How To Add A More Personal Touch To Fathers Day

Daddies are an enigma. They alternately scold and hug, they both protect and allow you to fall on your face, sometimes chastising and sometimes praising - but always answering a call for help. In short, they are fathers and take their various roles very seriously.

Due to this inherent dichotomy of nature, it is nigh on impossible to choose Fathers Day gifts with any degree of certainty or confidence. Do you buy them something useful such as a sweater or tie? An office gadget? Do you risk their displeasure by getting a jokey gift that points out their age to them in black and white or play it safe by getting a gift certificate? Do they still partake in their hobbies, how long has it been since you last heard of them playing golf or spending an afternoon fishing?

When these questions finally die down, we are all left with an impending sense of dread and a tiny, whining version of ourselves lamenting in the back of our head, "but he has everything already!".

And then, where are we left? Grabbing a last minute gift from the local garage or supermarket that we know is a cop out but that we purchase anyway because our tiny, whiny selves have already convinced us that nothing will be good enough anyway so we might as well give in now.

No more! Deny that tiny voice and rise in triumph this year by purchasing one of the many personalised Fathers Day gifts that will make him laugh, or cry, from the thought that you have put into his special day.

Ah, but where do I begin you ask? There are many options to choose from and you will be amazed at the amount of things that you can put names or messages on to make them that bit more distinctive. Whilst everything from silver engraving to phony newspapers and from personalised maps to welcome mats can be made unique, there are a number of staple options for those feeling overwhelmed.

For decades fathers have used and occasionally proudly shown off, their Number One Dad mug, so why not improve upon this fool proof choice by personalising a mug that could not sit generically on any father's shelf but that is specifically and lovingly created for your dad and your dad alone?

You can follow the accepted path of using their name to specifically declare them 'number one' or the 'best dad' or, you can choose to step right off the sidewalk and use one of the many available templates and truly have fun with your gift. All of the templates can be fully customised so you can warn the world to 'never fear (dad's name) is here' and - if you think you will get away with it - you can even upload a picture of your dad so that he is the hero depicted.

You can give him the gift of well made hot drinks by providing him with a mug for the office that clearly delineates if he drinks coffee or tea and if he takes milk or sugar with it. Or, you can warn off the unsuspecting by using your gift to clearly advise all comers that (dad's name) is definitely not a morning person and that they should steer clear until that mug is empty.

For those who are still fond of the original mug they gave their dad fourteen years ago that he still uses and who are not willing to mess with the mojo of the existing drink recepticle, there are still a couple of easy options left for you as well. If there is one thing, besides their love of us of course, that all dads have in common, it's that they are all (well, ok - almost all) extremely territorial.

Before naysaying, take a second here to think about the last time someone sat in your father's chair or, crime above all others, touched the remote control without permission. Scary image, we know, but a necessary illustration to prove a point; your dad is going to like any gift you give him that declares itself as his to the rest of the world. He will enjoy munching his 'property of (dad's name)' candy bar if for no other reason than when someone looks at it longingly he can point to the wrapper and advise 'sorry kid, this ones not made for you'.

These are the moments in life that dads live for - when they are able to point out an absolute and un-disputable truth. So, give him a little back up for his special day and choose one of the personalised Fathers Day gifts that will lend credence to his arguments whilst simultaneously allowing him to lord them over the rest of the family. After all, what better gift could you give?