This is a great idea! Taking a little handmade gift along with you when you go to your holiday invites. Instead of that bottle of wine, Shook them with something that you made...

Im not a very crafty person, so Ill be using some of your ideas. Thanks for sharing =}

Um, yes, "the easiest and probably most common hostess gift has to be a bottle of wine." Don't knock it. We apartment-dwellers have to be vigilant about acquiring too much stuff. These ideas are clever and beautiful, but some of them would just force the recipients to hunt for a way to store or display them in limited space. Frankly, I end up Freecycling many gifts that fall into that category. Let's hear it for "consumables!"

Please bring me wine, Belgium chocolate, or Cowgirl Creamery cheese. Flowers in a pinch. Thank you! You'll be invited back.

Anything that can be eaten or drank at the festivities is truly best. I agree with the knick knacky things...it gets to be too much.

I agree. Anything that can't be eaten or drunk just gets thrown away. Be my friend, be a good person, and be fun company - that's all I ask. No gift required.

LOVE the cupcakes in a jar idea! I might even have to make some for myself :)

Please no more tote bags ...raise your hand if you need even ONE more tote bag...
that's what I thought ..no hands were raised.
and I don't want painted wooden serving spoons ...yuck!
and I'll choose my own vase please...
did someone say no more Knick Knacks? amen!
However ....the wild seeds are wonderful ...you're in the city _ sprinkle in the park in the country ..give mother nature a hand.

Again, we have the onus of gift-giving PLUS the burden of giving things that take up space or collect dust. I think the best non-edible gift to give could be the bath stuff because at least you could use those and they wouldn't just sit. But only if you gave them to a person who liked that bath things.

Booze is the best.

Meh. I can always use another bottle of wine or some good vodka. I don't need or want any more candles, trivets, tote bags, etc. No weird food items either. Stick to alcohol if you are coming to my place.

This is maybe the fifth or sixth post this week involving hostess gifts that has engendered an onslaught of "please, no more junk" comments in response. I get that a lot of people are concerned about acquiring too much stuff, but can't you just accept a gift graciously and later decide what to do with it? A lot of the "no more mugs/tote bags/just wine" comments sound really ungrateful (and selfish, in the case of those who would dictate what kinds of gifts they deem acceptable) and make it seem as if it's the fault of the well-intentioned gift-giver that the recipient's home is suddenly full of junk! If you don't want stuff in your house, that's your choice, but don't be such a reverse Grinch about accepting presents from people who are just trying to show they care!

Well put, Splitty!
Nobody is knocking wine, awesome hostess gift and as the second sentence stated, always welcome in my house. BUT, if you know your hostess, and their taste, there's no reason one can't get a little creative. Not all ideas are for everyone, but this isn't exactly a post about DIY knick-knacks. I can always use cloth napkins (b/c I don't buy paper towels), hand towels (ditto), and wood serving spoons or trivets for hot plates (or to set house plants on) are quite useful. Seed bombs for gardeners (awesome in my book) and I love bath products but don't always have extra $ to buy them for myself. So I really don't see how many of these ideas aren't useful and just "take up precious space". Cupcakes, yum. Real vanilla extract, also yum! Remember, we aren't all the same and not everybody drinks alcohol!

Yay! Minimalist alcoholics!

Another vote for wine - or other food goodies that can be consumed at the party.

Yeah, I already have enough crap, most of which I chose for myself, and most of which I can bear to part with. I don't need people bringing me more stuff. Where I DO always have extra room is in my wine fridge....

It's not just that I don't want to have more stuff and I'm complaining, Splitty...it's that I would rather my family members not spend time and money buying things that won't be used. And I don't want to "do something with" that item later, then hope they don't ask about it later. I feel bad for not wanting it, so I keep it in a closet and hope that if they haven't asked about it in a while, I can eventually put it in a donate pile. Far, far too many gifts have been put in a donate pile. While it eventually benefits others, I really don't want family members to feel obligated to get me something when they just don't know what I like. I would rather get something edible because I know someone will eat it, rather than something that eventually ends up in the donate pile.

I would not want to receive such gifts. I advise anyone not to waste their time and money making them. Nor would I want the hassle of getting rid of them except the cupcakes. If we can prevent one misguided crafty soul from giving us such items that will end up at Goodwill or the landfill by posting our thoughts here we have done a good thing. I echo the sentiments of many that say wine or a non alcoholic beverage, dessert or other things that can be eaten are always welcome. I will chose my own crafty projects from my home if I want something crafty.

Like Button: Mshannahnv "Yay! Minimalist alcoholics!"

I like to give jars of my home-made canned tomato jam. I give small jars so if the recipient dislikes it, he/she doesn't feel guilty tossing it.

Splitty, the people here saying they don't want junk aren't commenting on a specific gift they just received, they're taking part in a conversation about what is appropriate to give as a gift. If you're sincerely interested in giving a gift that people will welcome, then take heed. A lot of people don't want things that aren't consumable.

I'm willing to bet that all the people who don't want more junk all graciously received the last gift they were given, and then quietly disposed of it.

Cupcakes in a jar.. awesome! If you come to my house for dinner please bring these!
Bath bombs... didn't we do this 15 years ago? Vanilla beans..really??..nothing says thankyou like shrivelled bean pods! I guess it all comes down the recipient but i cant go past a bunch of Australian native flowers..they look amazing and last forever in water!

I'm just to pull up a chair and keep reading these as they come while I drink some wine...

Like Splitty said, this is the fifth or sixth post on hostess gifts this week. I don't care whether people like having gifts or not, can we have a moratorium on "hostess gift posts"?! It's so boring and engenders the same tired discussion every single time.

It's unfortunate that you seem to have plenty of opinions but little in the department of being a gracious host, emphasis on the "gracious" part of this. Whatever happened to "it's the thought that counts?" even if you do not like the gift you receive.

...And as a gardener, I would NOT recommend sprinkling wildflower seeds in a park that you do not manage or tend to yourself.

I totally agree with Splitty, but any little gift I get just goes to Goodwill. (Although, despite what some people imply, I am totally gracious and accept the gift with great sincerity of the thought behind it.) How about that? Instead of a hostess gift, give $10 to my favorite charity. (Hmmm, my favorite charity is me...how about cash as a hostess gift?)

My favourite hostess gift is a nice thank-you card in the mail the following week.

Not technically a 'hostess gift', I know, but far more surprising and pleasing to receive.

Bring me a cupcake in a jar; actually, skip the jar & I'm good. So yea, something consumable unless MAYBE you actually have some artistic talent to do a craft. Few do. And agree, with a non consumable, there's the need to do SOME thing with the gift for a while even if you don't really hate it or love it.

Consumables please! Bottle of wine, small dessert, or even a candle or a pretty soap. Something that I am going to use (preferably during your visit).

A nice bottle of wine or two would be nice.
Also, I hate it when someone just picks up some nasty desserts from their local supermarkets or bakeries.

Gotta admit, who wouldn't be floored if they received an actual stamped, delivered TY note after a party. Of COURSE any here who nix knick knacks are still going to be gracious if actually given something; we're not ignorant, ungrateful clods. While the woman do most of the party work; something other than wine for the host guy would be appreciated.

Easy DIY hostess gift that is also consumable and fun?? Homemade Irish Cream! There are dozens of recipes online, put it in a cute, cheap bottle and you're set.

Maybe its just me, but I far prefer small pot-luck style gatherings to actual host/hostess cooked dinner parties.

In our circle, everyone brings something to contribute to the meal, and there is no obligation or expectation to bring a gift. We usually stick with some sort of very lose theme so that there is some cohesion within the meal (our most recent was simply 'fall comfort foods")

I've been on both the hosting and guest side of this and I love it. No pressure to bring a bath bomb or flowers or anything else the hostess may not need or want... just good company and good food and everyone helps clean up!

I appreciate any gift brought in hand by a guess to my door--no matter what it is.

Another nice alternative to bringing wine/dessert/small gift is a bottle of olive oil. Some of them can run into quite a bit of money, but a trip into a salumeria (an Italian deli), or perhaps a website, can turn up lots of interesting choices, especially if you're looking to try oils from various types of olives.

This year, we're going to be giving bottles of Tunisian olive oil from Zetouna.com. We thought it would be a nice twist on the usual Italian or Spanish oils. The nice thing about giving a gift like this is that most people don't invest a lot of money in this sort of thing, and it can be enjoyed by the whole family.

I'm with the wine, chocolate and thank you notes crowd. I am always genuinely grateful for any gift but have too much guilt parting with such things... my problem I know , but I hate to think someone wasted their hard earned money or precious time.

I also appreciate a single person who offers to come early and set the table , do the pots and pans etc.

My main pleasure in entertaining is just the pleasure of spending time with friends and I usually specify " don't bring anything... this is meant to be a relaxing treat for you not another burden!"

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