We aren’t hosting a party this Holiday season, but we are attending a few. I never like to show up empty-handed when someone is kind enough to invite us over for a special night, so I usually bring a small hostess gift. It doesn’t have to be expensive or extravagant, but definitely useful and thoughtful.
The one thing I never take is fresh flowers. If you’ve hosted a party, you know that is the one time when you can never find a vase?! So you’re left standing there clutching beautiful flowers while the gifter looks at you expectantly. You’re a sweetie-pie for bringing flowers, but I do not want to be trimming stems, making a giant mess and arranging flowers in the middle of my party while I’m supposed to be greeting guests. (Wow, you’d think I was bitter about this topic?!)
So let’s talk about gifts that are great for a Host/Hostess!
Of course you can never go wrong with a bottle of wine. I like to take it one step further and have the bottle engraved with the couple’s names or “Merry Christmas 2010.” There is a talented engraver in my area, and some of the high-end grocery stores host him every season. If you buy wine from the store, you get a free engraving. Check online or with wine bars in your area to see if they have a resource.
This 12 Days of Christmas flour sack towel is fun…you can customize to your host with a Food Lovers, Wine Lovers, Dog and even Cat Lovers; $8:
Z Gallerie has an entire section of Hostess Gifts. It’s pretty hard to beat a Jewel Tone Tray for $12:
Salt & Pepper Sets with Caddy; $13:
