The holiday season is starting soon and that means party invitations! You can easily be dressed to the nines for the soiree, but should you bring something nice for your host? I recently featured the ins and outs of what a hostess gift is and when you should bring one so I thought I’d go the extra mile and share my favorite hostess gift ideas.
Candle
A well-scented home is always cozier. Whether she chooses to use the candle immediately or not, your host will appreciate that you thought of her. Plus, she will love that you helped replenish her candle stash. Even if she doesn’t love the candle for her home she could regift it to someone who will like it. This Rustic Palo Santo candle is a favorite in my house. We’ve also loved this woody vanilla scent and I have been eyeing this candle from a small business. If you’d rather shop in person I’ve found good candles at Target, HomeGoods, and TJMaxx.
Hand Soap & Lotion
It is inevitable that guests will need to use the facilities at a party. Guests will need to wash and moisturize their hands before returning to the party. Bringing a matching hand soap and lotion combo will ensure your host never runs out. I love how this earthy lavender and cedarwood scented set, this vanilla and coconut scented hand soap set, and this fig and amber fragranced set come with a caddy for display. It’s a small detail, but it makes the placement of the soap and lotion look more intentional.
Disposable Guest Towels
When you are at a nice restaurant the hand towels in the restroom are always plush and disposable. No one wants to wipe their hands on a towel that someone else has used. Nor is wiping your hands on a thin, scratchy paper towel a good experience. Upgrade your host’s party by gifting her a pack or two of disposable guest towels. Gifting a set of monogrammed disposable hand towels is a great way to personalize the gift. The monogram doesn’t have to be all 3 initials, especially if it’s a family household. You can get a disposable guest towel set with a single letter monogram too and it will be just as special. It’s also a good idea to give the host a napkin holder for them too. That way, they don’t have to figure out how to display them or what to display them in if they don’t already have a napkin holder.
Coasters
Help your host protect their nice furniture by bringing a pack of coasters. Actually, get two packs. Coasters typically come in packs of four so binging a second one means she has backup if one breaks, and extras if she needs coasters for six people. There are so many options for coasters available that this shouldn’t be hard to find anywhere.
Stationery or Notecards
Every hostess worth her salt needs stationery. She will likely get invited to others’ soirees, receive gifts, or just want to write something down. Save her the trouble of ordering more thank you notes, notecards, or paper by bringing some chic stationery. I’m a huge fan of these gold-accented thank you notes, and these personalized notecards.
Wine & Cocktail Glasses
Do I really need to say why this is a good idea? A hostess will always have use for wine glasses, champagne flutes (or coupes), or tumblers. Gifting a new set will undoubtedly delight the wine connoisseur in your life. Even if cocktails aren’t her thing, having cute glasses to serve whatever the beverage of the night is will be appreciated by both the hostess and her guests.
Whiskey Stones or Spheres
Not everyone at the shindig is going to like wine or champagne. Some people prefer liquor. What people don’t prefer is watered down drinks. If you’ve ever had a cocktail that you let sit too long you know how gross that can be. Whiskey stones solve that problem by keeping your drink cool without ice. Stones don’t melt! You could also bring whiskey spheres. They do literally the same thing with less corners.
Serving Dish or Tray
A serving dish can sometimes be an afterthought. The plastic or aluminum tray that comes with the catered food is not a good look and if she’s a home cook she’ll appreciate having something nice to display her prepared dishes on. If she’s a baker a cake plate (We have that exact one and love it!) might be nice but you can’t go wrong with a casserole dish, decorative bowl, or charcuterie board.
House Slippers
Of course she likely won’t be using house slippers during the course of her party, but after the guests have left she’ll want to clean up and wind down. A new pair of house slippers makes winding down a little more luxurious and enjoyable. The only downside to this gift is that you’ll have to be pretty familiar with the host because you’ll need to know her shoe size.
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