Whether we are visiting friends for the evening, weekend or longer, frequently we want to take along a little something to express our appreciation for their hospitality.
A bottle of wine is a good option but if you want to be a little more original, here are a few suggestions.
If the party is outside, use that as your starting point. A beautiful container filled with summer plants hints at the more common hostess gift of flowers, but this gift will last for the entire season and will enhance the hosts’ outdoor living space. If they love to entertain outside think about a cookbook that focuses on outdoor entertaining.
If the visit is more than just an evening, you may want to make the gift more significant. One idea is a basket filled with goodies. It helps to work around a theme, for example you could select an assortment of fun sodas and bottles of iced tea and put them in a container that could be used to ice them down. Think about adding fun napkins and a unique bottle opener to complete the gift.
Food can be a nice gift too; especially if it will make your hosts’ job a little easier. You can find unique items at your local Farmers’ Market. You may find homemade cheeses, jams and bread which could all be put together in a special tote bag. Want a more substantial gift? You can add a beautiful bamboo cutting board and a few charming kitchen towels.
We have a store that sells only products made by locals called Galleria in Evanston. I like to pick up a box of delicious caramels that are made locally. Our hosts will enjoy the sweet treats and I am helping to support my local artisans at the same time.
I hope I have inspired you to think outside the box and the next time you are invited to a friend’s home you might consider one of these suggestions.
Until next time!
Food can be a nice gift too; especially if it will make your hosts’ job a little easier. You can find unique items at your local Farmers’ Market. You may find homemade cheeses, jams and bread which could all be put together in a special tote bag. Want a more substantial gift? You can add a beautiful bamboo cutting board and a few charming kitchen towels.
We have a store that sells only products made by locals called The Galleria. I like to pick up a box of delicious caramels that are made locally. Our hosts will enjoy the sweet treats and I am helping to support my local artisans at the same time.
I hope I have inspired you to think outside the box a little and the next time you are invited to a friend’s home you might consider one of my suggestions.
Until next time!
Cathy Kozlarek 
