Hostess Gift Guide

For the price of a bottle of wine, you can get creative with a thoughtful gift to bring any hostess. Let our hostess gift guide help! These ideas are also perfect for celebrating a friend’s birthday or for giving something “just because”.

We found many of our items at Home Goods, Target and our local grocery store. You don’t have to look hard to find something you can use (check out your pantry!). We’ve also included links at the end of the post for similar items you can find on Amazon, plus a link to our packaging – we think the clear bags really make the gift feel extra special tied in a pretty bow!

Pro tip: Be sure to bookmark this post – so many great ideas to use all year long – we know you’ll want to easily refer back to it!

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Serving Tray

We picked up this cute serving tray at Home Goods and added a wooden spoon and a tea towel. All useful items for someone that cooks and under $20! Just like your book reports in elementary school, half of it is about the presentation.

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Cooking Oil

This cooking oil is a staple in our kitchen, so why not share the good stuff with friends? You could also share a favorite balsamic vinegar or smoked sea salt. Wrapping it up with the wooden spoon gives that extra something to the presentation. Under $15 for the win!

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Bread Mix

This sourdough bread mix is so delicious we ordered a bunch to share with friends. The loaf pan we picked up at Home Goods with the spatulas, because, well come on, they’re so darn cute! Snag a beer from your beverage fridge (because it’s the only ingredient in this bread mix from Amazon) and you’ve got a super fun, super yummy hostess gift! This one came in closer to $25.

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Lemonade and Cups

We keep a stash of this Trader Joe’s lemonade in the fridge for impromptu entertaining, same with the napkins. The cups and spatula are from Home Goods. The theme just came together. (Don’t cha just love when that happens?). Under $15 and looks like so much more!

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Wine

OK, you got us – this post was about alternatives to wine, but we’re recommending wine as well – just with a little twist! Wine can be a great gift to bring, especially if your hosts have a wine collection or really enjoy trying new wines. If you do bring wine, try a creative way to present your gift:

• Add a wine accessory with your bottle, like this cute wine topper.
• Wrap the bottle in a pretty towel, like this pink polka dotted one.
• Try creating a gift basket using an inflatable wine bucket – toss in a few plastic wine glasses with your wine and tie it up in a clear gift basket bag.

Pro tip: Don’t expect the wine to be opened at the party. Your hosts have most likely carefully considered the wines they are serving with the menu. The wine you bring is their gift to enjoy later.

For more ways to gift wine that are creative and definitely NOT BORING, visit our post 8 Creative Ways to Gift Wine (That Aren’t Boring!).

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A few more ideas…

• A framed picture of you and the host or your entire friend group is a thoughtful gift.
• A bottle of scented lotion or hand soap tied in a pretty bag with a ribbon.
• A plant in a pretty pot – you can find a wide variety of hand painted pots at Home Goods.
• Fill a cute mug with your favorite teas some honey, a pretty spoon. Wrap it in a bag with ribbon and you have a cute little hostess gift she’ll enjoy relaxing with the morning after her party – makes a great gift for a sick friend, too.
• Something personalized – try Etsy or Mark and Graham for some ideas!

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What NOT to Bring as a Hostess Gift

• Fresh bouquet of flowers: since they need to be put in water immediately, this creates a hassle for the hostess. If you want to bring flowers (especially flowers from your own garden), be sure to bring them in a vase the hostess can keep – the vase itself is part of her lovely gift. We linked a set of four mason jars below that make perfect vases to keep on hand.
• Anything under $10 or over $50: the general rule of thumb is about the price of a bottle of wine.
• Gift cards

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More Tips for Your Hostess Gift

• Think about your hostess gift when your invitation arrives – then you have time to order something personalized or get creative.
• Consider your hosts when choosing a gift. If they don’t drink, they don’t need wine glasses.
• Don’t expect a thank you. It’s not expected for a hostess to send a thank you since your gift is a thank you to her.
• Make sure you include a gift tag or card so the hostess knows who the gift is from.
• Don’t expect your gift to be opened at the party. Hostesses will typically open gifts after the party. Not everyone brings a hostess gift so this makes it awkward to open gifts during the party.
• Don’t bring anything that will make work for your hostess during the party. For example, a fresh bouquet of flowers creates work, but flowers in a vase becomes a lovely gift.
• If an occasion doesn’t call for a hostess gift, but your friend put in extra effort coordinating a dinner out or a small get together, then a text or email afterwards is appropriate. It’s a nice way to recognize her efforts to get the group together for a fun night.
• Remember to send your hostess a few pictures of the evening if you took some. Chances are she was too busy to take them herself.
• When you are in Home Goods, Target or your home store of choice, pick up a few packages of cocktail napkins, tea towels and wooden spoons to keep on hand. It makes pulling a list minute gift together so much easier. And keep some of the packaging items (below) on hand, too.

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Hostess Gift Packaging Links

• 1.5″ Satin Ribbon
• Clear Cello/Cellophane Wine Bottle Bag – 4″ x 4″ x 17″ – good for more than wine – perfect for anything you might stack, too, like a couple of small jar candles or a candy dish/candy.
• Large Clear Cellophane Wrap for Baskets & Gifts 24″x30″
• Small Clear Basket Bags 12″ x 18″
• Medium Clear Basket Bags 16” x 24”
• Clear Cellophane Bag 9″ x 4″ x 2″ – perfect for wrapping small goodies, like a few travel lotions or a couple of nail polishes, for a sweet little gift
• Gift Tags
• Note Cards
• Tulle Ribbon

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Hostess Gifts on Amazon

one // two // three // four // five // six // seven // eight // nine // ten // eleven

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For more gift ideas and Amazon finds, check out our weekly Walk and Talk posts, too.

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