20 Best Hostess Gifts for Every Entertainer In Your Life

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Hostess gifts are the gifts some people give to their host when they show up to a party or other gathering. Many people just pick up a bouquet of flowers or a bottle of wine on the way to a party and figure that’s all that’s expected.

And maybe it is, but is “what’s expected” really good enough? Wouldn’t you rather hit it out of the park and score major brownie points with the host? In that case, you need to understand that selecting and presenting the perfect hostess gift is a fine art.

In this post, I’ve defined what a hostess gift is and how to present it. I’ve also put together a list of 20 fantastic hostess gifts you can buy for the next party you attend.

All About Hostess Gifts

First, let’s discuss what makes the perfect hostess gift.

The Difference Between A Hostess Gift And A Regular Gift

Unlike regular gifts, hostess gifts are meant to make the host (or hostess) you are giving them to an even better host in the future. In other words, hostess gifts should be things the host can use to entertain guests or make the guest’s time at the host’s house more enjoyable.

Things like serving dishes, decorative candles, and coffee table books make great hostess gifts since they can be displayed during a get-together. Scroll down a bit and you can check out some hand-picked recommendations for products that make ideal hostess gifts.

Tips For Giving A Hostess Gift

The way in which you present the hostess gift once you’re at the party is almost as important as which gift you pick out. Here are some important tips to keep in mind:

Be Discreet

Choose a time to give the host their gift when none of the other guests (except for those that came with you) will see you. Sometimes you might get a chance right when the host opens their front door to welcome you. If there are people around, though, wait to give the gift until you can catch the host by themselves.

Giving your hostess gift in front of other guests may very well create an awkward situation. After all, it’s probable that not everyone brought a hostess gift — or, at least, not one as good as yours. Showing up the other guests is tasteless and may make things weird between the guests and you (not to mention the guests and the host) for the rest of the night.

Don’t Imply They Need To Use The Gift Immediately

Although hostess gifts should be things that can be used to entertain, don’t make the host feel obligated to use the gift during the course of that party. If you give a serving dish, for example, never say something like “I thought you could use this for the appetizers tonight.”

Certain types of gifts might make the host feel obligated to use them just to be polite, which is something you want to avoid. If you give a box of foods, for example, accompany the gift by saying something like “you should try these sometime, they’re great when you’re home alone and don’t feel like cooking.”

Don’t Expect Them To Open It On The Spot

Hosts are usually busy during parties, especially while the guests are arriving. For that reason, the host likely won’t want to spend time opening the gift on the spot, especially since it could get awkward if one of the other guests sees them opening it.

Include A Personalized Comment

To drive home the point that you put a lot of thought into the hostess gift, give the guest an idea of why you picked the gift you did while you are handing them the gift. If you bought them a wine decanter, for example, a perfect comment to accompany the gift would be “I know that sometimes you like to wind down with a glass of wine at dinner, and so I knew you’d appreciate this.”

20 Fantastic Hostess Gifts

Below, I’ve rounded up 20 of the best hostess gifts I know of. I’ve also divided them into four categories based on the lifestyle of the host.

For The First Time Hostess

1. Slate Cheese Board

by Crate & Barrel

The cheese plate is a staple of a dinner party, so someone just starting to throw them will get tons of use out of this gorgeous slate cheese board.

Slate is an attractive and durable material, and this board is the perfect size. It even has black felt on the back so it won’t scrape the table.

2. Julo Blue & White Serving Platter

by Crate & Barrel

This stone dish is versatile and really quite mesmerizing in its beauty.

Stoneware is very durable and will likely last a first-time hostess for the rest of their life. It’s also dishwasher-safe, heat resistant to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, and looks impressive.

3. Wine Glass Set

by Made in Cookware

Wine is another must for dinner parties, given the presentation is good.

You get eight wine glasses in this set, four red wine glasses and four white — the only difference is the size. What makes these stand out from most other wine glasses is their strength.

The stems of the glasses are reinforced with titanium, which makes them much less likely to shatter. Despite that, the glasses are totally clear and look very nice even as display pieces.

4. Virginia Sin Ceramic Twist Trivet

by West Elm

A first time hostess is unlikely to have many serving plates, so they’ll probably find themselves bringing pots or pans of just-cooked foods to the table and serving straight out of those. This eye-catching trivet is a good way to class up the appearance of a serving pot while preventing it from burning the table.

5. Marble Place Card Holders

by Crate & Barrel

Setting a place card for each guest on the table to tell them where they should sit makes dinner parties run more smoothly. These marble place card holders allow a host to do that in style. Marble is also extremely durable, so the place card holders will serve their purpose for decades.

For The Foodie Hostess

6. Cheese Sex Death: A Bible for the Cheese Obsessed

by [amazon link=”1419753541″ link_icon=”none” title=”Erika Kubick” /]

[amazon fields=”1419753541″ value=”thumb” image_size=”large” image_align=”center” image_alt=”Cheese Sex Death: A Bible for the Cheese Obsessed”]

This quirky coffee table book is perfect for foodie hostesses that want to add some slightly more adult charm to their dinner parties. It’s funny, it contains lots of genuinely interesting information, and it is all about the food that serves as the centerpiece for so many before-dinner get-togethers, artisan cheese.

7. BOSKA Monaco Cheese Knives

by [amazon link=”B07QF5NVJB” link_icon=”none” title=”BOSKA” /]

[amazon fields=”B07QF5NVJB” value=”thumb” image_size=”large” image_align=”center” image_alt=”BOSKA Monaco Cheese Knives”]

Any foodie will already have a cheese tray for get-togethers, and this three-piece knife set will take it to another level. The quilted pattern on the knives is not only stunning, but it also makes the knives extra non-stick so they’re easier to cut with and clean off.

The knives come in an attractive case to help with storage and transportation.

8. Garden Party Recipe Tin

by [amazon link=”B0B72DX5DT” link_icon=”none” title=”Rifle Paper Co.” /]

[amazon fields=”B0B72DX5DT” value=”thumb” image_size=”large” image_align=”center” image_alt=”Rifle Paper Co. Garden Party Blue Recipe Tin”]

As a foodie, I know that we find our favorite recipes over time and write them down. Most of us store them in a plain old envelope or plastic binder, but your foodie hostess will appreciate receiving an attractive tin just for storing recipes!

The colorful floral pattern, gold interior, and gold-framed label on the front of the tin are nice to display on the kitchen counter. Cards and dividers are included.

9. Vitamin C Tea & Chill Box

by The Sisters Market

From the product page: “Is it any coincidence that Mother Nature timed a vitamin C-rich fruit to be ready for harvest during cold and flu season? We think not.”

That’s why nutrition-conscious hosts and their guests will love this citrus-themed premium tea set, which includes fresh citrus, citrus-ginger tea drops, honey, a tea mug, a stirring spoon, a mint-soy candle, and lemon-themed matches.

10. The Duo Olive Oil Set

by Brightland

If there’s one condiment foodies love, it’s olive oil. That’s because olive oil is healthy, tasty, and good on a huge variety of foods including simple ones like bread.

Both of the olive oils in this set are made from California heirloom olives, and both are tastier than most other olive oils. The “awake” blend has a soft bouquet good for lazy days and the “alive blend” is zippier for vibrant parties.

For The Cocktail-Crafting Hostess

11. Rabbit Freezable Whiskey Glasses

by [amazon link=”B07P7Y5198″ link_icon=”none” title=”Rabbit” /]

[amazon fields=”B07P7Y5198″ value=”thumb” image_size=”large” image_align=”center” image_alt=”Rabbit Freezable Whiskey Glasses”]

Cocktail purists love serving their drinks ice cold, but actually dropping an ice cube in dilutes the drink with water. These freezable glasses are the solution. They get ice cold faster than ice cubes can be made, they cool down drinks faster once they’re poured in, and the drinks stay chilled for hours with no water dilution.

12. Luxardo Maraschino Cherries

by [amazon link=”B00AQB146W” link_icon=”none” title=”LUXARDO THE ORIGINAL MARASCHINO CHERRIES” /]

[amazon fields=”B00AQB146W” value=”thumb” image_size=”large” image_align=”center” image_alt=”Luxardo Maraschino Cherries”]

Luxardos are the first Maraschino cherries ever made, and this is a strong case for the original always being the best. Unlike most Maraschinos, the cherries have no preservatives and the red color is all natural. That gives them a tart and delicious flavor that really adds to any cocktail. They’re great on ice cream, too.

13. Peak Sphere Ice Tray

by Crate & Barrel

For the cocktail connoisseur who prefers to use ice, spherical cubes are definitely the way to go. Not only do they look awesome in the glass, but, because they have more surface area, they cool down drinks more quickly than traditionally-shaped cubes.

14. Breville Smoking Gun

by Sur La Table

Almost everyone loves foods with a rich, smoky flavor. Unfortunately, the usual method of creating that flavor — using a grill or another large kitchen device — is very time-consuming. With this smoker gun, you can just load in some of the included wood chips and blast your food with smoky flavor. It also works on drinks, which takes cocktail hour to the next level.

15. Swoon Decanter

by Crate & Barrel

This wine decanter looks amazing and does a great job of aerating wine to remove the watery molecules left in it. It’s big, too, at 80 ounces. That’s enough to hold three standard bottles of wine, a fact cocktail lovers will definitely appreciate.

For The Hostess With Everything

16. Table Topics Dinner Party Edition

by [amazon link=”B002FYGNF0″ link_icon=”none” title=”TableTopics” /]

[amazon fields=”B002FYGNF0″ value=”thumb” image_size=”large” image_align=”center” image_alt=”Table Topics Dinner Party Edition”]

Great conversations around the dinner table with good friends are priceless, and that’s why even someone who seems to already have everything will appreciate this gift. The 135 cards included in this box each have a question that helps to start an interesting conversation.

I’ve used these cards before, and the conversation from just one of them went on for over an hour! The acrylic box the cards come in looks nice, too.

17. Let’s Toast Candle

by [amazon link=”B08G7G69TS” link_icon=”none” title=”Homesick” /]

[amazon fields=”B08G7G69TS” value=”thumb” image_size=”large” image_align=”center” image_alt=”Homesick Premium Scented Candle, Let’s Toast”]

This may be the most impressive scented candle I’ve ever encountered, so I just know any host or hostess will be wowed if they receive it as a hostess gift. It has base notes of champagne grapes, an interesting and festive scent for a candle that makes it perfect for a dinner party. The mid notes are of apple and pineapple, and the top notes are of mandarin and grapefruit.

All those scents may sound like a gimmick, but you really can pick out each one.

18. Marlo Thomas Floral Appetizer Plates

by Williams Sonoma

I myself have owned a few sets of these porcelain plates for many years, and they get a lot of positive attention at my dinner parties. Something about the hand-painted blue and white designs and the gold rims is just very appealing.

They’re great plates in terms of functionality, too. A white glaze helps to make them more durable, and they are microwave- and dishwasher-safe.

19. Match Cloche

by Anthropologie

These elegant blown glass cloches are luxurious replacements for plain old matchbooks. Each cloche comes in a different color of glass and holds 40 matches. They even have flint stickers near their bases so the host can light a match on the cloche itself.

I absolutely love Anthropologie, because they sell what are, in my opinion, the most visually appealing homeware available. These cloches are definitely no exception, and I’d say they are the most aesthetically pleasing item on this list.

20. Memorable Events Guestbook

by Anthropologie

Another thing that’s priceless: memories of dinner parties past. And that’s exactly what a host can capture in this suave 100-page guest book. The book has “BE MY GUEST” printed in large font on the front and boasts top-quality construction that will invite guests to log their experiences.

For The Hostess With The Mostest

I started a habit of bringing a hostess gift every time I attended a dinner party many years ago, and you know what? I grew to really, really enjoy the process of picking out the perfect gift. It really is better to give than to receive.

I hope this guide will give you a good jumping-off point for hostess gift-giving and that one day you too will love picking out your own hostess gifts.