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[bigletter]After a year of exclusively hosting at great distances with few family members and friends mostly outside my home, I am beyond excited about the possibility of party hopefully in our near future.
Recently I attended a small get together with a few friends that I haven’t truly been able to socialize with since early 2020 and it was a strange experience getting ready to go to someone’s home for some distanced cocktails on their new rooftop.
I was cinderella finally going to that damn ball.[/bigletter]
Of course I’m eight months pregnant so cocktails were out for me but fortunately I had ample cheeses and all the best dressings for them to select from while being amongst good friends, oh what a treat!
As an avid hostess, I have just always taken the opportunity to pick any reason to celebrate and go with it. My husband takes on the food, I everything else and the night tends to end with dancing or some variation of one too many vodka shots.
Since the pandemic started we’ve been quite limited, relying on small gatherings in the park, at the beach or on our patio. Fortunately we also figured out a method for distanced entertaining at home with just our parents and a buffet style menu. But I am sooooooo ready for this all to be over, aren’t you?
Therefore, it was a joy to get the invite and figure out something nice to bring, even if just a spring bouquet and funny cocktail napkin set for my friends who just landed a new spot with a great view.
Thought I’d share some other ideas for what I like to give { and receive } and some tips for hostess gift giving in general,
Hostess Gift Giving
No. 1 Get them something they’d like, but wouldn’t typically buy for themselves // Basically, a frivolous item that they want but isn’t a necessity, more of an added extra, like some embroidered cocktail napkins, shot glasses with ginger jars on them or a fancy coffee table book. It also doesn’t have to cost a lot, for example, framing a nice photo of the two of you, or a friend group/their family or honestly just one of the host you know they love from social media but haven’t had the time or motivation to frame themselves.
No. 2 Something personalized // if you know your guest well then really consider what they might appreciate and spend some time thinking about a gift. My good friend once brought my husband a sushi knife, considering he’s rolled sushi for a few of our parties and it was such a thoughtful and kind gift for him to bring. My husband also made a million homemade chocolate truffles for his first Christmas holiday with my relatives and it was of course a personal touch from him to them. Of course I love a monogram, so anything personalized like stationery with my name, illustrated or maybe with their dog even. Etsy has basically everything you can think of that can be personalized and of course those items take longer to get but I think it shows thoughtfulness on the giver’s end, which I love!
No. 3 Flowers are great, but wrap them nicely or bring in a vase with water // I love getting flowers, however, finding them a vase and water while entertaining adds another item on my list and can be stressful so either bring them in a small simple glass vase (which most florists will have for an additional fee) or have them wrapped nicely so they can sit pretty for the night. Whole Foods always wraps them nicely in paper with a straw tie free of charge so that is typically my go to!
No. 4 Something to be enjoyed the next day // having guests is a something I love to do, however, takes a lot of planning and energy so there is nothing I Iove more than waking up to a clean kitchen and a fancy box of chocolates I can enjoy with my coffee, reliving the fun of the night before! Another idea I love would be a gift card to a restaurant, my favorite coffee shop or spin class. Some additional ideas, a picnic or goodies that get sent the next day.
No. 5 When in doubt, flowers, card, candy // these are the staples because they tend to always be appreciated. Wine and champagne are great too, however, I’d recommend buying it with a box or wrapping it so it’s not such an easy thing for other guests to break open, but rather something the host can use for themselves on another occasion to fully appreciate for themselves. You can easily dress up any small gift with a velvet ribbon or cute tag to make it feel extra special. Also, a handwritten note always goes a long way in my book!
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