With Father’s Day fast approaching, David Schembri builds a shopping list on the maxim that fathers are just overgrown boys when it comes to presents.
The difference between men and boys is the cost of their toys, or so the old saying goes. If you consider a car to be a toy rather than a vehicle, than that adage certainly holds true. However, I find that this saying is equally true of the childlike wonder many of us men seem to have towards anything that can help us do something we would otherwise not be able to do, or indeed, anything which does something we have never seen been done before.
It is why grown men post ‘un-boxing videos’ of products they’ve just bought online. Yes, some might be bragging about the latest pro camera they’ve just bought, but I believe it boils down to this wonderment at the marvels of technology, and of things, objects.
Fathers would tend to already have a certain amount of stuff, so the question often is – what do you buy for the man who has everything you conceivably think they might need?
Bicycles will never cease to fascinate
Smartphones are all the rage nowadays; indeed, they have become a sort of necessity if you want to keep up with the modern world while on the go. While some men readily embrace their functional, €20-phone that can make a call and has a radio, as my father’s generously short requirement list for a phone reads, many men already have a phone that can connect to the internet and take photos.
Well, the next logical step for that is the smartwatch. Connecting to the smartphone, this watch reduces the need for the ubiquitous ‘taking the smartphone out of your pocket’ routine, and instead gives you notifications on emails, messages and calls you’ve just received on your wrist. Given that somehow we are less disposed to treat as rude people who glance at their watch, these watches can make checking an important message during a meeting less conspicuous.
The Pebble, compatible with Android and iPhone, is a forerunner in the field; Samsung and Sony have caught up and Google are releasing their model quite soon, making this segment one to watch for possible gift ideas.
While still on the topic of phones, if your father is on the go a lot and needs to use his phone, consider buying a battery pack, which is essentially a phone back cover with a battery inside, which you can dock your phone into and have it charge away from a battery charger. Not all phones have this option available as an original accessory, but third party hardware works pretty well here.
With summer approaching, and with Malta being such a beautiful place in this season, there is a chance your father might already have his favourite pastimes for the summer. This is where costs can vary. A simple, rather inexpensive gift like a good-quality mask and snorkel set can literally open up new perspectives on the underwater world, revealing the beauty hidden beneath the surface of the sea. I bought a set for myself last year, and it has made my time at the beach infinitely more interesting.
And if being underwater is already something the dad in your life enjoys, consider buying the next thing in line – an underwater camera. Here, the range is more limited than the wide buying choices you find on land-bound cameras, and cameras can range from waterproof point and shoot cameras (readily available in Malta), to newer waterproof camera systems with interchangeable lenses (like the Nikon 1 AW 1).
If there is already a good camera available, consider buying underwater housing for it – although if this camera is a DSLR, it is probably best to ask before blowing €6,000 on a housing for it.
Above the surface, another way to get to enjoy the sea and Malta’s coast would be to explore it using a kayak. Various models, ranging from inflatable kayaks to sportier ones made out of fibreglass, are now available on the market, and apart from being good exercise, a two-seater model can make for a good option for a day out.
While still outdoors, but back on land, I firmly believe that bicycles will never cease to fascinate the boys that grew up to be fathers. And while they might have outgrown the bike they had as a boy, they probably haven’t forgotten how to ride it.
Top-flight bikes can cost thousands, but a couple of hundred euros can buy a decent, good quality bicycle that will reignite the joy of two wheels without the grunt of a Harley Davidson. Once again, it’s also good exercise, but make sure the bike is the right size before you actually buy it – and that usually means trying it out.
Back indoors and back to technology. If the sort of activity your father craves is intellectual, rather than physical, a different tool might be of use. While I love the feel of an actual book, with its smell and colourful cover, I also love my e-Reader (like the Kindle or the Kobo). With a screen that can only display text properly (and very well, might I add), these devices are to books what the MP3 player was to music, often meaning you can carry around whole libraries in your pocket. The ability to instantly download a book and read it is a bonus, and I find that having an extensive dictionary always available while I’m reading is a huge blessing.
Should your father already have enough stuff, chances are that something he likes might have stopped working. Getting that repaired, if possible, or replaced with a newer, better version of it is a present that you are sure will be appreciated – and put to good use.