Ten perfect hostess gift ideas for the holidays, including a recipe for Mexican Hot Chocolate Mix. You probably have all the ingredients for this mix in your pantry, making it the perfect last-minute hostess gift.
I love being invited over to someone else’s house. And I love showing up with something perfectly pretty in my hands to give to the hosts.
The best hostess gift ideas are those that the host is not meant to serve at the party. That way, the host can say “Thank you” and then set it aside for tomorrow without having to spend any time at the event trying to figure out how to serve it to the guests.
You know what I mean, right? If you show up at a dinner party with a cake, the host assumes it’s meant to be put out for dessert. They therefore have to find serving utensils and perhaps extra plates. They might even wonder if they should skip the dessert they had planned.
It causes difficulty for the host, which is never something I want to do.
If instead of the cake I take a nice jar of preserves, the hosts know instantly that the gift is not for serving at dinner. They can set the jar on the counter and leave it for breakfast the next day.
A small potted plant (orchids are particularly nice, poinsettias are never wrong during the holidays and a basil or rosemary plant is always fragrant and useful);
A nice jar of preserves with a small knife attached by a ribbon (except if you’ve been invited to brunch, in which case the preserves are much like the cake discussed above. I mean, what if they weren’t planning to serve toast? Panic might ensue!);
A selection of croissants or breakfast pastries in an airtight container with a note saying “For an easy breakfast tomorrow morning.”;
A mason jar full of vanilla sugar (put two vanilla beans in a mason jar, fill with sugar and seal. Within 3 days the sugar will have a lovely vanilla flavor. Let your host know that they can leave the beans in the sugar until all the sugar is gone. Or, they can top up the jar with more sugar when it gets to the halfway point. They can top up in this way twice.
A homemade hot chocolate blend, like this Candy Cane Hot Chocolate Mix or like the recipe below for Mexican Hot Chocolate Mix:
This is really interesting, You’re an excessively skilled blogger.
I have joined your rss feed and look ahead to in search of extra of your
fantastic post. Also, I have shared your website in my social
networks
[…] you’ve got little ones in the house, you might also want to grab my recipe for homemade hot cocoa mix. It also makes a great hostess gift for any parties you may be going […]
My favorite gift to receive are festive flowers. It always seem like the one thing I never have the extra money to splurge on around the holidays, but I do so love them!
I'm Christine Pittman, a cookbook author and busy mom of two. My recipes are made from scratch, they're quick, and they're fresh. I started this website over 10 years ago and I'm delighted that over a million people now come to visit every month to try my recipes. Thank you for visiting and for joining me on this delicious journey!Find out more about me here.
DO YOU NEED MORE TIME?
I’m with you! Time is something that too easily slips away. Listen to my podcast, Time Management Insider, to learn how to streamline your household tasks so that you have more time for the things you really want to do!
This is really interesting, You’re an excessively skilled blogger.
I have joined your rss feed and look ahead to in search of extra of your
fantastic post. Also, I have shared your website in my social
networks
[…] you’ve got little ones in the house, you might also want to grab my recipe for homemade hot cocoa mix. It also makes a great hostess gift for any parties you may be going […]
[…] here’s my recipe for Mexican Hot Chocolate Powder Mix along with my top 10 holiday hostess gift […]
I love all of those ideas! I would love to get some of those gifts as a hostess gift or Christmas gift!
What great ideas! I love orchids as hostess gifts.
My favorite gift to receive are festive flowers. It always seem like the one thing I never have the extra money to splurge on around the holidays, but I do so love them!
I love spicy drinks! And what a great gift idea. :)
Your gift ideas are great. I think any hostess would love to have them.
★★★★★
Love these ideas! Sharing on Pinterest!!
I’m going to give your Mexican Hot Chocolate as part of our office Secret Santa! Thanks!
What a great collection of gift ideas! Thanks so much for sharing my ranch seasoning with your readers, Christine
you’re welcome, Becca. That Ranch mix is such a great idea!