Howdy Y’all. Johnny Van here! I’m excited for my first post, a gift guide for men, on the blog. While Kimmie and I generally are very open about what we’d like for Christmas, I’ve heard from other female friends how hard it can be to shop for the men in their lives. Whether that’s a significant other, Dad, brother, good guy friend, coworker, whoever. So I wanted to create an honest gift guide for men. That way you feel comfortable giving the guys in your life a gift, no matter how much you’re spending.
I’m breaking down my gift guide for men by price point to make it easy for you to shop. I know us guys can be hard to shop for at times, so hopefully, you find some great nuggets here!

Xbox Live – You know those days when your man just wants to not do anything for 8 hours? Just jump onto multi-player and Call of Duty, Halo and Overwatch will be there on bad work days or when things just don’t seem to be panning out.

Trunk Club – Take care of your personal shopping without having to put on pants. Your guys won’t need to go to the mall – besides shopping gives guys high blood pressure. They’ll look fly and it will be effortless.

Harvard Business Review 10 Must Reads – For the men who are business savvy or want to get business savvy, here is an MBA in a box. I just saved you $100,000. Here’s how to help manage work and your actual life. it’s easier to learn from other people’s mistakes. This is also great for those who are feeling the entrepreneurial fire in their gut.

Mug Club – Kimmie got me into giving everyone these mugs. They are personal and every time someone uses them, they’ll be forced to think of you. Who doesn’t want that? You can jazz these gifts up by adding in hot cocoa mix, tea, coffee, etc.

The Alchemist – This book changed my life. It was the book Kimmie suggested that got me addicted to reading. Plus, it’s a quick read, so guys won’t lose interest. It’s about a man who fulfills all his dreams, but for adults. Trust me, this is worth a read.

The Hard Things About Hard Things – A great read about what it’s like to live as a war-time CEO. When competition is stiff and everything is crumbling around you. Ben Horowitz shows you how to kick some ass. Even if the men in your life aren’t planning on being CEOs, this is a great read for anyone who has a job.

Tie Bar – It’s an accessory a lot of men forget that show you are well groomed and pay attention to details. This set has three in different colors so you can wear them with any suit or shirt combo. Plus, ties flying in the wind are never a good look.

Power Tie – It’s important to have one. If the men in your life don’t have one – get this. It’s the one they’ll wear for interviews, cocktail parties, weddings – anywhere they need their Type-A personality. My red power tie is my go-to. I’ve worn it so much, Kimmie tells me to tone it down and find another favorite, but I really don’t want to.

The Must-Have Sweater – All closets should have this. It comes in so many colors, but the gray is my favorite. Buy this and get it embroidered with his initials or a logo if you’d like, too. It’s warm, always looks good and wears well. Not to mention, this sweater just screams “I’m outdoorsy.” This was one of the first items that popped into my head when creating a gift guide for men.

The Best Underwear – These are ultra soft and barely there. That’s all you need to know. Great for all aspects of life, whether you’re lifting or just sitting at a desk.

Pumped Up Kicks – Every guy needs a cool pair of sneakers. Since I work in a more casual environment, I get away with these more. But come on, who doesn’t want their feet looking fly? A nice pair of kicks says a guy put thought into his style. These blue ones are versatile and will go with anything. These gold ones will turn heads and get compliments from both guys and girls. If you want a more athletic pair, I recommend these.

Duffel Bag – Every guy needs a nice duffel bag. No more of that going through airports or on trips carrying a Nike gym bag. This will help them look put together and be taken seriously no matter where they are traveling. There’s nothing worse than traveling on a business trip and having a superior silently judge you.

Clubmaster Sunglasses – He will look fly AF in these. They flatter pretty much any face and to me, they look better than classic aviators. Without a doubt, I couldn’t imagine a gift guide for men without these sunglasses.

The Best Pants Ever – Say hello to a pair of pants so soft and so comfortable he won’t know how he lived without them. Plus, they are okay to wear in semi-dressy situations. Apparently, anti-ball crushing is a thing. I’m serious.

Step 1 Messenger Bag – Do you want the men in your life carrying around their belongings in a backpack? Let’s be honest: NO. Get them a nice messenger bag. This one is less than $150 and can fit a lot in it, too.

Waterproof Jacket – Getting wet is no fun, especially if it ruins your clothes. This jacket looks nice and can pass for work environments, yet still looks somewhat sporty. Plus, your guy can pack it up and shove it into the messenger bag I’m recommending above and not get anything wet.

Chukka Boots – These are the boots I can fashionably go into a cocktail party with wearing my suit, jeans, coffee with friends or work an 8-hour business conference in and not have any blisters. Provided you wear dress socks. These will become the go-to for looking professional and not killing your feet.

Classic Leather Watch – Whoever you give this to, he’ll appreciate the day date on the face of the watch. They’ll also like the details they can see through the open face. This is my favorite watch to wear and I always get compliments. Kimmie gave this to me for my birthday two years ago. I couldn’t imagine creating a gift guide for men without this.

Step 2 Messenger Bag – This bag is incredibly similar to the one Kimmie encouraged me to buy in New York four years ago. I wasn’t too keen on getting the bag, but today I can’t leave the house without it. I take it everywhere as it carries my laptop, books, papers, everything and I look professional.

Bad-Ass Suit – As a broad-shouldered athletic built guy, most suits you’d find in the pages of Vogue do not fit me well. Kimmie held up the catalog with a male modeling this suit and I said, “That’s me!” I was giddy. It fits. For anyone who has read up on the importance factors of a suit, fit and finish are number one and this fits the bill for the price.

All-Weather Jacket – Everyone says this is the best jacket. I’ve been with enough skiers and sportsmen who say this is the lightest, warmest and best-looking jacket out there. This is a sexy jacket and any guy should be proud to wear it, too.

Double-Breasted Trench – This is one of five jackets every man should have. Plus, most men don’t have jackets they can wear over a suit and keep it all dry. This fills that void. Besides the tail of your suit jacket should never be wet. Guys should never be caught that way. This will serve well for formal occasions too.