As a child, I was proudly raised to bring a hostess gift as a thank you whenever I was invited to someone’s home for an event. I would happily arrive with a beautifully wrapped gift to be given to my friend's parents and I remember it was usually a jar of Ponds Cold Cream. Say what? Yes, a jar of cold cream – but it would be so cute and adorably wrapped that it didn't even matter what was inside. (I think my college roommates' mom still has the cream under her bathroom sink. Ha!) What I learned from my fond upbringing of cold cream gifting was that it's all in the packaging when it comes to gift giving. Come on, be truthful. When you receive a creatively wrapped gift, don’t you love the gift before even opening it? I know it works for me!
Some of my favorite hostess gifts to give are hand towels, which are useful and elegant in any powder room or guest bathroom. I particularly like the ones from Yves Delorme, a French linen store. My signature thank you gift is a bottle of bubbly and festive Veuve Clicquot. Should you want to give flowers, always bring them in a vase so your hostess doesn't have to scurry around to look for one. And if you’re attending a thematic party, think about bringing a gift relating to the theme. I cannot stress enough that it's all in the presentation of your gift. So have fun and be creative. And if you need ideas, just ask!
A new trend in gift giving is subscription boxes that you can order online. They’re great for birthdays, new moms and even college students! The fun part is that each box is a total surprise. It's like Christmas or Hanukkah every month! You have no idea what will be included – it's the mystery that’s captivating and exciting! Plus, you get to try new products, learn new things and find new favorites without any risk.
One of the most popular subscription services is called, Birch Box. Birch Box offers one-time only or monthly subscriptions of high-end travel size beauty products. I recently subscribed to Birch Box and received an amazing leave-in conditioner/detangler as one of the items in my box. I loved it so much I went ahead and purchased the regular sized bottle.
Another subscription box that I’ve tried is called, Turntable Kitchen. This is a box that contains a full dinner menu equipped with the necessary recipes, a special spice packet, vinyl record and downloadable playlist of new music to listen to while cooking. What a fabulous concept! Can you imagine me dancing around the kitchen with a wooden spoon? The pairing box that I received was an Argentine dinner menu and ironically enough, my oldest daughter recently returned from a study abroad program in Buenos Aires. Cooking this steak dinner will bring back fond memories of a parrilla!
Again, with both subscription boxes, the presentation was impeccable with the packaging of nicely tied raffia, pretty tissue paper and all the goodies inside. It really makes a difference. I can't wait for my next boxes to arrive in the mail!
So now you’ve got some new ideas to put a little WOW into your next hostess gift, NOW! And with another holiday coming up, you have no excuse to arrive at your guest's empty handed.
Happy spring!
