Gift giving is a great way to communicate, don't you think? We can say, "thank you", "I love you", "I'm sorry"...(or as my husband said, "don't be mad at me"). Today I'm going to talk about hostess gifts. "Hostess" gifts are thoughtful and show good manners, but are not mandatory. It is considered good taste to give a hostess gift when:
1. You want to say "thank you" for the generosity of others, and you'd like to do more than write a note.
2. You are the guest of honor at a party or shower.
Those are some great examples of instances when a hostess gift is optional. A hostess gift is mandatory only when you are the guest of honor at a dinner. Here are my "top ten" hostess gifts for under $30 (in no particular order):1. Family dinner box of questions
2. A set of dish towels that coordinate with the hostess's home
3. Trimmed kitchen gloves
4. Flowers (these need to be in their own container so the hostess doesn't have to do that)
5. Candy- I would go with chocolate
6. ID pilots-everyone would appreciate this
7. A fantastic cookbook like this one
8. Custom M&M's or Dove chocolates
9. Hand lotion-always lovely for tired hands, just watch out for the scent, this one is great
10. An Apron of course!
There are some considerations. You may always send the gift after the event, but if you are the recipient, you must immediately send an email or written thank you note so that the sender knows the gift was received. There are so many different things you could give for a gift, just remember if you bring your gift to the dinner, don't expect the hostess to "use" your gift, whether edible or not, during the dinner.This has been so fun! What are your favorite ideas and sites for gifts?
2 comments:
Thanks for the great ideas. I needed an idea for an hostess gift once, and a friend recommended an umbrella. She said an umbrella is a great gift for a friend, because whenever they open it on a rainy day they will think of you! I thought it was a cute and creative idea, especially in a purse-shaped gift bag with some chocolates.
I like Victorian Trading Company for gifts. Although, if I need something right away they are not practical. I used to be able to find a nice gift any day at Cracker Barrel. They have changed and so have I and it isn't as easy as it once was, but sometimes I still score a great gift from them. Around Easter I buy their Bunny platters, bowls, spoon rests, etc. for whoever is hosting Easter dinner.
I feel like it has become more difficult over the years to find really nice, thoughtful gifts without planning well in advance and ordering online. Last minute gifts are so hit and miss.
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