Traditions are all well and good — buying your Dad the same gift for Father’s Day every year is not. Break away from the yearly staples (ties, slacks, golf balls–The Miniature Book of Miniature Golf) and behold — after the jump — a selection of gifts from gadgets to Gurkhas, with which you can delight your Dad, or mention nonchalantly to your son or daughter.

Belkin CushDesk

Laptop accessories should be kept sparse and straightforward. That being said, one must choose their weapons wisely. The Belkin CushDesk brings together simplicity, comfort, and most importantly utility. Nowadays it is not recommended that laptops be placed on the user’s lap, despite their name (they are often advertised as “notebooks” now, supposedly for this very reason). The dual effect of body heat contributing to overheating while the laptop does the same to the user’s legs is a definite lose-lose. The CushDesk features a flat surface on a slight angle for your laptop with a layer of padding underneath for you. Now Dad can work anywhere in comfort; talk about cushy.

The CushDesk is compatible with PC and Mac laptops with up to a 17-inch display and is available at belkin.com.

The XMp3

This a hybrid in the traditional, non-environmental sense of the word (thanks for the semantics, activists): part portable satellite radio, part Mp3 player. The XMp3 is able to record up to 100 hours of programming, and can also record up to five XM Satellite Radio stations simultaneously. When coupled with an XM subscription, the device has access to all XM satellite radio stations and programming, including dozens of specialized sports channels, and enough comedy that Dad will finally be able to give his Don Rickles material a rest. As its name suggests, the XMp3 can be synched with music from your computer (Windows Media Player library or otherwise). It initially comes with two gigs of memory, but can be augmented to up to 10 gigs with a memory card. A key feature of the XMp3 is it’s ability to be customized: users can have sports scores and stock information scroll across the bottom of the screen, and they have the ability to pre-set daily recording schedules.

You can find a full list of features and buy the XMp3 online here.

Gurkha His Majesty’s Reserve and Grand Reserve

Gurkha Cigars is a premium cigar manufacturer responsible for the world’s most expensive cigar: His Majesty’s Reserve, which retail for $750 individually. A case of HMRs are carefully infused with an entire bottle of Louis XIII de Rémy Martin, one of the world’s finest cognacs. People looking for high-quality cigars at a more modest price can turn to the Grand Reserve (shown right). The Grand Reserve is the company’s flagship brand: a rich, cognac-infused cigar that will run you $12 a piece.

(You may recognize Gurkha as the outfit that reportedly offered Michael Phelps $25,000 to be their official “smokesperson” in the wake of his infamous bong-smoking picture and subsequent endorsement withdrawal from Kellogg.)

To buy Gurkha cigars online, or to browse their catalogue, click here.

Olympus STYLUS TOUGH-8000

Let’s get right into it: this camera is designed to take a beating. If your father has a passion for the outdoors — I’m talking camping, skiing, sailing, fishing, and just about anything else you can think of — or even just a clumsy streak, rest assured that this camera is well prepared. The metal body is designed to withstand shock up to a six-and-a-half foot drop. It can also withstand 220 pounds of pressure, which is more than enough to survive getting crushed under a heavy camping pack. It’s more than water “resistant”,  it’s completely functional even 30ft below water. In the winter, Dad will be able to take pictures in temperatures as low as -10 degrees Celsius, perfect for capturing those holiday light disasters.

Oh, and it boasts 12 megapixels, 3.6x zoom, and a 2.7” LCD display. Retail is $449, available at the Olympus online store.

Energizer Battery Chargers

Finally, you could choose function over, well everything (a choice many Dad’s are famous for) in your gift selection. Topping the list of things-that-would-be-useful-but-he’s-never-bought are a series of battery rechargers from Energizer. Each charger serves a different purpose: for the man of the house, the Family Charger can charge AAA, AA, 9V, C, and D batteries, for the travelling man there is the aptly named Compact Charger (shown right), and for the man-on-the-go we have the 15-Minute Charger for AA and AAA batteries. An always charged set of batteries is guaranteed to lessen the cash flow through the family swear jar.

These chargers and rechargable batteries are availble at bestbuy.com and other retailers.

Hugh Beaumont and Jerry Mathers photo found at allstarpics.net.