I've found most men like practical, useful things (although, not all!). Brendan most definitely prefers a useful gift. I got him kitchen tongs for Christmas a couple of years ago, and he loved them. That is one of his favorite gifts he's ever gotten. (I would hate getting tongs for Christmas, lol). I was reading some women's magazine--Glamour, or Vogue, something like that--and it said that a good bet is to replace something they already have with something newer or better, because then you know they will use it. I thought that was a good idea. The article added that if the item is sentimental though, not to try to replace it. I think a magazine subscription is a great gift, because most of the time they are relatively inexpensive, but it's fun to get something over the course of the next year.
If a man likes a specific kind of cologne, instead of getting him that same kind, you could gather samples of some different ones that are similar, and then include a gift certificate to a place where he could buy a full size version of whichever he liked best. Sephora has something like this for women, and I think it's a neat idea. Or, you could find out which scent "family" the scent is in, and choose another from that same category--similar, but just a little different.
I think this year, I'm going to get Brendan a subscription to "New Scientist" magazine, some socks and underwear, and 3 video games. Not sure what else.
