Gifts for Dad Who Has Everything (and Wants Nothing)

"I don't need anything." Every dad says it, and most of them mean it. The answer is not something he needs. It is something that gives you both a reason to sit down together — or something small that tells him you were thinking about him.

Something to do together

The best gift for a dad who has everything is time, and a game is the easiest way to give it.

• A cribbage board. The classic game for a father and son or daughter: two players, a deck of cards, a wooden board and a lifetime of rematches. Many people learned it from their dad. How to play cribbage.
• A chess set. A magnetic folding set means a game can be left half-finished on the shelf until the next visit. Chess rules.
• A dice cup and five dice. A dozen games in one, from Yacht to Liar's Dice.
• A large-index deck of cards. For the dad who has started holding his cards at arm's length — easy to read across the table, and plastic so it lasts.
• Card holders for long games, if his hands tire.

Something for his pocket

• A pocket compass in an antique bronze case. "So you can always find your way home" — the note writes itself.
• A pocket watch. For the dad who would never buy one, and would wear it to every wedding.
• A lucky coin. For the dad who plays poker — a card guard with a clover — or one with a koi or dragon for the dad starting something new.

Something for his desk

• A Newton's cradle. He will claim not to like it, and then touch it every time he walks past.
• A spinning top or an infinity cube — quiet things for busy hands.

Gifts for dad from a daughter or son

Make it personal:

• Write a note to go in the compass case or with the cribbage board: the game you used to play, the trip you took.
• Book the game. Give the chess set with a date for the first match.
• Pair it with a memory. A deck of cards for the dad who taught you poker; a compass for the dad who took you camping.

Something to do, not something to store

For a dad who wants nothing, a gift that is also an experience wins — something to do together, not another thing to put away. Games are both: an object he will keep, and time you share.

Gifts for men who have everything · Retirement gifts for men.

Frequently asked questions

What do you get a dad who doesn't want anything?

Give him time instead of things: a cribbage board, a chess set or a dice cup comes with a standing invitation to play. Add a note about a game or trip you shared.

What do you get a dad who has everything for Christmas?

A game for two, a pocket compass or a pocket watch all work, because they are things he would never buy himself and will still use in a year.

What is a good gift for dad from a daughter or son?

Something that carries a memory: a deck of cards for the dad who taught you poker, or a compass for the dad who took you camping. A written note turns a small object into the part he keeps.