The best gifts for dad this Christmas

Dads can be notoriously hard to buy for, but finding the best Christmas gifts for yours doesn't have to leave you stressed this year. Practical gifts are a great choice for dads and so we've selected some top skincare and grooming gifts, as well as gifts for dads who love DIY and spending time outdoors. 

That said, not all dads enjoy the activities we typically associate with fathers. If you've ever tried to buy a father's day card without a football, cricket bat or shed on it you'll know what we mean. 

For those dads, we've got gifts from the world of entertainment and genealogy, and for the times when he says not to buy him anything because he "has everything he needs", we've got some amazing tech gifts to make him say "wow". 

• The best gifts for under £50 this Christmas
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How many times as your dad told you that golf is more than a hobby or a game? Rather than trying to figure out what kind of club or driver he might want to try next – this is far too complicated for uninitiated to tackle – instead  pick up something to help improve his performance that he won't have thought of. 

A golf GPS will improve dad's golfing game thanks to hazard alerts, course mapping and distance calculations, well as hole by hole post game analysis. 

The truth is that Garmin leads the way with golf GPS watches in the form of the Approach S60 premium watch, which you might want to look at if dad is already a pro. Otherwise, this watch from TomTom still has all the necessary features for a fraction of the cost. 

It comes with over 40,000 courses pre-loaded,  has an eight hour battery life and is waterproof. 

If you want to know more about the other best golf GPS watches we recommend, check out the list below. 

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If your dad is a bit of a history buff, or is working his way through building your family tree, a DNA testing kit is the perfect gift for him this Christmas.

It's a truly unique gift that he's unlikely to have thought about buying for himself, making it all the more special. 

DIY DNA testing kits have grown in popularity in the last couple of years, and there are lots to choose from. 

Some kits will offer health data, but when shopping for the best Christmas gift we prefer to stick to ancestry data and so have selected the Ancestry DNA testing kit, which can tell dad where his family comes from across the globe. 

What's more, if he's already building a family tree with Ancestry.com then the service will add the new data to his tree. 

Whichever kit you go for, they are simple for dad to use from the comfort of his armchair, and he'll have the results in weeks. 

To find out more about how DNA testing kits work, check out our article below. 

• Best DNA testing kit 2018

Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without the old man setting up camp in front of the telly. This year, why not treat him to his favourite films and TV shows in 4K HDR with Amazon's updated Fire TV box?

If your dad is a connoisseur of TV and film and owns a 4K HDR TV, then all he needs to do is connect this box to that TV and he'll be free to stream over 200,000 movies and TV episodes. He'll have access to Prime Video, Netflix, BBC and ITV among others, so he'll always be able to find something great to watch. 

Alexa voice technology allows total control from the touch of the microphone button, including pausing, rewinding and forwarding. 

Christmas overindulgence is usually followed by a health kick, but by mid-January the park is devoid of once-eager runners. If you want dad to stick to his new fitness regime, call on TomTom’s Runner 3 Cardio.

The running watch features a built-in heart rate monitor to keep tabs on cardio performance, while on-board GPS tracking measures time, distance, speed, pace and route to deliver live stats as he pounds the pavement. 

Even when he’s not breaking a sweat the TomTom Runner 3 Cardio measures daily steps, active minutes, distance, calories burned and sleep with the TomTom Sports app on-hand to manage activities and chart progress.

If running isn't his bag, the 40m waterproof TomTom Runner 3 Cardio tracks other sports including cycling and swimming.

Every month, T3 magazine reveals the best tech you never knew you needed to know about, and you can get it direct to your door before each issue hits the stops. It’s filled cover-to-cover with with gadgets that will genuinely make your life better, from TVs that give your favourite movies new life, to smart home gear that saves you time and money, to ways to make your commute more bearable, to cutting-edge new developments. Our relentless focus on quality means we only recommend the creme de la creme, and there’s guaranteed to be something in every issue that will change your world.

With lowered prices, you can purchase a gift subscription to T3 today and save up to a staggering 61%.

The Philips OneBlade Pro is the ultimate accessory when it comes to grooming tech. 

Help dad achieve exactly the style he wants to kick start 2019 with thanks to an unbelievable 14 lock-in length settings. He can get everything from a rugged 5 o'clock shadow to a long but neat and tidy beard. 

It's also ergonomically designed to be comfortable to use, and offers dual protection in the form of a glide coating plus with rounded tips. The OneBlade is particularly good for men who suffer with sensitive skin as the blade won’t get too close to his skin, making the shave comfortable and rash free.

Practically speaking, it's a winner too. There's a LED digital display that will alert dad when the battery is low, and – our favourite nifty feature – a  travel lock so dad can take the OneBlade wherever he goes without setting it off in transit! 

Christmas is a time for parties, family gatherings and after work drinks, keeping your formal wear in high demand. 

So whether your dad usually wears a suit to work or not, this suit cover from Uniquebella is a great Christmas gift.

It's waterproof and tear-resistant so it can withstand even the roughest British commute, and there's an exterior pocket that provides quick access to essentials like travel documents or electronics. 

On the inside hangers and ties have their own clips or a hook to keep them firmly in place, and there's even a small zip up section for a necktie. 

What we love about it most is that it's not only a suit cover. Oh no, it doubles up as a duffel bag, meaning it can easily double up as a gym bag, or overnight bag for work trips or weekends away. 

There's nothing wrong with the classic choice of giving your dad toiletries at Christmas, if you go for something he'll want to use.  

Bulldog specialises in skincare for men made simple, with effective products that cater for all skin types. 

It's often true that original is the best, so if you're unsure of what to get dad this year why not treat him to a Bulldog Skincare set featuring the original face wash, face scrub and moisturiser?

No frills and no fuss, these products have a gentle formula blended with essential oils including citrus-y lemon, lime and bergamot alongside cedarwood and earthy vetiver.  

The face wash and scrub will help keep his skin clean and clear, whilst the moisturiser will hydrate the skin and help it stay soft in the winter weather.

Whether exploring the great outdoors is a favourite pastime that you share with your dad, or it's something he does when to unwind by himself, show him you care this Christmas with a gift to make the experience more enjoyable.

Yes, his twenty-year old raincoat will do, but this stylish, three-layer Gore-Tex shell waterproof jacket from The North Face will keep in dry no matter what the British weather throws at him. 

Unlike many raincoats, the inside is as comfortable as a winter fleece despite being highly breathable and only weighing 800g.

He'll be protected, but unrestricted, and free to ramble to his heart's content. 

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If you're looking for a gift for dad that's both practical and fun, look no further than the brand new Pure Siesta Charge alarm clock radio. 

Help dad to get the festivities started by blasting out his favourite Christmas tunes through the Siesta's superb stereo speakers. 

It supports DAB, DAB+ and FM radio, but just in case the radio can't keep up with his playlist demands then dad can also stream music wirelessly using Bluetooth. 

When the partying is over, the Siesta will help dad to get a peaceful, undisturbed night of sleep thanks to auto-dimming and an edgeless Crystal+ display for easy reading. 

He can also charge his smartphone wirelessly by placing it on top of the radio. Genius, really. 

We haven't forgotten about dads who just love DIY, and look forward with eager anticipation to what power tool Christmas 2018 will bring. 

Last year our Christmas gift guide for dads featured a sander, and this year we've stepped things up with a cordless jigsaw. 

With a stroke rate of 2400 spm (you don't need to know, just trust us that's good), this compact and lightweight jigsaw is a great gift for dads who love to indulge in DIY projects around the home. 

Cut straight or round edges with precision thanks quick cutting action and comfort features: the soft-grip handles and even weight distribution help to reduce the intensity of vibrations, thereby improving handling and control for the user. 

Now might be the time to put in a request for that new TV stand you've been wishing dad would make you... 

If you still haven't quite found the best gift for your dad, check our picks of the best gifts for him.