Christmas Gifts for Dad (For the Bearded Father)

We were three days into the Frostfang Pass, snow up to our shins, when my squire stopped hauling the shield and asked the question he'd clearly been chewing on since breakfast. "Hero. What do I get my dad for Christmas? I've got twenty-two coins and he says he doesn't need anything." I've faced a cave troll with a dull sword. I took longer on this one.

Here's what I told him, and what I'll tell you. The best Christmas gifts for dad are things he'll use every single morning and think of you when he does. If your dad has a beard, that's a beard oil in a scent that fits him ($18.99), a sampler of five scents if you can't decide ($29.99), or a full kit if the whole family is chipping in. Skip the gadget he'll unbox, nod at and forget. Give him a small daily ritual instead.

Christmas gifts for dad: start with which dad he is

Every dad thinks he's one of a kind. He is. He's also, almost always, one of about four types. Find yours and the gift picks itself.

The grill master

He has opinions about charcoal. He has a rub he won't share the recipe for. This is a man who likes to taste things and compare them, so give him something to compare. The Adventure Pack has five of our best-selling beard oils in sample bottles: The Hero, The Wizard, The Marksman, Dr. Wolf and The Distiller. He'll smell all five, rank them out loud at dinner, and probably land on The Distiller's mulled spice and bourbon or my own warm tobacco. That's the point. He gets to be the judge.

The early riser

Up at 5:30, coffee on, quiet house. He doesn't want a 12-step routine. He wants something that fits between the coffee pot and the truck keys. One bottle of The Hero Beard Oil does it: three to five drops, rub, comb, done in under a minute. The notes are warm tobacco, light cologne and amber, which is a scent that works at the office and at a hardware store on Saturday. If you want the why behind that minute, here's what beard oil actually does.

The one who still washes his beard with bar soap

You know him. Same bar for face, hair, beard and probably the dog. His beard feels like a doormat and he swears it's fine. This dad doesn't need one more bottle. He needs the whole upgrade in one box so he doesn't have to think about it. A Complete Balm Kit ($79.99) gives him a wash, conditioner, oil and balm in one matching scent. Put a sticky note on each one numbered 1 to 4. I'm serious. He'll follow the numbers.

The new grandpa

Here's a quest worth backing. A new grandpa is about to get a lot of face-to-face time with someone very small, and a soft beard beats a scratchy one. Older skin also tends to run drier, especially in winter, so oil earns its spot here (there's more on that in beard oil for dry skin). An Oil & Balm kit ($39.99, a 1 oz oil and 2 oz balm in the same scent) is the right size. Bonus move: let the grandkid "pick" the scent. He'll wear it for years.

Who's giving matters as much as who's getting

A gift from a 14-year-old and a gift from a wife of 25 years shouldn't look the same, and they don't have to cost the same either. Here's how I'd split it.

Kids and teens: small budget, big effect

Kids, listen up, because this is your part of the quest. Your dad does not care how much you spent. He cares that you noticed something about him. One bottle of beard oil plus a note that says "Because your beard scratched me at the airport" will beat any $60 gadget. If you've got a few dollars left, add a simple wooden comb from anywhere. That's it. That's a great gift.

Spouses: the splurge that still feels personal

If you're his partner, you're the one who knows whether he'd actually use a cologne. The Hero Ultimate Bundle ($135.99) is the whole routine, wash to cologne, in my warm tobacco and amber. It's the gift for the man who's been "meaning to start taking care of the beard" since roughly 2019. For more ideas aimed squarely at spouses, The Illustrator wrote a full guide to Christmas gifts for your husband. I'll stick to dads here.

Gifts for dad who has everything

"I don't need anything" is the most common sentence said by fathers in December. It's usually true. He doesn't need another thing. That's why the best answer is something he uses up. A bottle of beard oil gets used, finished and missed. A Bluetooth meat thermometer gets used twice and lives in a drawer forever.

A few more ideas outside my shelf that follow the same rule: a bag of beans from a local coffee roaster for the early riser, or a coupon book of chores done without complaint (kids, this one is free and dads love it). The Djinn goes deeper on this exact problem in gifts for men who have everything.

Make it a ritual, not a gadget

Here's the part most lists of Christmas gift ideas for dad skip. A gift lands when it comes with a moment attached. So build one.

1. Write the note. One line, handwritten, about a real memory. Tuck it inside the box, not on the tag.
2. Do the first one together. Christmas morning, before the wrapping paper gets cleared, have him put on three drops while you're standing there. Kids, you get to say "now smell it."
3. Tie it to his morning. Tell him: coffee first, then oil. Linking it to something he already does every day is how a gift turns into a habit.
4. Set a check-in. At the end of January, ask him how it's going. If he's halfway through the bottle, you've won. If he's run out, the Fable Army subscription keeps it coming.

Want to see how the full routine fits together once he's hooked? The Warlock's beard care kit guide walks through what each piece does.

Picking a scent for your dad

You don't have to guess blind. Look at what he already likes. A dad who orders bourbon, sits by the fire pit and owns a leather recliner leans warm and woody, which is right where my tobacco and amber sits. A dad who drinks his coffee black and hikes on weekends might like the pine and cedar in The Marksman, one of the five in the Adventure Pack. And a dad who already wears a cologne he loves? Ask yourself if you want two scents fighting on his face. If not, The Teacher's guide to choosing a beard oil scent as a gift covers every clue, including when to go unscented.

One honest note: beard oil makes a beard softer and keeps the skin under it more comfortable. It won't grow him a thicker beard, whatever the internet tells him. If he has a nut allergy, check labels with his doctor first, since sweet almond oil is in our blends.

FAQ

One last thing

Christmas morning, back at the keep, my squire handed his father a little bottle wrapped in a scrap of map. Inside the box was a note: "For the beard that scratched me every night at bedtime." His dad read it twice, put on three drops right there by the fire and didn't say much for a minute. Twenty-two coins. Best gift in the room. That's the quest, friend. Not the price, the moment.

Your beard, your story.

— The Hero

Keep reading in the Wizard's Library

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• Winter beard care
• The elements of a beard care routine