Rewind: 12 Guys of Christmas Gift Guides

The Adventurer
He shows up at Christmas dinner with new scars and less digits from his latest cage dives and winter Alpine ascents. His tales, most of them true, scare Aunt Betty to tears and enchant the kids. And while the adventurer’s gifts for you usually amount to a carved tribal trinket or a rock from a distant summit, getting him the right present might just score you that coveted guest pass to the Explorers’ Club. Read More »

The Mixologist
If you could donate your liver to this drinker, you would. He’s not a drunk, he’s just passionate about his liquid amber hobby. He’s already sunk half his salary into that sexy bar in the basement; find him some gifts to fill it, or catch him off guard with something he’ll love but has never sipped, snifted or savored. Read More »

The Techie
Ironically enough, you can’t seek his council, because this time the gift is for him. Fortunately you can use his domain — the internet. We’ve got a whiz-bang list of toys, bright, shiny, and in full HD, to appease even the most teched-out gadget geek (and some for the casual user, too). Batteries not included. Read More »

The Do-It-Yourselfer
You lean on him all year-round to assist, assemble and install everything from kitchen cabinetry to those amazing Patagonian rosewood floors you love so much. He tirelessly tackles the disparate demands of Honey-Do lists and familial fixes without so much as a peep. And yet, of all the men featured in our 12 Guys of Christmas, the DIY-er might actually need our help the most. Read More »

The Designer
They speak to Adobe software like a petulant brother, organize bookshelves by color for “fun” and fill photo albums with typefaces. They find calm through arranging objects in right angles (whether it’s their property or not) and take pleasure knowing that they’ll always notice the details we philistines ignore. “They” are designers of course, that segment of society whose diamond-sharp sense of aesthetics makes them the worst possible gifting target for the impulse shopper. Read More »

The Globetrotter
These guys seem to have racked up a bigger airline status than Clooney and more time on the road than Kerouac. They call ports of call home and know how to navigate the TSA, border checkpoints and a nasty comped bar hangover with ease. Read More »

The Driver
To find gifts for those men who consider driving simply a way to get from point A to point B, head to the nearest Brookstone. For those impassioned drivers you know — the ones who have 5W-30 running through their veins, love talking about tire aspect ratios and own some kind of driving/riding apparel (which slightly embarrasses their significant others) — keep on reading. Read More »

The Dapper Man
36 stylish picks in 12 style mainstays that should all strike a chord with the handsome man (you, of course) in your life. From show stoppers to the little things that make a big difference, all of these wardrobe staples are accessible to just about every man’s fashion sense. Take a deep breath, struggle desperately to remember what you last saw in their closet, and read on. Read More »

The Athlete
The fitness fanatic is the man that puts in a quick 5K before the rest of us have even tossed the beans in the burr grinder. His body fat is measured in fractions, and biceps in feet. His dinner conversations involve things like basal metabolic rate; his pecs flex, noticeably, when he passes the pepper. Read More »

The Chef
Blame Anthony Bourdain and his gallivanting food porn circus. Blame Bravo’s utterly watchable, bro-it’s-not-reality-TV show, Top Chef. Blame the hipsters, the bandwagoners, the trust-funders — and for Guy Fieri’s sake — please, someone, blame Bobby Flay. Because if one thing is certain in today’s chow-crazy culture, it’s that you’ve got a foodie on your holiday list. Read More »

The Outdoorsman
The outdoorsman on your list is easily identifiable: he’s rarely home and smells faintly of man sweat and wood smoke when you do catch him between excursions. His particular passion falls within an extensive of range possible pursuits (noodling for catfish, anyone?), but one thing is for certain — he does them outside. His look is wind-chapped and sun-kissed, with a three-day scruff and dirt under the fingernails. Read More »

The Mediaphile
We’ve all got one. Maybe it’s you: The mediaphile in the family who’s impossible to shop for because he has it all and he’s seen it all — twice. His TV? Projected. His surround sound? 9.2. His wardrobe? Needs work. His love of movies and music has been fueled in the past by those enabling extended family members, much to the tinnitus-suffering chagrin of spouses and children. Read More »

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