Your 2024 Christmas Gift Guide for Men

A curated list of ideas for the men in your life - and for yourself.

People have been lamenting that Thanksgiving is disappearing, as America transitions straight from an extended Halloween season straight into Christmas. Look around and the Christmas decorations are already going up and trees are being sold.

Given that Thanksgiving is such a great and quintessentially American holiday, this is sad. But guess what? I’m going to participate in the trend anyway by sharing my Christmas gift guide for men before Thanksgiving.

The ten products I’m featuring here are high quality, have great designs, are very masculine - and all products that I use or have used personally. Note that other than my Amazon affiliate links, I am not being paid to promote any of these products.

As always, I’m doing my best to find many things you’d probably never come across yourself.

I don’t know about you, but I’ll admit to reading gift guides to try to find interesting things to get for myself! So I won’t tell anyone if you use this to pick up some things for yourself.

Blueline A982 Notebook

The Canadian office supply company Blueline has great products, but my personal favorite are their A982 notebooks. These are clean, logo free, very professional, hardback versions of the classic composition notebook. Pull one of these out in the meeting with the CEO, start taking notes with a fancy pen, and you’ll look like you belong in the room. This has been my personal notebook since my Accenture days.

In a world of moleskin clones, this is a way to stand out and look good at the same time. A very masculine design men will appreciate.

Malin+Goetz Mojito Lip Balm

Malin+Goetz is a fancy personal and skincare line with great graphic design. I typically don’t splurge on this kind of thing, but make an exception for their Mojito lip balm, which is the best I’ve ever used. This is an affordable luxury for yourself and gift for others.

Ombrelle Complete Sensitive Advanced 60 SPF

Men love technical things that are unusual or hard to find. There are a lot of better sunscreen formulas that you can buy in Europe and other places that are not approved in the US for some reason. One of these is arguably the best sunscreen active ingredient, Mexoryl.

I believe you actually get Mexoryl sunscreen in the US today through some products by LaRoche-Posay, but I’ve never seen one in the wild. It’s certainly not common. Instead, I order this Garnier Ombrelle sunscreen with Mexoryl off Amazon.

Not only can the man you give this to brag about having a better sunscreen, it actually works great.

Vaxbo Lin Disktrasa Dishcloths

Dishcloths tend to get disgusting in short order. One way to help a man who lives alone or with roommates to class up his place is with these Vaxbo Lin linen dishcloths. I’ve never found anything else like them. They are stain resistant. Just wash them in the washing machine. And they last. I bought some last year and they are still going strong. Another affordable luxury. Made in Sweden.

Guys, don’t you dare buy this for your wives!

Tait Design Desk Clock

Tait Design in Detroit makes a great desk clock that again has a fantastic design that’s also masculine. Unfortunately, they have decided to close up shop. The up side is that they still have these in stock and on clearance. I have the version in tangerine, but there are other colors.

Alden Color 8 Shell Cordovan Belt

Cordovan leather is made from a membrane in the skin of a horse. Cordovan is very durable. Shoes made from it basically don’t have to be polished and will last forever if cared for. It also has a very unique look compared to calfskin. No doubt, this is expensive stuff, which is why I haven’t bought any since leaving Accenture. But if this is in your price range, the quality is worth it. One entry point is the Alden of New England belt in Color 8 (the classic burgundy cordovan color). They have either a brass or nickel buckle.

Cline Zinfandel

For men who drink, Cline Zinfandel is probably the best price-performance wine you can buy. It’s only $10 a bottle and very good. Great with steak and other foods you’d traditionally pair with a red zin. It’s pretty easy to find too. Cline has some higher end zinfandels that are also good, but there’s really no need to go above their entry level product.

Dressing the Man

This is one I highlighted last year. Alan Flusser’s Dressing the Man: Mastering the Art of Permanent Fashion is the best introduction to men’s tailored clothing. Highly recommended, and especially a great book for teenagers or college students if you are trying to elevate their sartorial sights.

Living in Wonder

If you’re looking for a new release book to give, then I suggest Rod Dreher’s Living in Wonder: Finding Mystery and Meaning in a Secular Age. It’s about reenchanting the world, something I believe will be a big topic on the coming decade.

I interviewed Dreher about the book for my podcast.

Aaron Renn Newsletter

I’d be remiss if I failed to recommend my own book, Life in the Negative World: Confronting Challenges in an Anti-Christian Culture. It’s a cultural diagnostic that has been highly influential in helping evangelicals understand and adapt today’s world.

You can also give a gift subscription to my newsletter, which is not only a great idea, but helps sustain my work.

Or, treat yourself to a paid subscription.

Have a great Thanksgiving and Christmas.