Gift Guide: Men

OK, this list really draws on what Mattio loves--let's face it, until recently, I was with the guy 24/7 (relax, casual readers who don't really know me, he just got a new job that involves leaving the house every day, as opposed to his old situation working at home), so his likes and dislikes are what I know best (with the exception of the argyle sweater; that one's all me).

Also, good to know: The first item, the Bacon money clip. Yeah, you should go to the Jack Spade website and check out the original photo. Then you should come back here, and view my crop. Do you know why it's cropped like this? Because holy crap! did Photoshop give me the HARDEST time about opening an image with money in it. Photoshop totally thought I was counterfeiting! Hello, Photoshop! Would I really counterfeit with a BACON money clip of all things??

1. Bacon: as you can see, my view of men is that they LOVE bacon (Guess who's a bacon fanatic--fueled by the fact that it's a total treat for him [because I can't stand the way it stinks up our house]). If he didn't have a wallet already, this would be under the tree for him this year. $65 at Jack Spade
2. This stuffed bacon toy is supposed to be for children... but back to item #1: men love bacon. I'm pretty sure that Mattio would sleep with this every night. Bonus: Not only is it called My First Bacon, but when you squeeze it, it says, "I'm bacon!" $14.99 at Think Geek
3. A couple of years ago, I ordered this very shirt for Mattio. There was some sort of flood in the warehouse, the package got here a few days later than it should have (which was no big deal for me), and the company felt so bad about it, that they called me to ask what kind of bacon I would like, because they were going to send me some as an apology. I won't get into how silly it is to ask me what kind of bacon I like, but every men's gift guide I ever do will now include Bac'n.com, because they are just awesome (even if they do make a living selling bacon). $15.99 at Bac'n
4. Another Mattio gift: I picked up this beer-making kit last year on a whim; and it's really neat. For one thing, when you make beer, everything has to be super sterile--which means that the kitchen is SPOTLESS. The other thing is that our kitchen is teeny-tiny, and this is a perfect kit for us (one of the reasons I bought it was because the packaging said that you didn't need a big kitchen). Good to know: beer making is smelly, and not in a good, beer-smelling way. It actually smells like a wet barn, so it's best to make beer when you can open the windows. $40 at Brooklyn Brew Shop
5. Once you make all your beer, your man is going to need something to drink it in. The beer elements glass is fun; or, if you're buying for a nerd, there's the include beer tags. Periodic Beer Glass, $8.99 at Think Geek; Include Beer Glass, $7.99 at Think Geek
6. Like the cashmere sweater for women, a flannel shirt is a men's wardrobe staple. $69.50 at J. Crew
7. I'm a sucker for argyle, so of course I believe that like the flannel shirt, every man should have an argyle sweater $79.50 at Banana Republic
8. We got this telescopic fork for my father in law years ago--and it still makes him giggle to this day. A very funny stocking stuffer. $2.89 at Amazon
9. Obviously men aren't walking around carrying purses--but they still need something to put their stuff in. Messenger bags are fantastic for that, and lucky for men, they have kate spade male-equivalent Jack Spade for the perfect one. $195 at Jack Spade

In myt attempt to give you the Mattio gift guide, did I miss anything? You know where to let me know!