We have entered the “ber” months, a.k.a. the Christmas promo season, and you’re already trying to find the perfect Christmas gift for your Chinese father who never expressed any interest in hobbies and material things. We Fil-Chi kids revisit this issue three or four times a year– what do I get him for Father’s Day? For his birthday? For his Chinese birthday? For Christmas? You end up getting him alcohol-related gifts, socks, clothes, and wallets over and over again.
If you ask him what he wants for Christmas, he’s probably gonna say: “I wish for you to be good, healthy, and prosperous” or “I really don’t want anything. I have everything I need.” But are you that person who goes: “Being good, healthy, and prosperous isn’t something you can wrap up and put a bow on”? Here are 5 practical Christmas gift ideas for 40+ year old Chinese dads:
Yoobao EN1 PD (₱4,795)
With 3 USB outputs and a 220V AC output, you can charge your laptop, mobile phone, camera, projector, and Wi-Fi modem using a Yoobao power bank. The battery capacity is up to 42000mAh.
This is perfect for your dad who:
- Uses a laptop
- Travels a lot on land (Note: If you plan on bringing a power bank aboard an airplane, please note that airport guidelines for power banks differ.)
- Resides somewhere prone to power outages
- Uses his phone a lot
- Often goes camping or on vacation trips to rural areas
Tp-Link Tapo L530 Smart Wi-Fi Light Bulb (₱590)
Tp-Link Tapo has customizable color swatch, brightness level, and temperature, programmable on your smartphone. You can save your favorite lighting into a preset and schedule when your light bulb will automatically turn on or off, change color, or dim. You can link your Google Assistant or Alexa to enable voice control.
This is perfect for your dad who:
- Owns a smartphone
- Cares about home security (When you are away from home, you can automate your lightbulb to turn on/off during specific hours to mimic an inhabited house)
- Curious about/ loves smart home features
Apple AirTag (₱1,690)
This Apple AirTag can help you keep track of your essentials. Simply attach it to an item such as your keys or your bag and you’re all set. With your Find My app, you can see your AirTag’s location.
This is perfect for your dad who:
- Keeps losing his things
- Has an iPhone
- Likes to keep track of valuable objects
- Has a beloved pet (If you have a roaming cat, you can attach the AirTag to its collar)
Toha BBQ Grill and Hotpot (₱1,799)
Everyone, not just dad, is going to love this Toha Grill and Hotpot. You can grill skewers, samgyupsal, and burgers while you throw in bola-bola, fat beef, and enoki mushrooms into the hotpot. You bet your clothes will smell like smokey umami for the rest of the day.
This is perfect for your dad who:
- Loves family gatherings
- Has suggested hotpot nights or samgyupsal dinners
- Enjoys prepping the ingredients for hotpot night
Surplus Electric Lunch Box (₱899)
The hardworking dad can now bring lunch to work (to save money, of course), without settling for cold and soggy meals! This Surplus Electric Lunchbox has two food compartments. All you have to do is to put a cup of water into the base, place all your food compartments in, close the lunchbox, and switch it on to start heating your food.
This is perfect for your dad who:
- Prefers home-cooked meals over eating out
- Complains about cold food at times
- Doesn’t have a microwave at his work or doesn’t want to manually heat his food up
