The stereotypes are true: Nobody ever asks dad what he needs for Christmas.
Now don’t get me flawed! I reside a lucky life. My youngsters and companion are pleasant, I do attention-grabbing work surrounded by superb folks, my gaming PC would make teenage Brad drool, and I even discover time to hang around with family and friends a couple of occasions a month.
Is it busy? Yes. Would I commerce it for one thing else? Never.
Every Christmas, I get considerate, unforgettable presents from My Amazing People — issues I by no means would have found myself. But it’s merely a incontrovertible fact that no one — not my mother, not my youngsters, not my companion, nobody — has requested what I would need for a present in a minimum of a decade. That’s not a criticism in any way. It’s merely a factual assertion.
So this 12 months, I made a decision to write down my very own Christmas checklist. Feel free to take inspiration from it for the nerd, gamer, and millennial dads in your individual life. Or simply hit these hyperlinks if, like me, you get to purchase your individual toys. They’re (nearly) all nonetheless accessible in time for Christmas when you order quickly!
SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless gaming headset
My present set of cans is a catastrophe. The Razer Kraken Pros served me effectively throughout hundreds of gaming classes and esports romps, however now their ear padding is clinging on for pricey life due to a judicial utility of duct tape (it fixes all the things).
I haven’t changed them but as a result of, , lease and meals and youngsters’ sports activities ain’t low cost, particularly while you’re a single dad. But I’ve been eyeing a substitute headset for when my tax returns or an additional paycheck rolls round, and I do know my subsequent set: SteelSeries’ Arctis Nova Pro Wireless gaming headset.
These got here out in 2022, however they nonetheless verify each field I search. Sterling audio and mic high quality are desk stakes in fact, however as a geek, I’m drawn to the deep software program personalizations accessible. More importantly, this S-tier headset connects not solely to PCs, but in addition all main gaming consoles, with essential twin wi-fi performance that allows you to swap between sources with the press of a button. Putting a recreation down in my workplace and choosing it up in my front room can be a breeze.
But the true draw is Active Noise Cancellation. Sometimes I simply want some quiet, man — and the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless delivers. Interestingly, a characteristic we listed as a damaging in our review (“Active Noise Cancellation won’t block out all external sound”) is definitely a constructive for me. I need to listen to if my daughter begins yelling or a pipe bursts.
The Düngeonmeister Cookbook
Jef Aldrich/Jon Taylor
In THIS family we stan Dungeons & Dragons. But my daughter is in highschool and received’t be a part of THIS family for much longer. So, I need to degree up her life abilities whereas she’s nonetheless in tutorial mode.
Enter The Düngeonmeister Cookbook, a tome so pleasant my colleague Gabriela Vatu highlighted it in her own geeky gifts roundup as effectively. Want to strive your individual bardic tavern meals? This comes with 75 recipes — pleasant dishes like Dwarven Battle Pasta, Adamantine Bars, and Dragon on a Stick Easy-Eat Meat Skewers — and since they dovetail with our D20-rolling pursuits, I’m certain my child would love rolling up her sleeves and making meals with me.
Personal time with the child and scrumptious eats? How are you able to go flawed?
Amazon says it will present up by Christmas when you order with rush delivery as we speak. But when you miss the deadline, there’s additionally a Kindle model accessible to obtain.
Luca Designs Men’s Commander Jacket
I’m obsessive about Mass Effect. (Let’s overlook Andromeda exists.) How obsessed? I burned by means of not one, not two, however 4 authentic Xbox 360s tormented by Red Rings of Death and disc learn errors so I might maintain maintain of the console’s awkward side-slice onerous drive and end my authentic Shepard’s trilogy. I sobbed so onerous through the run on the finish of ME3 that it made my then-wife begin crying in sympathy.
So yeahhhhhh… I’d kill for this leather N7-themed jacket from Luca Design. Good god, I’d be raring to endorse my favourite retailer on the Citadel on this beaut. It ain’t low cost at $350, however rattling.
Speaking of my favourite retailer on the Citadel, Luca Design’s own website is stuffed with superb recreations and inspirations from popular culture. Just look at this amazing Samurai jacket recreation from Cyberpunk 2077. I’m drooling. There’s one thing for each gaming, anime, and comedian geek there, man or girl!
None of those will arrive earlier than Christmas, together with the N7 jacket on Amazon alas… however when you gave me a card saying this might land at my doorstep in a couple of weeks, I’d downright swoon.
Nextmug self-heating espresso mug
I begin my days getting up earlier than daybreak to pull my child to highschool, then return dwelling to take a stroll, bathe, and begin my workday — a workday that begins at full pace since PCWorld is a multinational group that operates throughout the globe. My espresso usually goes chilly, is what I’m saying.
But it wouldn’t with a Nextmug. This ingenious gadget retains your espresso at heat (130 levels Fahrenheit), scorching (140) or piping (150) for as much as two hours away from its dock, or indefinitely while you’ve plopped it the charging pad, no apps or further software program required. That’s it. And that’s all I need.
Is it value $95 to maintain your espresso heat all day lengthy? As a dad whose schedule is packed till about 10pm tonight: Absolutely.
An Apple reward card for Apple TV
Apple
Hi, I’m Brad, and I’m hooked on F1 racing.
Fortunately for my household, the season wrapped up simply earlier than the vacations (get it, Lando!), however I’m dealing with a pickle in 2026: F1 was on regular tv by way of ESPN, however in 2026, all F1 races are migrating to Apple TV for the subsequent 5 years.
Ugh. It’s not that a lot of a change, however I already pay for YouTube TV, Netflix, and a pair different streaming providers. I’m not thrilled in regards to the concept of paying for an additional service, however I received’t abandon the game. Better but, Apple TV’s model will embody the deep, nerdy options beforehand solely present in an F1 TV subscription, together with auxiliary feeds exhibiting cockpit views and radio transmissions for each group.
It wasn’t value subscribing to F1 TV after I already had ESPN, however now that it’s on Apple TV? I’m quivering on the concept of watching full races from the attitude of my favourite drivers.
So somebody gifting me an Apple TV subscription could be warmly welcomed and deeply appreciated, particularly since I might spend weeknights catching up on dad-friendly exhibits like Severance and Ted Lasso. You can’t reward particular person Apple TV subscriptions, however a $100 Apple gift card would cowl the price of the service for the 12 months. Just sayin’!
TheraGun Relief physique massager
Because I nonetheless work out and take walks, however I’m getting older and all the things hurts.
The TheraGun Relief is one among TheraBody’s entry-level massagers, however I’m not prepared to drop $250 or extra on a stronger TheraGun till I’ve tried this and confirm it’s well worth the funding. I’m a geeky dad. I min-max shopping for selections, what can I say?
Alienware AW2725D OLED gaming monitor
Matthew Smith / Foundry
Okay, again to the costly stuff. (Maybe that is why no one ever asks what I need?)
I’m a PC and gaming geek, however I’m particularly a monitor nerd. I used to have screens of all sizes and shapes earlier than a devastating home fireplace in 2023 wiped ‘em out, and it’s time to lastly get a good substitute for all-around gaming. In 2025, meaning OLED.
Ideally, I’d snag the chic MSI MPG 272URX QD-OLED ultrawide, which simply earned PC accent of the 12 months in our 2025 Full Nerd Awards. But right here in the true world, payments are due and I can’t drop a grand on a show even when it’s well worth the money. Enter the Alienware AW2725D, a “budget” gaming OLED that hangs with screens costing tons of extra.
Currently on sale and arriving earlier than Christmas, the AW2725D is a 27-inch OLED gaming monitor with a 1440p decision and a blistering-fast 280Hz refresh price — the present PC gaming “sweet spot,” particularly if in case you have an Nvidia RTX 50-series graphics card that may use DLSS 4 multi-frame generation to maintain this beast fed with frames.
You can learn our comprehensive review for extra particulars, however right here’s the upshot: This monitor will soften your eyeballs for a entire lot much less than comparable panels. I need one monitor to rule all of them till I can rebuild my assortment and this one delivers bang-for-buck like no different.
Cards Against Humanity Nerd Bundle
Nothing’s higher than cracking open some chilly ones and enjoying Cards Against Humanity with my homies after a protracted week. The Nerd Bundle provides geeky aptitude to your combos, including an optionally available Fantasy Pack, Geek Pack, Sci-Fi Pack, World Wide Web Pack, A.I. Pack, and Human Pack.
Sounds prefer it ought to pair effectively with “being a motherf***ing sorcerer,” one among my favourite playing cards within the base recreation. Er, one among my favourite playing cards that I received’t be fired for mentioning on this web site, a minimum of.
An RGB mousepad
Some folks hate RGB of their gaming rigs and solely desire a neat, clear, svelte setup. Not me. I don’t need full-on rainbow puke, however I like customizing my desk with tasteful lighting accents.
Enter Corsair’s MM700 RGB extended cloth gaming pad. Not solely does it embody refined, customizable RGB LEDs across the periphery, however it’s additionally a big-ass fabric gaming pad designed to accommodate each your keyboard and mouse, with ample room to mouse round. Competitive avid gamers want room to mouse round once they’re sniping and wall-dashing… and with the MM700 you’ll look good doing it. Imagine gaming on this whilst you’re carrying that candy N7 leather-based jacket 😍
Some sweet-ass Full Nerd merch
Once once more, my child has to eat, so let’s finish this with blatant shilling, despite the fact that I personal most of these items already.
I’m genuinely an enormous fan of the shirts, hoodies, and different merch that Adam helped create for our Full Nerd podcast. My favourite’s the Outrage Pony, however from Build It Yourself to the Smooooooth 30 tee poking enjoyable at console gaming, I like letting my PC geek flag fly whereas I’m cruising round city in these unhealthy boys.
If you need to be a part of the Cool Kids Club, head over to our Crowdmade store, and make sure you follow our Full Nerd podcast on YouTube whilst you’re at it. We stream a number of occasions per week, digging deep into the most popular, geekiest PC subjects of the day — as a result of when you go Full Nerd, you by no means return.