The Ultimate Christmas Gift Guide for Him: Luxurious Ideas for Every Man in Your Life

Men are supposedly difficult to buy for. In our experience they are not, they are just badly guessed at. The gifts that land are the ones that quietly replace something worn out with a far better version of itself, and then get used every day without comment.

That is what this edit is: no novelty, nothing that ends up in a drawer. Everything here is stocked in our Harrogate shop and chosen because it improves something he already does.

An Egyptian cotton bath robe

The one gift men consistently say they would not have bought themselves. Our Ultimate Egyptian Cotton robe is woven from 700gsm Giza cotton with two discreet side pockets, which is the enveloping, hotel weight. The Contessa is 480gsm, hand finished in Italy, and treated three ways against chlorine, sun and sea salt, so it suits anyone who swims or travels. The Portobello is a combed cotton velour, smoother and more hard wearing, in medium and large.

See the full bath robes collection. If you are unsure on weight, our bath linen buyers guide sets out the trade-off between plushness and drying time.

A proper set of towels

Most men are still using towels somebody else chose about nine years ago. Our Ultimate Supreme Egyptian cotton towels run to 700gsm across five sizes and twelve colours, and the Imperial at 650gsm in American carded cotton is the faster drying alternative for a bathroom in daily use. A face cloth, guest towel, hand towel and bath towel set is the straightforward gift version.

Browse towels, see the Ultimate Supreme range, or read what actually makes a towel absorbent before you choose a weight.

Lehner men’s handkerchiefs

Swiss made, in fine cotton and Irish linen, plain or with a discreet border, singly or in presentation boxes. Only a handful of shops in the world still stock Lehner, which is why a handkerchief that costs very little reads as something considered rather than something cheap. It is also the gift most likely to still be in use in ten years.

Browse men’s handkerchiefs.

D.R. Harris shaving and skincare

For the man who shaves properly, or the one who should. D.R. Harris has been making soaps and skincare in London since the eighteenth century, which puts them in roughly the same bracket of longevity as us. Shaving soaps, colognes and skincare, all of it traditional in the sense of being made the same way for a very long time, not in the sense of being dated.

See the D.R. Harris collection.

A candle he would actually light

Home fragrance is usually bought for men rather than by them, which is exactly why it works as a gift. Trudon is the heritage choice, a French house making candles since the seventeenth century, and the vessels are substantial enough to feel like an object rather than a scent. Baobab Collection is bolder and more graphic, in oversized vessels that read as an object in their own right. Dr Vranjes Firenze is the sharper, more contemporary alternative, and its diffusers suit a study or a hallway.

Explore Trudon, Dr Vranjes Firenze, or the full scented candle collection, where you will also find Baobab.

If you are still deciding

The whole edit sits in gentlemen’s gifts, which is the quickest way to see everything in one place and sort by price.

Questions we get asked

What do you buy a man who says he wants nothing?

Replace something he uses daily and has never upgraded. A towel, a robe, a razor soap. He will not have asked for it and will notice it every morning, which is more than most requested gifts manage.

What GSM should a man’s bath robe be?

Around 480gsm for everyday use, since it dries quickly between wears. Around 700gsm if he wants the enveloping hotel feel and has somewhere warm to dry it. Heavier is not automatically better, it is simply slower.

Are handkerchiefs still a good gift?

Yes, provided they are properly made. A fine Swiss cotton handkerchief with a rolled hem lasts years and costs less than almost anything else worth giving. The gift is the quality, not the object.

Why buy from us

We have been selling fine linen in Harrogate since 1895, and a fair few of the men receiving these gifts were brought into the shop by someone else first. Nothing here is chosen because it photographs well. It is chosen because it lasts, and because we would be happy to be given it.

Buying for more than one person this year? Our Christmas gifts for her covers blankets, scent and hand care, and Christmas gifts for the home is the one for couples, parents and anyone whose house matters more to them than their wardrobe.

If you would rather hear about things before they reach the website, The Heritage Partnership is our mailing list. It goes out sparingly, usually when something worth mentioning arrives, whether that is a new colour in the towel range or a small delivery of something we only get a few of. Joining costs nothing and takes a moment.