It's a common belief that men are easier to buy for than women, but it's not true. Men can be just as picky as women, and it can be very easy to disappoint them with your Christmas gift, especially if you're buying for a man you barely know from your office. If you're stumped as to what to buy for a man you work with, let this article be your guide to some common gifts that a lot of men will appreciate getting. Remember though: relying on stereotypes is no substitute for knowing a person's preferences.

Tools

Most men, even if they're not particularly handy with simple household tasks, never mind the more challenging uses such as carpentry, do like tools. Tools are useful to have around the house and owning them makes a man feel more manly. Some good tool gifts include tool sets that come with their own special cases or tool belts, or individual items such as a wrench set, power tools like an electric screwdriver, and electronic tools such as a laser level.

Electronics

Another thing that is often high on men's gift lists is electronics. They love to fill their spaces with big screen TVs, Blu-Ray players, and fancy programmable coffee machines. These items are too expensive for an office Christmas present, but many of the fun gadgets for sale in the gift sections of catalogs and electronics stores (such as flashlight/laser pens, wind-up radios, special remote controls, and iPod accessories) will brighten the day of a lot of men.

Entertainment

Some men like to read financial tomes while others like to watch action movies, but all men like to be entertained. If you can find out one fact about your intended recipient, like what his favourite book is or whether he likes to go to the cinema on Fridays, you can turn that into a great gift. When in doubt, go with a bestselling book or movie with a broad appeal to men in his age group.

Gift Cards

Buying gifts for co workers is always tricky because you don't know them well enough to know what they have already. Therefore if you can just find out where he likes to shop, you can buy him a gift card and let him pick out his own gift. Some popular spots for gift cards for men include electronics retailers (The Source), hardware stores (Home Hardware), video stores, and fast food/coffee outlets like Tim Hortons and Starbucks.