Before I get started here, just a quick note: I’m female and I have a husband whom I fall in love with all over again every day. I’d even go so far as to say this man is the love of my life. But when I’m looking for Christmas gifts for him, I always get a bit stuck. He doesn’t like kitsch, he doesn’t like frills, he doesn’t like anything cute or adorable, he doesn’t like complicated patterns ... well, that’s probably exactly what gives him his charm :-)
What he always likes are solid, practical things. If I had to choose something from my patterns to give him for Christmas, it would be this hat.
Here’s the pattern.

Although I would use different colors—masculine gray and black, perhaps—but otherwise he would like it.
This pattern is for knitters with a bit more experience; the two-color pattern is not suitable for beginners. A knitting chart helps with working it up. The pattern is available in 4 different sizes.