My dad — a Bond movie fan and avid Ian Fleming reader — made 007 movies like Goldfinger our reward for the tough chores. After hours of housework, I’d see Sean Connery on The ABC Sunday Night Movie, edited for TV broadcast.

This Father’s Day, I gave Dad a trio of James Bond gifts.

• Carte Blanche: The New James Bond Novel in hardcover.
  Jeffery Deaver has rebooted Bond. Deaver updates 007 to an Afghanistan/Iraq veteran and a former smoker, while retaining Bond’s classic smooth spy persona.
• Volume 1 of the Sean Connery 007 Collection on DVD.
  For my dad, Sean Connery is Bond, James Bond. Volume 1 features Thunderball, You Only Live Twice and Diamonds Are Forever.
  
• Volume 2 of the Sean Connery 007 Collection on DVD.
  Volume 2 continues the iconic Bondfest: Dr. No, From Russia With Love, and Goldfinger.

Next, I paired 2010′s Sherlock with the classic 1940s Holmes. The Complete Sherlock Holmes Collection ($75) features all 14 Sherlock Holmes films, starring the inimitable Basil Rathbone. If you think the complete DVD box set is too much, consider giving these two double feature DVDs:

• The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and The Scarlet Claw ($14)
• The Hound of the Baskervilles and Pursuit to Algiers ($16)

Depending on what DVD he plays, either “The game is afoot” with classic Holmes or “The game is on” with the new Sherlock.

Next, I became the proud owner of the new, second-generation Apple TV. I connected this black box to the new 32-inch Toshiba HDTV/DVD combo in the master bedroom. In no time, my TV tapped movies, television shows, songs and photos from my iMac in the second-floor study. YouTube and Flickr came in flawlessly. I haven’t tried Netflix or video rentals yet. Overall, I love the clean simplicity of Apple TV’s on-screen menus, the gorgeous album covers that float in while my music plays, and the sleek, small design of both the box and the remote. All for an amazing price of $99.

I gave my dad an even more established gift: a few bags of Eight O’Clock Coffee (100% Colombian Ground). This coffee brand has been perking up fathers for more than 150 years, and I know he likes it. Taste matters most for my dad, and Eight O’Clock bested other ground coffees (like Folgers, Maxwell House, and Starbucks) in a blind taste test by Consumer Reports in March 2009.

Now I could pair the coffee with a “World’s Greatest Dad” mug. But his style is more understated. Six months ago, we had brunch at the Cheesecake Factory, which serves coffee in elegant glass mugs. He really liked the mugs, so I picked out a set of four Bodum Bistro Double-Wall Insulated 10-Ounce Glass Mugs.

• Boat Warming Gifts (8/7/2010)
• Father’s Day 2010 (6/20/2010)
• NFL Gridiron Gift Ideas (12/27/2009)
• Father’s Day 2009 (6/21/2009)
• The Gift of Calvin and Hobbes (6/7/2009)
• 7 Cool Tools for Dad from ThinkGeek (5/30/2009)
• 13 Father’s Day Gift Guides (5/27/2009)
• Better Than Tube Socks: 21 Last-minute Online Gifts for Guys (12/22/2008)
• The Gift of Omaha Steaks (7/13/2008)
• Father’s Day 2008 (6/15/2008)
• Guy Gift Guideline #6: Go with Manly Gifts (2/9/2008)
• Gifts for TV Show Fanatics (12/16/2007)
• Give the Gift of Charity (12/14/2007)
• Golden Tickets: Giving the Gift of a Concert (8/8/2007)
• Movie Night Gift (7/22/2007)
• Twenty-five “1,000-Plus” Book Gifts (7/20/2007)
• Giving the Gift of Food (5/19/2007)

Try these gift ideas for the football fans on your list.

• NFL Reebok replica jerseys at Amazon.com
• Madden NFL 10 by Electronic Arts from Amazon.com
• Life-sized NFL wall graphics from fathead.com
• The NFL Gameday Cookbook by Ray “Dr. BBQ” Lampe from Amazon.com
• E-mail gift certificate from NFLShop.com

Or visit an official NFL team pro shop online:

So if you’re still seeking last-minute holiday gifts, try what I did: JustGive.org. I found the right charity among 1.5 million organizations with a single search. I gave online and included a personal note. JustGive routes the donation in my parents’ names to their favorite charity and e-mails them my personal note. You decide whether you want to include the donation amount in the e-mail. (I did.) Ten minutes later, I’m done.

Not sure which charity to choose? JustGive created 12 giving collections that reflect the passions of many donors. Each collection features four charities working to advance the cause.

• Inspire Children and Change Their Lives
• Feed and Empower the Hungry
• Provide Mentors to Children
• Protect Animals and Prevent Cruelty
• Support Women of the World
• Create Peace for All
• Plant Trees
• Provide Shelter for Animals
• Create Homes and Jobs
• Save the Earth
• Respect our Elders
• Promote Human Rights

JustGive also offers the GiveNow Card, which allow the recipient to choose specific charities. Best of all, you can e-mail an GiveNow card right now. (While JustGive does offer gift cards via U.S. mail, the card won’t reach recipients in time for Christmas.)

I also added the suggested $5 donation to support the great work of JustGive: making charitable giving quick and simple.

When I think Cuba, I think cigars. We opted for milk chocolate cigars, keeping it healthier and legal. The chocolate cigars are wrapped in gold foil with an imprinted generic cigar band. To customize, I picked up one-inch-wide round labels (Avery 5410) from OfficeMax. I downloaded the Microsoft Word template from Avery.com. Then I added a picture of my father-in-law to each label on the sheet and printed the label sheets through my HP DeskJet printer. We applied round labels with his smiling face across the band of each chocolate cigar. To display to guests, we arranged the personalized cigars in an old wooden cigar box.

The second gift favor doubled as a table arrangement and a favor: lucky bamboo. Bamboo is plentiful in Cuba, used for furniture, fences and handicrafts for centuries. My sister-in-law bought live bamboo shoots, and she wrapped them in burlap and jute string. We set the lucky bamboo plants in wooden cigar boxes, lined with gray pebbles. Each leafy bamboo arrangement included a small scroll explaining care and how some value bamboo for its luck in bringing wealth.

I didn’t realize that bamboo is an indoor plant that should stay out of sunlight. Simply change the one inch of water once a month and watch as fortune shines upon you. Happy birthday, Dad!

• 18 assorted cookies
• crunchy chocolate chip cookies
• fudge brownie minis
• confection pretzel clusters
• four slices of cake

Check out Cheryl&Co.’s different bakery gift towers for your next delicious delivered gift.

My sister also loves the cartoon too, so I gave her The Complete Calvin and Hobbes for her birthday. This three-volume set features every Calvin and Hobbes strip (3,160 in total) plus extra content. Watterson stood firm on never merchandising his work, so this compilation is the ultimate gift for Calvin and Hobbes fans. And dads who grew up enjoying Calvin and his teasing father may appreciate this collection on Father’s Day. (Calvin: “How come you know so much?” Dad: “It’s all in the book you get when you become a father.”) Below are more of my favorite quotes from Calvin and Hobbes.

• Calvin: “Life is full of surprises, but never when you need one.”
• Calvin: “It seems like once people grow up, they have no idea what’s cool.”
• Calvin: “Dear Santa, How are you? Well, enough chit chat. Let’s get down to business. This year I want…”
• Hobbes: “Strange that Santa would go to the trouble to wrap a box of coal.”
• Calvin: “Everybody seeks happiness! Not me, though! That’s the difference between me and the rest of the world. Happiness isn’t good enough for me! I demand euphoria!”
• Calvin: “Yeah, I always write [Grandma] a thank-you note right away. Ever since she sent me that empty box with the sarcastic note saying she was just checking to see if the postal service was still working.”
• Calvin: “There’s never enough time to do all the nothing you want.”