8 Foolproof Hostess Gifts For When You Never Know What To Bring
Here's the scene: You've been invited to yet another holiday party and don't want to show up empty-handed, but your usual gifting go-to's are tired (do you really need to add another bottle of wine to the bar-cart mountain?).
To solve the age-old conundrum, we pulled together a list of foolproof-yet-creative gift ideas that party-throwers will actually use—because dish towels are nice, but you really can have too many.
Bring something festive for them to add to their lineup of party dishes, and score bonus points if you fill them with candy or easy apps to add to the overall grazing game.
A seasonal-hued letterboard equipped with over 200 letters and numbers is an instant photo-opp hit. Write out your message of gratitude or a cheeky quip (a personal favorite is "jingle bells, jingle bells, where's the cabernet?") and you've just upgraded the vibe.
Speaking of cabernet, you can help easily open all the bottles of wine the other (less inventive) guests bring with this snazzy electric number, and you'll be the host's favorite person when they're searching for the corkscrew that inevitably goes missing within the first five minutes.
A sleek decanter for serving and aerating your liquid cheer is another wine-themed gift that's a level up from the drink itself. Plus, it gives you an opportunity to sound like a low-key sommelier (even if your wine vocab begins and ends with "aerating").
Have you ever tried serving coffee or tea to more than four people? Not an easy task. Fortify their hot-beverage station with this matte-black looker, which doesn't even require hogging a stove burner.
While the hostess is sprucing, reheating, and matchmaking conversationalists like a madwoman, you can score points with a gift that shows you're thinking of her —especially if you grab one of these cozy wraps in her favorite color (it comes in four different shades).
Sure, you can take party photos on your phone, but why not capture memories from the evening on a polaroid-style camera that can instantly turn them into keepsakes?
You can never go wrong with chocolate (especially when you can get it sent straight to you beforehand via Shipt). Bring this assortment of treats to share, or (let's be honest) for the hosts to hide for later.