All Of Your Hostess Gift Questions Answered So You Don’t Show Up Empty Handed!
You may be wondering if hostess gifts are even necessary anymore. YES it is still necessary and appreciated to show you go the extra mile for those hosting you. I’ll help answer some of your questions and give you some tips of what to bring and what NOT to bring as a hostess gift.
What is a Hostess Gift?
An item that the host/hostess can use for entertaining. They can use it for future entertaining like coasters, napkins, hand towels or for entertaining and enjoying their immediate family like tea, or a breakfast gift with gourmet pancake mix and syrup, etc. I’ve listed more suggestions and ideas for good gifts below.
When Do I Need To Bring One?
It’s customary to bring a hostess gift if you’re invited to a dinner party, holiday meal or passing through town and staying at someone’s house. A few examples, I was invited to a Thanksgiving dinner at a non-family member’s home and while I did bring a dish to contribute I also brought a gift for the hostess. I’ve also visited with a friend and my husband and I stayed over a night at their house and that’s another time that a hostess gift is appropriate.
How Should I Give and Receive A Hostess Gift?
First of all, give and receive discretely if there are other people around. If someone else didn’t bring one then you don’t want them to feel guilty. When you walk in or are greeted at the door give the hostess the gift and thank them for their hospitality. There should also be a note of thanks included with the gift!
Hostess gifts do not have to be opened at the time they are received, they can be opened once everyone has gone home and in private.
Make sure you thank the giver of the gift, but you do not need to write a thank you note for a hostess gift. Learn more about thank you notes on this blog post!
What Is Not Great To Give?
A few caveats here, fresh flowers are not the best hostess gift. Why? It takes the host away from her duties to find a vase, trim the stems, etc. An orchid plant, or other pretty succulent would be a good alternative. You can also send flowers to arrive the day after the party! That would be a nice surprise.
A bottle of wine is somewhere in the grey area, if you give it to them in a wine bag and say “This is one of my favorite bottles of wine, enjoy it with XXX in the coming weeks” then you’re good. Let them know they do not have to open it and have their guests drink the bottle.
Do not give homemade or store bought foods that they’d be expected to serve at the party. Instead you can buy a bread mix at Williams Sonoma and pair it with a cute loaf pan or mixing spatula.
What Are Some Great Gift Ideas?
Other than the suggestions I’ve already mentioned, hand towels, funny cocktail napkins and more. Below are some ideas to get your mind spinning at ideas for the perfect hostess gift! The links below may contain affiliate links.
I would love to receive these adorable pineapple dishes. Great for dips and condiments!
Speaking of dips, anything from this company Mud Bowl. Especially the It’s 5 O’Guac Somewhere dish!
Go for the Capri Blue Volcano candle and then smell it some more, then buy one for yourself as well.
Honestly this cheese knife is a miracle worker, everything from hard to soft cheeses cuts through it with a breeze! Cutting the cheese! Wink wink.
A journal or notebook telling them how wonderful they are! Check our SHOP page for all of our current offerings.
Other ideas would be infused water pitcher, anything from the Pioneer Woman line at Walmart, Pier 1 and Home Goods are all great places for hostess gifts! Check out all of Blissful Paper’s Gift Guides Here!
