Dads are easily the hardest family members to shop for. Too often, the holidays celebrating fathers are plagued with half-hearted gifts like ties or mugs — items they neither need nor want. Instead of defaulting to the stereotypical dad-type gifts, you should think more personally about who your father is and what he likes. Then, you might select something among this list to make this Christmas season even more meaningful for your dear old pops:

Power Tools and Storage

Most dads already have the power tools they need to accomplish their chores and hobbies. However, you can bring a smile to your father’s face by replacing some of his most used tools with high-quality upgrades. Alternatively, you might improve your dad’s tool storage situation, giving him some kind of shelf or cabinet designed to keep power tools and their accouterments in accessible order. Holiday gifts like these can make a difference year-round, as your pops finds it easier and faster to work on his most pressing projects

Self-care Products

Few fathers prioritize self-care, which can lead to imbalanced moods and strained relationships. You might encourage your dad to participate in self-care in some meaningful way with products that speak to his interests and improve his mental and emotional well-being. You might give your dad skincare or haircare products that provide him the feeling of living luxuriously, or you might offer him some kind of massage machine, like a massage chair or foot spa, to help him relieve some of his physical tension. With these products, your dad is more likely to give himself the time he needs to relax and unwind, which is almost certainly well-deserved.

Kitchen Gadgets

While it is possible to put together a meal with little more than a knife and heat, your dad might relish the opportunity to hone his cooking skill if you give him kitchen gadgets for Christmas. Not all dads are excellent chefs, but the likelihood of finding a father in the kitchen increases when he has fun cooking tools to play with. Many exciting kitchen tools take the form of larger appliances, like a smart indoor grill, a smart pasta maker or a smart toaster, but you can find smaller cooking tech, like a sous vide, wireless thermometer or pan stirrer, that will make the task of cooking easier and more enjoyable for dear old dad.

Entertainment Enhancers

After years spent on their feet, working hard to keep the family and house in good working order, many dads want little more than to spend all day consuming their favorite entertainment media — and you can help yours find even more enjoyment with the right holiday gift. You might give your father a sound bar, which enhances the quality of the sound coming from their television or stereo, or some of the best Bluetooth headphones if he prefers to engage with his media of choice in private. Even better, you might give your dad some smart light bulbs, which allow him to control the brightness and color of the room to create the perfect ambiance in his spaces.

Solo Adventures

Your father likely has not spent a considerable time on his own since his youth, and he might benefit from some opportunities to get out and rediscover his own interests, opinions, thoughts and feelings. You might buy him plane tickets to a destination he has always wanted to visit or plan an excursion like camping or backpacking in an unfamiliar wilderness area. Then again, if your father does not have much time to travel far, you might offer him a brief solo experience closer to home, like skydiving, fishing or wine tasting.

Quality Time With You

If you are still struggling to identify the perfect gift for your father, you might skip the physical token of your appreciation and offer something even more meaningful: time. Many fathers are unable to spend much time with their children as they are growing up, and as a result, they miss out on forming the same sort of bonds that develop between mothers and kids. Now that you are older, you have more opportunities to schedule quality time with your dear old dad. You might promise to get lunch together every week or spend weekends on a shared project. Through this time, you will get to know your pops better, and next Christmas, it might not be so difficult to think of a good gift.