Father's Day Gift Ideas (& just general all-time favorites) from Aaron
Hello from all-of-a-sudden summer-in-the-city! It’s hot and breezy and somehow every square inch of our block is under construction right now, including the apartment above us AND our back patio. Will’s out skating every possible minute with friends, and Henry’s senior prom is this weekend. We’ve got film festivals and middle school music showcases, banquets and parties and year-end everything—phew!!!
It’s Aaron’s birthday today (!!!) AND Father’s Day is coming up soon, so we decided to do something we’ve never done here: a guest post from the birthday boy himself—who better to tell us what to get for all the dads in our lives?!
If you’ve been here for a while, you know Aaron, of course: pianist, songwriter, deep thinker, absolute best dad I know. Excellent golfer, lover of the Beatles, big-time prankster. Tech-head, Cubs-obsessed, coffee snob of the highest order.
Aaron and I are really different in a thousand ways (introvert/extrovert, idealist/pragmatist, loves hot weather/hates hot weather), but one way that we’re similar is that when we love something, we really love it. Aaron might even be more extreme than I am on this—our family has a thousand running jokes about Dad’s collection of obsessions: Blue Bottle coffee, Burt’s Bees lip balm, golf…the list definitely, definitely goes on—and we’re sharing it with you today!
These are his top-tier obsessions, just in time for the dads in your life—thanks, Aaron!
From Aaron:
Frederick Buechner famously wrote that our calling is “where the world’s deep need meets your deep gladness.” By that definition, my life’s calling is charging solutions. There is nothing better than having the exact right cable or adapter for the exact device in the exact space. Amen and amen. So let me begin with Chubby cables: fun design, and each cable can adapt to whichever connection you need. I keep one or two of these in my backpack and always within arms reach.
Second, I’ve fallen in love with this iPhone charger at my bedside. When an iPhone is charging on its side, it automatically enters alarm clock mode, which goes to sleep—the settings are fully customizable and are motion activated. (Learn more here). I’ve been known to walk our friends back to our tiny bedroom to see this simple, nightstand goodness in all its glory.
My third current tech obsession is not a charger but a light system. Or maybe I’d call it a “complete lighting lifestyle.” A couple years ago, we rented an office in an old building with terrible fluorescent lighting and few outlets. My tech genius friend Mark suggested we try Phillips Hue Lights, and I was immediately hooked. Over the next year, room by room, I expanded the remote lighting to the point where I can control the colors, scenes, and brightness of any square inch of our apartment from my phone. The party trick side of it is silly (turning every light to pink and blue—the Miami setting!), but best part is simply warming up any space.
Okay, that was nerdy. But let’s go further! Beyond electronics, I’m extremely passionate about seating and sleeping solutions—style is always secondary to comfort, and fancy is completely overrated.
Have you heard that joke that “inflatable beds are perfect if you want to sleep on the floor, but not right away?” Haha. Well, friends, may I recommend the world’s most comfortable and formidable inflatable bed, the King Koil? The built-in pump inflates/deflates in under a minute, and I was shocked by the height and design that keeps you on the fully inflated bed all night. If you have guests coming (that you like), get one or two of these!
Second, if you have a basement and/or boys, you may need a Fatboy Bean Bag Chair. Keep it in a corner or closet and bring it out for movie nights. Full disclosure: Shauna hates this one and wouldn’t be caught dead in it. But I’m a fan!
Finally, speaking of apartment life, we wanted a sleeper couch in our basement, but the staircase was shockingly narrow. Not a chance. Until we discovered Koala! These sleeper sofas ship in pieces and require no tools to assemble. You wouldn’t mistake it for the most comfortable couch of all time, but the boys have already hosted about 100 sleepovers, and it’s been perfect!
Okay, while I’m on a roll, can I share a few things I love to wear?
During Covid I discovered the silky glory of Rhône athleisure. And what began as “I should probably be comfortable during this lockdown” became “I may never wear ‘hard pants’ again.” I’ve worn both the black and blue Spar Jogger track suits one billion times, and now I’m loving the Commuter Pro Tokyo Pants. And if we ever find ourselves golfing together, I promise to be wearing this black shirt.
Secondly, when we moved to NYC, I kept walking past a phenomenal hat store in the West Village called Goorin Brothers. And for a long time I didn’t go in because I knew I wasn’t remotely cool enough for a hat like that. But then one day I thought “Of course I’m not cool enough…BUT I LOVE THIS HAT. I’m just going to get it!” And even though the tattooed hipster employee with the mustache clearly agreed I was in the wrong store, he still sold me the Dean the Butcher hat and I love it to this day.
One more category: Household Appliances/Tools
Two summers ago our A/C broke and our third floor apartment became a sweat lodge. I immediately walked to the Home Depot in midtown and wandered the fan aisle. It was a bold new world in which I felt like a delighted explorer. After a while, I settled on this small Vornado fan that powered a hurricane sufficient for us to sleep that night. The next day I ordered a couple more, and now our house has a proud Vornado in every room. (Even this little vintage-looking style)
Second, one of the great loves of my life is our Dyson vacuum. That is not an exaggeration. If we ever have an apartment fire and I can only grab one thing as I run out the door…well, let me just say that I can’t promise it wouldn’t be this floor-beautifying piece of modern engineering. Some of it is purely pragmatic: when 4 people live in 825 square feet, there’s simply no space for dirt on the floor, so I vacuum multiple times per day and it brings me a weird amount of satisfaction, like I’m healing the world, one dusty entry way rug at a time. But beyond the practical, I love the Dyson design. Everything just feels balanced and easy to use and perfectly designed. I haven’t yet spilled something on the floor just so I can Dyson it, but I might.
Here’s a quick-fire round of some more things I’m into:
Burt’s Bees is my only solution for lip hydration.
Thule is my only solution for roof racks.
Vice makes my only golf ball solutions.
Rains is my only solution for rain gear.
Finally, to end on a little bit of an earnest note, I only use Milwaukee tools. Some of this is the design and quality, but deeper than that, my late grandfather Richard Schildt was a sheet metal worker in Milwaukee. He raised 4 kids, including my mom, working the 2nd shift at Allis-Chalmers for his entire adult life. He was an awesome man who I was always so glad to see when we visited Milwaukee. So each time I need a drill or pliers or anything, I’ve decided to choose a Milwaukee tool in Grandpa Schildt’s honor.
Thank you, Aaron! What a great list—also, when we met in 1998, did I imagine that one day you’d be obsessed with a vacuum cleaner?! I did not, but I LIKE IT. Wishing you the happiest birthday ever and thank you thank you thank you for being an EXCELLENT dad to our boys and for making our life together both sillier and more meaningful—and for always providing really great lighting and charging solutions :) XO—S