Bring Your Hostess the Mostess!

It is Thanksgiving week, which means the holiday season has officially began! The next few weeks are going to be filled with parties and events to celebrate this festive time of year. I am certainly no Emily Post and cannot hold a candle to Martha Stewart even when she was shackled in her ankle bracelet! However, I never enter the door of a party empty handed. Nor should you. Even if the host is your husband’s high school sweetheart, it is only appropriate to arrive with a smile on your face and a gift in your hand.  Of course the easiest hostess gift is a bottle of wine. It is almost always well received but incredibly predictable. I prefer to mix it up a bit when it comes to gift giving. Here are some fun hostess gifts if you are in the mood to be a bit creative during the holiday party rush.

Instead of a dozen roses, try impressing your host with a baby plant they can grow themselves. You can choose the fancy packaging or grab a potted bulb right at your nearest florist..

Spoil your host with a gift from one of my favorite fragrance companies. Diptyque has amazing products including this great scented oval stone. It is affordable and beats out all popery in the word of cool.

Even non-tea lovers will be impressed with these jasmine tea bulbs. They come in the form of adorable, fragrant balls and bloom into gorgeous baby flowers the minute they hit hot water. Sure to be a conversation starter at any dinner party!.

Everyone loves a nice candle. Many are a bit too pricey for a simple party pleaser, so I recommend these cute, semi-kitchy ones from Jonathan Adler. They are available in an array of colors and scents, so you are sure to find one to suit your host. My favorite is the champagne pop candle which is rose gold. The sea salt and tomato scented pop candle are also nice.

Every party can use a few coasters once the drinks start flowing!  You can find great ones all over town – Bloomingdales Home, Elements, Crate & Barrel, etc. I like these colorful diamond shaped ones by Kate Spade.

Coffee table books are always a great gift idea!  They are pretty and can be extremely thoughtful if you select a topic your host is particularly interested in…

Every kitchen needs a good bottle of olive oil! Spring for a great oil if you are visiting someone who cooks. For the “catering” types, the prettier the bottle the better! If you are feeling generous, you can pair the olive oil with a nice balsamic and gift it as a set.

A game is always a fun route to go when it comes to the world of hostess gifts.  There are tons of fun card and trivia games out there if you are not an “old school” game lover.  A fun group of guests will find your gift selection amusing and hopeful a boring bunch will consider playing it!

Everyone can use a nice set of stationary. You can go for pretty notecards or even a cute pad and pen to place in an office or next to a phone.

You can never go wrong with a sweet treat.  Even the most body conscious host will put out candy for guests to indulge in during a party. One of my favorite candy shops is Terry’s Toffee.  They have unique flavor options and the gift wrapping is almost as satisfying as the toffee!