Giving a Hostess Gift...

The holiday season is quickly approaching and with it comes a lot of seasonal social obligations: cookie exchanges, open houses, dinner parties, and cabin weekends away. We still live by this simple rule: never arrive at someone’s home without something more to contribute than our company. No matter what the occasion, a considerate guest never arrives empty-handed.

When we do remember to bring a nice little something, it’s invariably a bouquet of flowers or a bottle of wine from the corner liquor store. Really!?! Can’t we do better than that? I’m on a mission to plan ahead and purchase meaningful gifts for this social season. 

Here are some of my ideas… click on the picture if you’d like to go to the seller’s website.

 Party wear is a great choice for hosts that frequently entertain in their home. This unique cheese board is also a 'lazy susan', making it easy for guests to help themselves to appetizers or a selection of artisan cheese.

For the cookie exchange, handmade pot holders are a functional and fun hostess gift.

This gift is perfect for a formal dinner party, a high quality stainless steel cake serving set with hand worked bead and pearl embellishments.

If your host for the event is a gentleman, an organic vegan shaving soap gift set might be a good choice. The ceramic cup is a nice touch.

 

If the event is an afternoon open house, cookies in a pretty tin box would be a nice gift for your hosts. Not your ordinary chocolate chip cookie, but something like the Brooklyn Market Cookie. It’s fully loaded with chewy dried cherries, crunchy macadamia nuts, rich chocolate and white chocolate chips, oats and cocoa nibs. Yummy!

A great hostess gift for almost any holiday occasion is a set of handmade screen printed tea towels or a set of handmade coasters.

Remember The Rules of Appropriate Gifting:

A hostess gift doesn’t have to be expensive, but it should be thoughtful. Consider the types of activities your hosts enjoy, and gift accordingly. As a general rule, your budget should be around $15 to $30, depending upon the formality of the occasion.

Cheers!

Are you happy at work?



LUNCH WITH 'FRIENDS'



Many of you know that my ‘day job’ is with a very large organization here in Atlanta. I’ve been with this company for many years as a devoted employee and I’ve had the opportunity to travel the US and Canada meeting hundreds of dedicated employees.

This week it was wonderful running into someone that remembered me from a training event that I worked on 20+ years ago.  I had made enough of an impression that they not only remembered the event, they even remembered my name after so many years. Was it my great training skills? Was it my outgoing personality? Or maybe it was my quirky fashion sense? Nope, none of the above…it was the chili. No, that wasn’t a typo; it was the Chili I made.  Hmmm….that got me thinking…. 

At that time we were a much smaller company, more of a family than a giant corporate building of unidentified faces. We did things like chili cook-offs, holiday parties, and after work get-togethers. Back in the day we invited co-workers for home cooked Holiday meals and softball games with dogs on the grill. I miss that Family feeling!!!  How do we get that fun family back?

I may be over simplifying the solution, but what do families do to strengthen their bonds? They get together and eat. Eating together provides a way for everyone in the family to share, connect, and bond.  What did all my favorite events listed above have in common – FOOD.

I did a little research on the subject and found that employees in the healthiest companies often eat together, talk about food, and even cook for each other. Certainly, getting employees to eat together more often is not the sole antidote for my organizations “estranged family” issues. But, experts agree that the practice of eating together can have many positive benefits. And if you're not convinced, remember, this all started with a bowl of chili; food was our link over 20 years later.

Anyone out there having lunch with friends today, Save me a seat!  Cheers!

Use a Coaster Dude!



Felt Coasters

We entertain a good bit and always start with drinks and appetizers in the living room. Our friends and family are generally well mannered and always respectfully of our home with one exception, the use of drink coasters. When guests dress up for an evening at our house, they’re expecting a sophisticated event: superb food, a relaxing atmosphere, great conversation, fine china... the works.



Red Elm Coasters

Our home is not a lofty castle, but it is our little castle. I’ve read that lack of respect for belongings is similar to dragging one's cashmere coat through the mud--the idea that if you can afford it, you can afford to have it maintained, abused, neglected, or replaced. Honestly, I can't afford to be cavalier about ruining the furniture. I love entertaining and enjoy our guests, I just wish they would be more mindful of where they leave their cocktail glasses and always use a coaster.



Fused Glass Coasters



Etsy has hundreds of fun, funky, and traditional coasters; I think I’ll purchase some before the holidays. All coasters pictured in this blog are available for sale. Just click on each picture to see the Etsy listing. Thanks for stopping by…cheers!



Very Cute Bear Rug Coasters