The Fine Art of Family Magazine

“What do you get the man who has everything?” is the top question I hear from friends and clients around this time. I know shopping for dad can be tough. There are only so many ties one man can wear. For the special men in your life, here are four affordable and simple solutions to make this June 20th—and every Father’s Day thereafter—a memorable one.

1. START A NEW COLLECTION FOR HIM A fun and easy thing to do is to create or keep up old or new traditions. For instance, I have a friend who started a collection for her husband. Every year, she finds a small heart made out of various materials (such as Murano glass, stone, or seashell) and adds it to a beautiful small basket that sits on his dresser. Within years, she has managed to fill his bowl with a colorful collection of hearts.

2. WHEN IN DOUBT, FEED HIM Everyone knows that the way to any man’s heart is through his stomach. Your dad is no exception. Making him breakfast in bed or a special family barbeque (as my sister does for our Dad every year) is always a welcome (and delicious) gesture you can easily turn into an annual event. The key is to tailor the menu to his liking. My dad, for example, is European and, therefore, cannot enjoy a meal without bread. So I always pick up his favorite loaves—“Rustica Bread” from a local market—whenever he visits.

3. PUT YOUR SPIN ON HIS PASSION Say your father or husband is a sports fan, you could always go on eBay and find some old memorabilia of his favorite team. It doesn’t need to be pricey, but you can make it look expensive simply by framing the piece, be it an old postcard, magazine cover, or t-shirt. On a similar note, say he loves to collect wine. While you could get him an amazing new bottle, why not take this opportunity to expand his collection to include unique corkscrews. Pick out a few colorful or vintage ones, tack them on a pretty cork board, and hang it up near or in his cellar. Every year, you can add a new corkscrew.

4. PICTURES ARE WORTH MORE THAN 1,000 WORDS Consider mounting a french board behind your husband or father’s closet door, then invite your kids to fill it in with family photos. If they are anything like my kids, you may end up being omitted from the collage. When I asked my daughter, who must have been seven at the time, ‘where’s Mommy in the pictures,’ she just looked at me and said in this great matter-of-fact tone, “Mom, it’s Father’s Day. Why would you be in the pictures?” It was a classic Kosann moment.

For more ideas on how to make photographs, heirlooms and collectibles a special part of Dad’s life, check out my new book, LIVING WITH WHAT YOU LOVE. Also, you still have time to enter to win our special Father’s Day Giveaway, featuring HIS and HERS prizes. Click here for more details.

[Photography by Steven Randazzo]

Published on June 13, 2010

Tags: Ask Monica, Celebrating, Collection, Collections, Family, Home, Photography