With the holiday season ahead, many of us are gearing up for gatherings again. From a young age, my parents taught me you should never show up to someone’s house empty handed so, with gifting season also in full swing, that means being prepared with host gifts, too. Growing up, we had a small closet in my house called the “Gift Closet” where candles, diffusers, and hand lotions spent their days. Every time we were headed to a birthday dinner or a sleepover, we would stop by said closet to pick something out for the host. While it wasn’t extravagant or overly expensive, this little thank you gift always went a long way with the host. Nowadays, I typically opt for the easy bottle of wine, or a good smelling candle, but this year I decided to sit down and think about unique host gift ideas that hosts might actually want. Besides, with 2020 cancelling all of our plans, some of these gatherings have been a year in the making and deserve a little something special.
When thinking about host gift ideas, I like to pick something that relates to the event, and will be useful for hosting in the future. This can be as simple as bringing a bottle of wine to a happy hour or a cookbook to a dinner party. But most importantly, it should be something that the host wouldn’t think to buy for themselves. Bring a pretty set of kitchen towels, perfumed hand soap for a powder bath, or join forces with fellow attendees and gift a massage. Hosting can be stressful, and showing the host that you recognize all of their effort will be reward enough.
