A Top Father’s Day Gift Idea For The Dad Who Has Everything

Father’s Day comes around every year on the third Sunday in June, which this year will be the 18th of the month. While some of us might have a dad or father figure in our lives who is easy to buy a gift for, they are more often than not a tricky present buying prospect! 

There are the old standbys of wallets, socks, aftershave or booze, but finding something that you know they will genuinely love can be really difficult. Here are a few suggestions for a unique gift that will stand the test of time.

A bespoke weathervane

You may not have thought about commissioning a bespoke gift before, but it is a brilliant and thoughtful way to show how much you appreciate someone. For the Dad who has everything, it requires a little bit of off the wall thinking!  A personalised piece of metalwork featuring a laser cut design might just fit the bill. 

A popular choice is a weathervane with a design that reflects a personal interest. This could be anything from cars and locomotives to dogs, boats, birds, or bees! You could discuss your idea on the phone, send over a drawing, or make a selection from pre-existing designs. 

Made to order weathervanes can take up to four weeks to manufacture, so bear this in mind if it is a gift for a special occasion. The product will be electroplated with zinc for rust protection, and a matt black powder coat will be baked on at a high temperature. 

Weathervanes can add the finishing touch to a garden shed, garage, or any other outbuilding, or even simply be displayed on a sturdy garden pole.  Alternatively, you might want to choose a hanging basket bracket, a swinging sign, a gate panel, a fire pit, or even a piece of wall art or a decorative screen for the garden.

If you can’t make up your mind what your Dad would like, you could always buy him a bespoke metalcraft voucher. 

Why did we start to celebrate Father’s Day?

Of course, Father's Day is not just about buying presents; it is a way of recognising the love and dedication shown by many Dads up and down the land. The idea originated in North America in 1908, when a woman named Grace Clayton suggested that a special church service should be held to honour the men who died in the 1907 Monongah mining disaster.

An explosion at the mine in West Virginia killed 362 men, including 250 fathers. Many of the victims were from the same town, causing untold devastation to the families in a close knit community. 

The following year in 1910, the first official Father’s Day church service was held in Spokane, Washington, on the initiative of a woman named Sonora Smart Dodd. She had lost her mother at 16 and wanted to recognise the efforts of her father to raise her six younger siblings. 

However, the idea of an official Father’s Day was slow to take off in the US, and it wasn’t nationally observed until 1972, when it subsequently became established here in the UK.