12 ideas from the hostess gifts area of The Christmas Cabin. Nothing is sold here — pick anything up and it opens a pre-filled search at the retailer.
The console table by the door is where a guest's gift lands: a bottle in a kraft gift bag, a wrapped winter bouquet, a tied bakery box and a potted amaryllis. Hostess gifts are a thank-you rather than a present, and the etiquette mostly comes down to not creating work.
A host in the middle of serving dinner does not want to hunt for a vase, trim stems and fill it while guests wait in the hall. That is why the flowers that work as hostess gifts arrive ready to stand, potted or already arranged, and why a bottle is the classic: it needs nothing at all.
The other rule is not to expect your gift to be opened that evening. A bottle you bring is for the host to keep unless they decide otherwise, and a box of something sweet is kinder when it keeps, so it can become breakfast the next morning.
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Bottle Gift Bag
The bottle bag is the hostess gift a guest actually walks in holding. The one on the console is kraft paper with rope handles, tissue rising out of the top and the neck of the bottle showing. A gift bag turns a bottle picked up on the way into something that looks chosen, and a set of them saves a last-minute scramble every time you are invited somewhere. A bottle carrier tote is the reusable version. A wine stopper set is a small gift that travels with the bottle, and a thoughtful one, since it lets the host save what is left for another night.
Wrapped Bouquet
Flowers are the traditional hostess gift, and they can create work: a host in the middle of dinner has to find a vase, trim the stems and fill it with water. The one on the console is a winter bouquet in kraft paper and twine, with eucalyptus, white blooms and red berries. If you can, send fresh flowers ahead of the evening or the day after, so they land at a calmer moment. Dried flowers need no water at all, which makes them the easy option to carry to the door. A eucalyptus bundle is the green, fragrant alternative to a bouquet.
Tied Bakery Box
A box of something sweet is the safe hostess gift: it needs no vase, and it can be saved for later. The one on the console is a white bakery box tied with baker's twine and finished with a small tag. The thing to avoid is a gift the host feels they have to serve that evening, on top of a dessert they already made. A box or tin that keeps for a few days takes that pressure off, and turns into a quiet breakfast the morning after. Chocolates work the same way. If you know the household, check for allergies first.
Potted Amaryllis
An amaryllis is a hostess gift with a second act. The one on the console is a single tall stem in a terracotta pot, with two trumpet blooms open, a bud still to come and moss over the soil. A bulb kit is a gift in progress, and the host gets to watch it grow over the weeks that follow. Paperwhites are the scented alternative, and the scent is strong, so they suit a host you know likes it. A potted plant is the year-round version. Amaryllis and paperwhite bulbs are both harmful to cats and dogs if eaten, so skip them for a house with pets.
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- Last Minute Gifts
- The Man Cave
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- His Closet
- The Board Room
- The Toy Shop
- The Christmas Market
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