Men. A prickly bunch. And we’re not talking about stubble.

We’re referring to the thorny process of gift giving. Who knows what the inscrutable creatures want? DailyCandy does, of course. Here are thoughtful ideas for handling the whole give-and-take thing like a man.

For the guy who always knows the score: He’s great at the mind games; why not get him the real thing? The Italian-wood Jenga set at Barneys comes in a sleek leather case. Go ahead. Toy with him — let him win a few times. Still looking for a challenge? Perhaps he’d rather watch the game than play it. He’ll love tackling all 288 pages of Sports Illustrated 50 Years: The Anniversary.

For the undercover nerd brother: Every real man is in touch with his inner geek. Beam him up with the Star Trek original series box set (bonus: Check out the fun plastic cases). Or if gaming’s more his speed, score points with cool new titles for his XBox: X-Men Legends and Halo 2. Or simply let him geek out in style with this hourglass-shaped timekeeper by RISD designer David Dear (he’ll ogle every second).

For the man who wears it well: Wrap him in the snuggliest, most hug-inducing Velvet T-shirt. For his schmancy side, Elsa Peretti’s Tiffany sterling shoehorn should keep him on stylish footing.

For your knight in drooping Levi’s: Outfit him appropriately this year — in a custom-fit suit of armor. Top it off with a retro Looney Tunes tee for some Merrie Melodies.

And, for once, enjoy a storybook ending to your holiday season.