Last Minute Father's Day Gifts

Father’s Day is fast approaching, and at this time of year, many of us will be hunting for last-minute gift ideas for our dads, grandads and father figures. They are infamously hard to buy for and almost 80% of us admit to struggling with gift inspiration, which may be why so many of us put off the task of finding Father’s Day gifts.

In our 2023 survey¹, 54% of UK consumers looking for Father’s Day gifts said they leave their present shopping until the week before the big day. If you’re part of this group of last-minute shoppers, fear not – in this blog post, we will share our recommendations of gifts Dad will never know were last-minute, plus tips on making Dad’s day special without having to face the shops.

 When is Father's Day in 2024?

This year, 2024, Father’s Day will be celebrated in the UK on Sunday, 16th June.

In the majority of countries over the world, including the UK, Canada, the United States of America, and many European countries, Father’s Day is always celebrated on the third Sunday in June. On the other side of the world, in Australia and New Zealand, however, dads will have to wait until September for their special day!

Father’s Day may be fast approaching, but the good news is that there is still time to order a personalised Father’s Day gift from Create Gift Love and receive it in time for Sunday, June 16th. So, if you’re a last-minute shopper, you can still treat your dad or father figure to a thoughtful, personalised keepsake to show him that he’s loved.

Our last order dates for Father’s Day 2024 are:

Why is Father's Day celebrated in June?

Although the first celebration of fatherhood is thought to have taken place as far back as 1508, when it was part of the Catholic celebration of St. Joseph’s Day on 19th March, Father’s Day as we know it today began being celebrated annually in June in the early 1900s, in the town of Spokane, Washington (USA).

The founder of modern Father’s Day was a woman named Sonora Smart Dodd.
On 5th July 1908, a memorial service was held in a church in West Virginia to honour a group of young fathers who had recently died in a local coal mining disaster. This service inspired Sonora to begin campaigning for an annual celebration of fatherhood, as she felt that fathers should have a day to honour them like mothers do. She was very close to her own father, William Jackson Smart, who had single-handedly raised her and her five brothers after her mother’s death.

In the years that followed the 1908 memorial service, Sonora campaigned to her local community and churches to instate an annual Father’s Day. Local religious leaders supported the idea, and the YMCA in Spokane agreed to hold the first official Father’s Day service. It was thought that the 5th of July (the date of the original memorial service) was too close to the American Independence Day celebrations on the 4th of July, so it was decided that Father’s Day would instead be held in June, the birth month of Sonora’s own father. The first Father’s Day celebration was held on 19th June 1910.

Although Father’s Day did not become a recognised holiday for another 50 years, it has always been celebrated on the third Sunday in June since 1910.

Where can I buy a last minute Father's Day gift?

If you’re part of the 54% of UK shoppers who leave the search for Father’s Day gifts until the week before the occasion (or even the 3.5% who wait until the day before!), you have probably asked yourself, where can I buy a last-minute Father’s Day gift? The shops in your town are the obvious choice, and if you’re lucky, your local high street could be full of wonderful small businesses offering unique gift ideas; however, sadly, this is not always the case.

With almost 70% of us turning to Google as our main source of gift inspiration¹, shopping online seems the go-to for most. The good news is that unless you’ve woken up and realised that Father’s Day is literally tomorrow, your options probably aren’t limited to the supermarket or your local high street. Many websites and online retailers will be able to offer express delivery in time for Father’s Day, and it’s not only the big brands – lots of small businesses like us can offer next-day delivery options (even for our handmade personalised keepsakes!).

And suppose you want to support a local business but can’t find what you need in the shops. In that case, it might be worth finding out if there are any small online retailers in your area, as some will offer in-person collection from their premises, saving you from waiting on delivery (especially if you’re short on time!) If you’re in Bournemouth, the New Forest or near the Hampshire / Dorset border, you can collect from us in the Create Gift Love workshop in Ringwood. There’s no charge for collection; just place your order on our website as normal, then select local pickup at the checkout. We will email you when your order is ready, usually the next day.

How much should I spend on Father's Day?

Now, when it comes to budget, there are no right or wrong answers; it’s an entirely personal choice and is down to the individual, taking into account things like your income, your lifestyle and how many people you have to buy Father’s Day gifts for. Other external factors will influence how much you can spend on Father’s Day: in our 2023 survey, 42% of gift shoppers revealed that they would be spending less than usual on their dads this year due to the cost of living crisis. So there’s no real answer to the question, “How much should I spend on Father’s Day?” We also know from our research² that lots of dads favour thoughtful gestures over lavish gifts anyway, so price definitely isn’t everything.

What we can tell you, however, is what people typically spend on Father’s Day gifts, which may help if you’re looking for a ballpark figure to guide your present purchases. Our poll of gift buyers surveyed 1,001 randomly sampled people in the UK from a range of demographics, including age, gender and salary. Most respondents (44.36%) said that they usually spent between £10 - £30 on Father’s Day gifts each year, and the next most common answer was £30 - £50 (according to 31% of respondents). Of course, some spend more, and some spend less, but if you’re wondering how much to spend on your dad’s gift, anywhere between £10 - £50 is typical.

We also found out that 30% of shoppers usually spend more on their mum on Mother’s Day than their dad on Father’s Day, and 59% will spend more on their parents than on their in-laws! So, if your budget (or, indeed, your inclination) is preventing you from making things fair throughout the gifting year, there’s no need to feel guilty. You definitely won’t be the only one!

What are some quick and easy Father's Day gift ideas?

Almost 80% of us admit to struggling with Father’s Day gift ideas at the best of times, and it gets even more challenging to find original gift inspiration with the added pressure of a deadline and being tight on time. If you’re looking for quick and easy Father’s Day gift ideas, some popular options that dads rate highly² are food, drink and fragrance, all of which are easy to get hold of on the high street. However, if you don’t want to stick to the “safe” options, there is still time to order a unique personalised gift from Create Gift Love. All our handmade keepsakes are made and dispatched the next working day, and we also offer express next-day delivery for orders placed before 12pm.

Here are some ideas for quick and easy personalised Father’s Day gifts…

Best Father's Day gifts with express delivery

Our 2023 survey¹ of Father’s Day gift shoppers revealed that the option of next-day delivery is “important” to almost a third of UK consumers (31.77%) and “very important” to 16%. This correlates with the number of shoppers who leave their gift buying until the week before the occasion (revealed in the same survey). It seems that when we’re tight on time, lots of us are willing to pay the premium for speedy delivery. So, what are the best Father’s Day gifts available with express delivery? Well, all our handmade personalised keepsake gifts at Create Gift Love can be ordered with express delivery, and we offer UK next-day delivery for orders placed before 12pm (Monday - Friday), so you can treat your dad to a thoughtful, emotive gift even if you think you’re running out of time.

Something we love to do in our product designs is to offer combinations of different contrasting materials, and also a variety of customised elements; these combinations create some of our best gifts. One great example of this is our Personalised Brass and Wood Desk Photo Block, a very popular Father’s Day gift which combines a solid brass plate, printed with a favourite family photograph, and a solid wooden base (either oak or walnut) engraved with a personalised Father’s Day message. Dad will enjoy this photo gift on his desk in the office or displayed at home; the best part is you can order and receive it the next day with express delivery.

Best last-minute Father's Day gifts on a low budget

As we discussed earlier, there’s no right or wrong when it comes to how much you spend on your Father’s Day gifts – budget is personal and relative to your individual situation – but our research did find that £10-£30 is the most common budget bracket spent on dads for Father’s Day. If you’re looking for a Father’s Day gift at the lower end of that bracket, our Personalised Wooden Never Forget Coaster (£12) is a great choice. It’s a solid walnut coaster engraved with a personalised message and a calendar design, marked with an important date such as “the day you became my daddy”. Our calendar coaster is both thoughtful and personalised, and the high-quality materials used mean that it is made to last and be treasured – a lovely option for a lower-budget personalised Father’s Day gift.

Of course, it's important to remember that in 2023, 42% of the shoppers we surveyed said they would be spending less than usual on their Father's Day gifts due to the cost of living crisis. As this has continued into 2024, it's likely that more of us will be looking for last-minute Father’s Day gifts on a low budget this year. We’ve put together some ideas for free Father’s Day activities below.

Last minute Father's Day gifts for the dad who wants nothing

We all have people in our lives who insist that they don’t need anything when it comes to gifting occasions or that they already have everything they could want. For many of us, these people are our dads, making Father’s Day gift shopping a tricky job (no wonder so many of us leave it until the last minute!). Our research suggests that most of us opt for practical gifts when we’re unsure what to buy our dads and that most dads enjoy thoughtful, personalised presents. If you’re trying to find a last-minute Father’s Day gift for the dad who wants nothing, something that combines these two factors, like our personalised keyrings, could be a great option.

Our Personalised Leather Debossed Keyrings have the perfect balance of thoughtfulness and practicality. The handmade leather keyrings are completely customisable: you can choose from five different shapes and nine leather colours, plus they can be personalised with up to 10 letters in two font options. The keyrings are useful and small, so they’re not imposing if Dad really wants nothing, and with so many customised elements, he will definitely appreciate the thoughtful gesture.

Father’s Day gifts they'll never guess were last minute

Our number one and most popular Father’s Day gift is our Personalised Metal Photo Keyring With Leather Case. So many personalised elements make it a memorable keepsake: the choice of photograph, hidden inside a carefully selected leather case in dad’s favourite colour, with hand-stamped lettering signalling his name. The photos can be engraved with a thoughtful message, calendar design or an extra printed photograph, and each keyring can be wrapped in a personalised gift bag. As we make and dispatch all our gifts the next day, you won’t have to wait long to receive something so thoughtful, and when Dad sees how much care and consideration has gone into it, he’ll never suspect it was a last-minute choice. Don’t worry, we won’t tell.

How can I make Dad's day special?

In our survey of 1,000+ dads, 45% said they would find family time more meaningful than any other type of gift. So, if you’re super last minute and won’t have time to buy a Father’s Day gift this year, don’t worry. There are plenty of ways to make Dad feel loved by spending quality time together without buying a physical present. Below are some of our favourite ways to make Dad’s day memorable at home or out and about.

What should I do for Father's Day at home?

There are lots of ways to make Father’s Day special with the things you already have at home, whether it’s a rainy day or you’re able to get out in the garden. Here are some great ideas for things to do for Father’s Day at home.

• A family sports day—if the sun is shining, get everyone in teams and have a family sports day with traditional fun sports day games, like the egg and spoon, tug-of-war, and three-legged race. You could make Dad and Grandad the team captains or play the kids against the adults.

• Look through the family albums —Father’s Day is a great opportunity to learn about family history and enjoy the benefits of nostalgia. So, if it’s a rainy day, why not get out the family photo albums and reminisce about old times? The older relatives will enjoy looking back at bygone days, and the kids will find it fun to see what their dad looked like at their age!

• A movie marathon—the ultimate at-home activity for a rainy Father’s Day: a movie marathon. Let Dad pick out his favourite (family-friendly!) films and have a screening of them all, one after the other. You could make cinema snacks to enjoy or build a blanket fort to watch your films from.

• A pamper session—Dads deserve to be pampered every now and then (in fact, a number of dads in our survey said a massage would be their ideal present!). To help Dad relax on Father’s Day, you could light candles, get soothing music playing, and make a spa for Dad at home, complete with a shoulder rub from the kids.

• Have a games night —a bit like the sports day suggestion, split yourselves into teams and let the competition begin! You could play board games, complete puzzles and compete in a charades or Pictionary battle. It’s up to you whether you let Dad win!

What activities to do on Fathers Day?

There are lots of fun family activities you can do on Father’s Day to make Dad feel special, enjoy his celebration, make lots of new family memories, and spend quality time together. Here are some suggestions for activities to do on Father’s Day.

• A meal out - it’s an obvious suggestion but a meal out with the whole family is a great way to make Dad (and Grandad) feel special on Father’s Day. You can choose his favourite restaurant or cuisine and treat him to a meal where he is the guest of honour.

• Visit a museum – if it’s a rainy day, a museum trip somewhere that interests your dad is a great way to spend time together. There are lots of family-friendly museums you can visit and enjoy as a group.

• A bike ride—Since Father’s Day is in June, it’s a great time of year to enjoy the outdoors and (hopefully!) make the most of the sunshine. Why not get the bikes out—or hire them if you don’t have bikes of your own—and enjoy the day exploring together with Dad?

• Have a family picnic – if a sit-down meal isn’t your thing, a family picnic is a great way to celebrate Father’s Day. You can choose a selection of foods so there’s something for everyone to enjoy and the kids can run about and play without having to sit still in a restaurant.

• Take part in Dad’s hobby—If there’s something Dad does in his spare time, like fishing, hiking, or going to a sports game, is there a way to get the whole family involved? Dad will love to see his family take an interest in his favourite hobbies, and it’s a great way to make new memories.

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References:

1. Create Gift Love: Father's Day Buyers Survey Results 2023, conducted May 2023

2. Create Gift Love: Father's Day Dads Survey Results 2023, conducted May 2023