It's not long now until Father's Day, June 15th, oh how time flies! If you want to tell your dad just how much he means to you then check out this HelpHounder handy guide to Father's Day gift ideas, there's music, books, gadgets galore, day trips and downright spoiling!
Gadgets
Iwantoneofthose.com have got some fab portable BBQs from £19.95 - £24.95, a 'Beer Machine' for £99.99, and the 'Instant Music Ripper' £39.95 which allows you to convert all of your old tapes and records into a format allowing you to burn them on CDs, or add to your iTunes. Genius! They also have the entertaining 'Mind Trainer Loo roll' for £4.95, crazy golf balls £7.99 and the SAS Hand Guide - save your life for £5.
Firebox have a good range of quirky gifts that are suitable for Father's Day, including wine puzzles that you have to crack before getting at the good stuff. (Rewarding or just plain infuriating? You decide!), a Micro Helicopter for just £19.95 and for those Star Wars fans a Darth Vader costume at a not so cheap £699.95. It does look pretty cool though! Luke, I am your father...
Presents for Men have a wide variety of gifts ranging from some rather dashing spotted hankies £14.99, MP3 speakers reduced to £5.95 and even a USB coffee warmer! Now that's clever stuff.
Treat him
Fancy getting something to pamper your dad this Father's Day? How about some aftershaves and skin care? Not convinced? Take a look, < href="/business/1632" title="Visit Liz Earle">Liz Earle, "High quality skin care products" says trinity, won the 'Eve - Beauty Hero awards 2007' for their sensitive shave cream and hot cloth set for £11.00, they also have a Shaving essentials kit £26, a 'Try me' kit £17.25, and an Essentials set for £35.00.
Crabtree & Evelyn have a great range available for Dads everywhere from fragrances to creams and shaving accessories, one idea which caught our eye is the 'Father's Day Hamper' at £35 which includes: cookies, preserves, tea, chutney and mustard, like slumsden says they have "Lots of different ranges to suit absolutely anyone", take a look it sounds lovely! < href="/search/nolocation/thorntons">Thorntons Chocolate is always a pleasure to receive and Thorntons have got the usual plethora of delights to choose from for this year's Father's Day. One great thing you can do is create your own chocolate collection starting from £6.95 for a box of eight, allowing you to choose every type of chocolate and even the design of the box! They also allow you to create for own chocolate message with their alphabet truffles, what a great idea!
If chocolate isn't his thing, then what about some good old fashion sweets? aquarterof.co.uk sell retro sweets and have some nostalgic Father's Day gift ideas to take him back to the good old days, oinkoink says this, "If you miss the sweets from your childhood days this is the site you need to visit." Don't just take her word for our word for it, see for yourself.
Music
We've heard a rumour at HelpHound headquarters that Guns 'N' Roses are re-releasing their 'Greatest hits Album' in time for Father's day, let's just hope you've got the 'patience' to wait! There are plenty of dad-suitable compilations out in time for this year's Father's Day, but here are just a few to give you a HelpHounding hand. The 'Dad Rocks' double album, £9.50 at Marks and Spencer is a safe bet for dads with tracks from: The Jam; Thin Lizzy; Alice Cooper; Keane; Lou Reed and Blink182.
Asda also have a great gift finder on their website with a section for CDs, the Father's Day selection includes some absolute stonkers! 'Various Artists' - Dad's Anthems 2008, 'World's best dad' and '101 Driving songs' with hits from Queen, Iggy Pop and Deep Purple. So if your dad is a bit of a rocker at heart then make his day and check out the latest albums available.
Personal
Marks and Spencer have a Father's Day section with three main categories to help you select the perfect gift: 'Classic Dad', 'Sporty Dad' and 'Fun Dad', each section has its corresponding clothes, accessories, fragrances and gadgets to choose from.
gettingpersonal.co.uk has the usual range of gifts for Father's Day, including personalised Champagne for £39.95, those cheesy must-haves, the personalised mug, some personalised cufflinks, and quirky jelly moulds allowing you to personalise your jelly! Whatever next?
Spoil Him
The BBC comes "Highly recommended" by HelpHounder elly and have come up with some great ways to spoil your dad with their recipes that have been specifically tailored for Father's Day. The article includes: Light lunch al fresco, Classic 'man food', Fancy food for fathers & Afternoon tea. So why not spoil him and cook up a treat in the kitchen.
WHS have some great 'Experience package' gift ideas for Father's Day including a 'Ferrari Frenzy' gift package for £129.99, a 'Paintball experience for two' £29.99, 'Royal Horticultural Society One year Membership' £46, Bella Italia/ Café Rouge restaurant dining voucher' £20 and an 'Amazing Adventures £100 Experience voucher' which can be redeemed against a choice of 50 "thrilling and exciting experiences."
gettingpersonal.co.uk have also got some great experience day packages available, including a 'West End Theatre & Dinner break for two' £95, a 'Flying lesson' for £109 and the perfect gift for wine-loving dads, the 'Wine tasting at a vineyard for two' package at £85.
Books
Amazon a HelpHound gold award winner with 78 reviews with none of them negative, have got a great range of Father's Day books with up to 50% off. "Lure Dad away from the telly" with books like: 'The Dads' Book: For the Dad Who's Best at Everything' by Michael Heatley at £5.94; 'The Fathers Books' by Benrik Ltd at £4.49 and other titles from authors including: Andy McNab; Bill Bryson and Ben Elton.
Asda have also got a very easy to use and handy gift finder for Father's Day with a section on books all with money off. Titles include: 'Qi: The Book Of General Ignorance', "Born Survivor" - Bear Grylls, 'The Mammoth Book Of Brain Workouts' by Gareth Dr. Moore, 'Don'ts For Golfers' by Sandy Green and many, many more.
So, no matter his area of interest or his tipple of choice, there's something out there to suit every dad this Father's Day.