Every year when early May rolls around we realize that we have forgotten about Mother's day once again.

Each year, we vow that we will do a better job, and start preparing for Father's day right after we've finished trying to make it up to mom for having dropped the ball on her day again. After a number of years though, it feels like there just isn't anything left to get dad that you haven't already. I mean how many socks could one man need? And let's be real, when was the last time we actually saw dad wear one of the ties that we got for him? Sure we can get him alcohol (granted that you are old enough to purchase it for him), but at a certain point you just feel bad getting him more and more creative craft beers that taste like sandpaper and hops. We wanted to think a little bit more outside the box, and give you a few creative gift ideas to try and help with the search for the perfect present for dad, while at the same time keeping the costs relatively low.

1.) A notebook

Now this wouldn't just be any notebook. This would be a very special notebook for dad. It would be a place where we could write down all of his classic dad jokes so that he is ready to deliver them at any time. He can workshop his newest knee-slappers, and practice the classics so that whether he wants to try and impress guests at a dinner party that mom worked really hard to put together, or just have a laugh at the local supermarket, he will be prepared to deliver his finest material.

2.) Flashcards

Much like the notebook, there is more to these flashcards than meets the eye. These flashcards can be a gift from a child of any age, with a number of popular slang words and phrases in order for dad to keep up with the latest in "what the kids are saying these days." This can also be used as a guide for what not to say, in case dad thinks he picked up something clever when he was out the other day, much like the parent who once thought "lol" meant "lots of love."

3.) A painting

I think by now you are starting to get the sense that these gifts aren't as simple as the titles might suggest. In this case, for a younger child it is always cute to get creative and make the painting yourself. However, in my search for the perfect gift I discovered that you can send in a picture to some companies, and they will in fact turn that picture into a Renaissance-style painting of dad. What better way to make everyone in the family happy than to have a massive portrait of dad in the living room.

4.) A Shopping Spree

We all hate it. That one shirt that dad has. If your dad is anything like mine, it's about 15 years old, faded to the point of almost being unrecognizable, and held together (barely) by safety pins. Our dads have made sacrifices such as replacing this shirt so that we can get the newest clothes and keep up with fashion trends. So why not reward dad with a shopping spree? Well the answer is simple: dad can't be trusted at the mall. We get so caught up with how old that shirt is, that we hate that we forget that it was never fashionable to begin with (maybe it was "back in his day," but even that might be a stretch). We could send him shoe shopping, but it would probably end up with him coming home with a new pair of New Balances, or the Nike Air Monarchs (new colours coming soon I've heard). The only plausible way to make this work is for you to accompany him to the mall, but even then he might still manage to sneak in a shirt that is sure to embarrass you any time he wears it out to family dinner.

5.) Experiences  or Memories

Now to build Memories, there are a number of different options for experiences you could gift, or what events you could get him tickets to. However, being as this is the Honda Indy Toronto website, you can probably guess where this is heading. There is no better value for tickets to the festival than the Father's Day Pack. For $140 you get 2 Grandstand tickets, 2 Paddock Passes, 2 slices of pizza, and Coca-Cola beverages for either the Saturday or Sunday of the 2018 Honda Indy Toronto (that's 50% off the regular price). Finally, we have the opportunity to get dad something that he will actually look forward to, and even brag to his friends about. Even better than bringing him is the fact that you won't have to hit him up for money to buy food and drinks at the event, because we've already got you covered. Dad can leave his wallet at home for once! To find out more, head over to hondaindy.com/fathersday. If you're looking to score big you can try to win this pack as well with our father's day contest! Head over to http://hondaindy.com/dadcontest for more details!