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Need ideas for a non-alcohol hostess gift

Posted: May 14, 2015

Our family has been invited to dinner while on vacation in another city. We are teetotalers, so I'd rather not take a bottle of wine. Flowers might be okay, but may be hard to find in a strange city, so I would like other ideas for something we might take for a hostess gift, ideally something that could be purchased at home and transported. Thanks for any suggestions.

;

A few ideas. - Please sm.

[ In Reply To ..]
Are you going to another state? If so, something your state is famous for might be nice. For example, my Maine friends gave me cookie mix with a lobster-shaped cookie cutter. I have given gift packs of huckleberry pancake mix, jam, and tea. Another time, salmon-shaped chocolate bars. Maybe instead of flowers, a plant in a basket. Wherever you are going, I hope you have fun.

A lot of grocery stores have herb pots, that could work--sm - anon

[ In Reply To ..]
Some nice tea towels or some baked goods. After I have hosted something, I find a nice breakfast baked good very welcome the next day. This could include some coffee or tea if you know the preference of your hosts.

Ideas - see msg

[ In Reply To ..]
A hostess gift should be something they like, and if they like wine but you find giving wine offensive, then certainly a food item that is non-perishable and has a reasonably good shelf life--like biscotti or a gourmet canned food you think they would enjoy--is always welcomed.

If they do a lot of entertaining, welcomed are cocktail-sized napkins. If they are wine drinkers and you're not against getting them a pretty wine bottle topper/cork, they would appreciate that. They have some beautiful ones out there.

While flowers are always appropriate if you know they're not allergic, I personally would not bring a plant-type of thing. I don't like when people bring me potted plants, because I have to take care of them and I have enough of what I want in that line.

For sure, do not bring any food item to contribute to the appetizers,dinner or dessert for that night unless you've been asked to. I find it wholly inappropriate to expect the hostess to serve an unexpected item, when she's probably already got the dinner settings and serving plates organized.

I had a nice dinner one night set up, and our friends brought over one of our favorite dishes when we eat at their house. It was her stuffed clams, and they are delicious, but I hadn't planned on them--and they're not something you can reheat another day, or they will overcook and be rubbery. I had to jump into action and get serving plates and sit down to eat them right away, when we had planned on relaxing on the patio with cold hors'd'ouevres before our hot meal.

My clams are just an example, but anything, even chips, is inappropriate. I had another instance where we planned a very well-planned meal with lots of food, and 3 couples brought in chips and dip. Well, then I had to get bowls, plates, etc., and people got too full to eat our planned dinner.

LOL, I guess I went on and on, didn't I?

Love love love - polite hostess gift idea.

[ In Reply To ..]
A wine bottle topper, a pretty hand blown one, or wine glass charms is such a nice idea. Pier 1 really has a nice selection of these. Would be able to be packed along in your luggage easily with a cute gift bag and some nice tissue paper and ribbon to do up after you get to your hotel. Or a wine-cicle. Same for a nice biscotti for the next morning that they can have with coffee the morning after. I really like the presentation more than anything...a sweet gift bag with pretty ribbon.

Enjoy your celebration!

Not the OP - But...

[ In Reply To ..]
I had also suggested the bottle topper, but it might be the OP is offended by anything alcohol, so we aren't clear if she likes that idea--so ditto on the charmers.

At our house, we love our wine glass charmers and bottle toppers that people bring us. We have some beautiful toppers---nautical, old country French, crystal, abalone, things like that. The charmers come in handy so everyone knows whose wine glass is whose, and they do make for a pretty table setting when everyone is gathered at the dinner table.

To OP: It is so nice you want to bring a hostess gift. Keep it simple and practical and something they would like, but yet stay within your comfort zone of no alcohol related items.

Thanks everyone for the ideas. One thing that makes - OP...sm

[ In Reply To ..]
it difficult is that I really do not know these people at all. They are my husband's relatives, but he has not seen them since he was a kid.

OH - So...

[ In Reply To ..]
You don't even know if they like wine. I assumed they did, since that was the first thing you thought to bring.

Bring some biscotti and maybe some special-blend coffees. If they don't like that, they can always re-gift it.

Kinda Strange - Hmm

[ In Reply To ..]
Has there been any contact at all? Cards, phone, e-mails, social media?

I would feel funny going to or inviting anyone for a meal who I hadn't seen or stayed in touch with since I was a kid. They have no idea what foods you like, don't like, might be allergic to...probably a restaurant would have been a better idea on their part.

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