For many people, your father is the man who took care of you when you were young. Maybe he walked the floor with you when you were a colicky baby, taught you how to swim or ride a bike, or gave you some advice when you were a lovelorn teen or a nervous young adult navigating the job market for the first time. Just as a gardener takes a plant from a tiny seed to a flourishing beauty, dads are there for all the stages of our lives. So what more appropriate gift can you give your dad — or your children’s dad — on Father’s Day than one made of herbs and love?
Here are a few gift ideas we think will bring a smile to dad's face.
Edible Gifts
Herbs are food, of course, and what better way to show your dear old dad or your trustworthy co-parent that you love him than to cook a special dinner for him? After all, everyone likes to eat.
Start with a salad topped with one of these herb-based dressings, or make a simple caprese salad (basil, fresh mozzarella, tomato and olive oil).
Salmon with dill sauce would make a nice main course, or how about salt-crusted potatoes with cilantro sauce, gazpacho, and a nice selection of Spanish cheeses?
For dessert, try baked apples with Black Elderberry Syrup or Golden Milk cookies. If dad lives far away and you need to mail something, a tin of these cookies could be a lovely gift all by itself.
Herbal Shaving Kit
When you were little, did you come home from school with homemade gifts for dad made of popsicle sticks and glue? He probably cherished them for their loving intent, but now that you’re older you can make more useful gifts, like this soothing chamomile shaving cream, made from Coconut oil, Shea butter, Almond oil, and Chamomile essential oil. Pair it with this Bay Rum aftershave, featuring rum and citrus and cinnamon essential oils, and you’ve got a complete shaving kit.
Bearded Dads don’t have to be left out. Try making this super-simple Rosemary beard oil.
Herb Garden
If dad’s the chef of the family, a miniature herb garden would be a thoughtful gift. Buy several small terra cotta pots and plant Rosemary, Thyme, Oregano, and Lemon Balm seedlings in them. Potted herbs can grow in a yard, a patio, or even a balcony during the summertime and then come inside to live in a sunny windowsill when the weather gets cooler. Kids or grandkids might enjoy painting the pots or decorating them with a bit of pretty ribbon.
Gratitude Journal
A gratitude journal makes a nice gift for anyone you love. Research has shown that writing regularly in a gratitude journal helps people feel happier and even physically healthier.1 Buy a blank journal and fill out the first page with a note about how grateful you are for the dad in your life. Then he can fill up the rest of the pages over the course of the next year. If you’re feeling inspired, press some flowers and glue them to the cover. Check out our personal favorite gratitude journal that many Gaia team members use on a daily basis.