knows? Maybe a scented candle or skateboard is how your dad rolls, which is great. My stepdad was like that—a big burly guy, but nothing made him happier than a vanilla candle. Go figure.
A chick off the old engine block
Since we’re VroomGirls, it seems likely that many of us may be descendants of VroomDads. Even if they don’t know how to rebuild a carburetor, men of a certain generation tend to like things related to cars. So it stands to reason that car-related goods would be a most welcome gift for Dad. My own father was by no means a mechanic, but he did like to putter. Cars weren’t quite as high-tech and computerized as current models, so there was a chance that a normal guy could actually fix that rattle under the hood. To this day, the smell of grease, concrete, and metal can transport me immediately to the suburban garage of my childhood. I loved watching my dad unwind by tinkering on his old Buick while I explored the shiny things in his toolbox when he wasn’t looking. (Consequential injuries sustained were only minor, mom!) More than a few Barbie shoes got left in that toolbox from her unintentional overnight sleepovers in there.
But back to your dad and the annual Fathers Day shopping dilemma. We’re not talking about buying dad a few cans of oil, but some fun car-related stuff that he can get genuinely excited about. In fact, you might be tempted to keep some of these for yourself. Here are some ideas for gifts that we hope will make your daddy proud.
Porsche for Pops
You’ve always suspected that you are your dad’s favorite child, even if he’s never said so in front of your other siblings. Make the title official by giving dad the gift by which all others will be judged–the a gift certificate to the Porsche Sport Driving School. Porsche experts give participants instruction in performance driving techniques, as well as plenty of time to practice their technique on the track in a Porsche Boxster, Cayman and the 911 Carrera. The school in located in Birmingham, Alabama, and courses can go from one to three days. Hey–it took longer than that for dad to teach you how to drive, right? This time, it will you reminding him to fasten his seatbelt. Prices start at $1800.00
The Need for Speed
Is you dad a big fan of the show Wind Tunnel on the Speed network? Imagine how much fun your dad would have in a 3-day racing school with Wind Tunnel’s host Dave Despain. (It would be something akin to a 3-day shoe shopping school with Carrie Bradshaw for you.) This limited enrollment school will be held July 8-10, 2013, at the Carolina Motorsports Park and goes for $4000.00 Enroll here or call 1-800-221-1131.
