THE ACL GIFT GUIDE 2022
An updating list for dads, golfers, style aficionados, watch lovers, kids and other fun things too.
It’s that time again — gift guide season. Considering my area of expertise it makes the most sense to do a gift guide for guys who have similar interests to me. My thought was to do a guide that could be sent to family and friends to help inspire gift ideas. Additionally, there are also some ideas for ladies and a few gift suggestions for children in the below.
With Black Friday sales expanding earlier and promotions expanding to the point where nearly everything is on sale, it makes sense to get this gift guide out into the world now when people can take advantage of the discounts.
As always, my goal is to highlight the well-made and go beyond the ordinary. Personally, I want a lot of the stuff here and I’m a nightmare to give gifts to — so that made me think this list is promising. Hope this helps and happy holidays.
📬 If you want to send someone a gift subscription to ACL, here’s a special deal from me via this discounted link.
🏈 🍺 🍔 GARAGE DAD
Filson rugged twill firewood carrier. The perfect firewood accessory.
Battery box cutter. Something for the Dad who gets irrationally angry at cardboard boxes. (It’s me!)
Super bright 1000 lumen flashlight. An absurdly bright and partially unnecessary flashlight.
Exotic (not erotic) playing cards. Playing cards is underrated.
Artifact canvas tool roll. Great for the garage or to keep in a car.
A better kettle grill. Upgrade the Weber.
Builders and Tradesmen Stories book. Required reading for those who wonder what’s happening at every construction site they pass.
⏱ WATCHES
⬆️ Over $2000:
⬆️ Over $1000: Serica GMT CHRONOMÈTRE
⬇️ Under $1000: Unimatic U1S Watch or the Unimatic UC1
⬇️ Under $500: Seiko 5 Sport Automatic Field Watch
⏳ Other watch ideas: straps, watch box or leather pouches.
STYLE DAD
Shoe care kit. Take care of that fine Crockett & Jones footwear with these super nice polish kits.
Patina Modern. The new home design book that hits just the right note between old and new.
Japanese Travel Tote Porter x Moncole. Porter and Monocle collabs are undefeated.
Irish Wool Fisherman Sweater. Everyone loves a good sweater.
A Jacket Everyone Looks Good in. It’s hard to buy clothes as gifts but this jacket is a no brainer.
Handsewn Moc Slides. These check all of the boxes. I want a pair for myself.
Other ideas: Rancourt Shoes, Corridor shirts, J.Mueser cashmere, Lady White Co. overshirt, the best baseball jacket from Dehen,
🦖🤖 FOR THE KIDDOS
Garrett Wade has the best old school toys for kids. It’s the antithises of gifts from Amazon. This vintage Schuco Micro Racer Mercedes 190SL is particularly cool.
We love to play games at home. This Magnetic Game of Skill is cool and so is this game for smaller kids.
Lake Pajamas. The best pajamas for kids.
The littles love these LCD writing tablets.
A good source of cute kids clothes.
Another great gift for 2-5 year olds are these Magnetic foam building blocks.
Books are always good. Make way for McCloskey. Robert McCloskey is my favorite children’s author, this is a complete collection of his stories.
Get the children corresponding early with this cool stationery for kids.
🚀 OBJECTS & FUN
Reusable 35mm half-frame Kodak camera. Nothing is better than film and this is a playful way to capture special moments or the day-to-day scenes with analog bliss.
Donuts and 911s. Generally all of the photography from the House of Spoils would make a nice gift.
Every Dad Loves a Good Mug. Sometimes all we want is a cup of coffee and some quiet time. Another option here.
Where are my F*cking Keys needlepoint fob. Self explanatory keychain for someone who’s always losing their keys. Pair with an AirTag.
If you know someone who loves classic music (like I do) this is the best classical music streaming service and it’s on sale.
A customizable pickle paddle cover.
Simple tennis shoes. It’s hard to find simple clean design for tennis but these are excellent.
Something for those who like to build things. DIY Frank Lloyd Wright Architectural Model.
Japanese Bath Accessories. Bring the Onsen experience home with these authentic Japanese bath items.
Custom Engraved Notecards. Everyone likes an engraved notecard. Terrapin makes the best. (Updated 11/22)
☕️🍷LIFE ESSENTIALS FOR HAPPINESS
The Old Fashioned Kit. The perfect gift for someone who loves a good cocktail.
23 year Bourbon barrel aged maple syrup. A bottle of Pappy but for Sunday morning.
Gerstner travel bar. This is fully unnecessary and completely overbuilt but that’s what makes it perfect in so many ways.
The best wine glasses in the world. A gift any wine lover would love.
A good cast iron dutch oven is always appreciated and coveted item for every kitchen.
You can never go wrong with good food. Ciao Pappy makes for a perfect pasta night. Pairs well with delicious oil from our friends at Baroncini Import & Co.
🏌️♂️ GOLF DAD
Sentinel x MacKenzie. Two of my favorite brands collaborated to make the best carry bag in the world. Everything Sentinel makes is nice, but these new made in USA Sentinel shoe bags come in particularly handy to elevate your approach to the locker room.
Amazing Insulated Golf Vests. This is the best piece of golf clothing I bought this year. Great quality and good design.
Everyone loves these knit headcovers from Fore Ewe. These make a nice gift because everyone doesn’t think to fully dress their bag with quality headcovers.
Fliers Club Membership. The best thing I’ve done since taking up golf is join The Fliers Club. Part golf society and part social club, TFC is simply a conduit to play great golf courses with interesting people.
This Oculus based GOLF+ app is astonishingly great. The level of detail is high without being overwhelming, but the best aspect of this Oculus based golf is how true to the game it all is. As a player you can easily see how this was created by golfers for golfers. Pinehurst No. 2 was just added and it’s surreal to see it in VR having played there in real life.
Other Ideas: A handsome stand bag. Solo Golf hooded vest. The nicest scorecard holder out there. A Winged Foot inspired hoodie from Metalwood. A private club fitting at True Spec. Headcovers from Forewind Golf. Made in USA leather golf accessories from Billykirk. Shoes from TrueLinkswear.
📸 GEAR & GADGETS
City Radio. A minimalist-designed radio that can pull up broadcasts from around the world with the press of a button.
OneClock Alarm Clock. Get your phone out of your bedroom. The OneClock is a way to wake up in a more relaxed way.
Tivoli Radio. Sometimes it’s nice to have the retro form factor of a radio. This is the perfect combination of classic and modern. Plus it looks good on your desk, shelf or bedside.
The Best Toaster in the World. These Japanese toasters have a way to add water to increate the humidity inside the toaster to ensure your toast is crunchy on the outside and soft in the middle.
🌺 A FEW IDEAS FOR LADIES
Instead of me struggling to make quasi-relevant gift suggestions for women I instead reached out to my fashion friend Laurie Trott who’s an expert. The below are her thoughtful suggestions.
Sophie Buhai Pearls. Pearls, always. Studs are prissy, a double drop is chic AF.
Jil Sander Tangle Bag. Logos - eh, who needs ‘em? The beauty of a logo-less bag is that it never goes out of style. Jil Sander bags are really well made, beautiful leather, simple details and discreet. They’re super functional because they can be crossbody or just on one shoulder. They’re kind of genius because this size fits both a water bottle and a 13” laptop top. The thin, structured silhouette makes it so you can actually see what’s in your bag, and it slips easily into a larger tote for when you need to double bag on the plane.
Costa Brazil Sun & Moon Body Oil Duo. Because we all want to look a little more Brazilian, kind of. From the former creative director of Calvin Klein, Francisco Costa, comes a body oil crafted from all natural, super-good smelling ingredients sourced from the Brazilian rainforest. Every product is sustainably sourced, environmentally responsible, vegan and free of all the things that are toxic and hard to pronounce (much less remember). This duo promises to give glowy skin while reducing the appearance of those fine lines only the user can see but will complain about endlessly to anyone who will listen.
Marni Sweater. Sometimes you need to take a break from the tried and true classic camel cashmere crewneck and put on a really fun - like, extremely fun - sweater. The mohair knits that Francesco Risso of Marni has been churning out the past year are exactly this. Yes, it’s kind of pricey but it’s a total color party and so much fun to wear.
A subscription to Becky Malinsky’s 5 Things You Should Buy. A newsletter focused on shopping from a former WSJ fashion director, delivered every Sunday to your inbox. Edited and thoughtful, the conversational tone and surprising selection of items each week are a welcome distraction from the barrage of promotional emails and news alerts.
Salomon Hiking Shoes. Ditch the Peloton and enjoy the great outdoors while we still have them. A hiking shoe that works hard on the trail but is just as comfortable with flat, paved surfaces like a local farmer’s market. Because trekking to get that organically grown chard is a workout in its own right.
Tory Sport Fleece Jacket. There are so many fleece jackets out there it seems difficult to whittle it down to which one is right. There’s no wrong answer (ok, well maybe a few) but this oversized one is equal parts sporty and chic and has got just the right amount of quirk with quilted patches and a contrast collar.
Comme Si Boxer Brief. Let’s embrace these amazing boxer briefs that are such a refreshing alternative to the tired sweatpant.
Sandoval Trio. Nothing says I don’t care about you quite like a candle. Nothing says I actually care about you, I respect your olfactory vision and I’ve thought about this quite like aromatic candles, mists and incense from Sandoval. These unisex scents are just woo-woo enough with palo santo, sandalwood, patchouli and you know, all the things. Bonus points because each product has a tiny crystal at the bottom, for extra healing energy.
R Brow Brow Balm. A great stocking stuffer. This all-natural brow balm for perfect, glossy brows from a beauty world insider who knows what is what.
Emme Parsons Slippers. Chic, indoor-outdoor slides that you can wear year-round.
Baller Bonus Round: Cartier Panthère Watch. Anyone who says they don’t want or need a Cartier Panthère Watch is either lying or already has one.
Great list as always
Just purchased my dad the leather scorecard holder from Bluegrass Fairway—thanks for the recommendation!