Skip to content
My Favorite Hostess Gifts
Holiday Entertaining can be stressful. Whether it's throwing, attending, or figuring out how not to attend, it is a busy time for all of us and our social calendars. To take one less burden off of your list this year we've rounded up our favorite holiday hostess gifts. Nothing says I hate you more, than gifting the hostess that has invited, prepped, planned, cooked, and thrown a holiday party a fruit cake from your local drug store. It's time to amp up our game folks. This year, go with something vintage and useful, and don't forget to think outside the box. To help you out this holiday season, and get an early jump on it, we've rounded up our top picks over at our favorite vintage online marketplace, Chairish.
For those of you not yet familiar with Chairish, get yourself familiar because it is a wonderful marketplace filled with vintage finds that will leave both you and your homes happy. Think Craigslist, but more curated, organized, and easier to find exactly what you're looking for. Anything that goes up on the site has to be approved by their team, so you are not going to be scrolling through piles of garbage as you are looking for that Milo Baughman chair you have been coveting. Or, if you are a hoarder like us, their app makes taking pics and uploading your pieces to sell beyond easy, not to mention they take of shipping and picking up your sold items.
Now, let's get shopping:
1. Teak Salt & Pepper Shakers: Salt and Pepper shakers may seem like a thing of the past, as everyone now has their fancy self grinding space age models, but we are still big fans of the traditional well made ones. These have a great shape, and will go with any style, which makes them timeless.
2. Brass Chargers: Chargers are something so simple that can instantly glam up a table scape. They are like the jewelry to your little black dress. Not to mention they are brass. We all know how much we love brass here at EHD.
3. Vintage Glass Set: Everyone needs a vintage glass set for their bar area, and even more so, a glass set with half naked people.
4. Abstract Acrylic on Cotton Paper: Art is tough and very subjective, so don't bring this to your mother in laws house to say thank you. But for the right hostess an original piece of art is a great gift.
5. Mid-Century Candle Holders: Modern, sculptural, and tall are what make these winners for me. They add drama and height, which is one thing we could all use a little bit more of in our lives.
6. Italian Umbrella: This is the perfect gift for the cute quirky friend that already has everything else in her life. Maybe don't give it to your friend if they live in Arizona, but all you Mid-Westerners could snatch this up for those rainy days.
7. Vintage Wood Tray: A tray is one of the most versatile gifts that you could give, making it a good one.
8. Brass Coasters: Pair these with a bottle of wine or bubbly and you have a very useful, and practical gift.
9. Woven Table Runner: A handwoven textile, especially one as beautiful as this, will definitely get you an invite to next years party.
10. Walnut Bowl Set: We have a large set of these and I can't tell you how many times they get used up and admired on the shelf.
11. Vintage Linen Napkins: We all know indigo and batik fabrics are having their moment right now. So let your neighbors enjoy that trend as much as you have.
12. 1960's Wood Corkscrew: Everyone needs one, and everyone needs a beautiful one. Amp up your hostesses' bar game with this cute vintage piece.
13. Lucite Barware Set: This is for that one friend (that we all have) who always seems to have a handmade artisan cocktail in their hand. It will get a lot of love throughout the year as they prepare you all their yummy drinks.
14. Highball Glass Set: Vintage, graphic, and metallic. . . we have a winner.
15. Swedish Pottery Vessel: Pottery is one of those things that may not be for everyone but if a guest brought this over you know we would be inviting them to every party from now on.
Now that Halloween is over, it will just be a blink before we are in full swing holiday season and buying a last minute gift in a very busy shopping mall is not a place you want to be, so head on over to Chairish and check out more of our favorites on my page.
*Photograph of me by David Tsay, all others from Chairish
Good list, some of these items I will be over the moon if I receive them as gifts. Except the umbrella one, in Chinese word, umbrella is the same pronunciation as ” separation”. So if you gift someone an umbrella, it will be the end of your relationship with him/her. We avoid gifting people umbrella. Uhm, while I’m at it, I also have to mention we Chinese don’t gift people clock and shoes too. Due to the same reason some call superstitious. Haha. Have a nice day, everyone!
Very helpful comment, Felicia! Thank you!
You’re welcomed. :)
I’m more a contemporary decor person, so if someone brought me old candlesticks I’d probably think they cleaned out their attic or stopped at a thrift store. I think that’s why temporary or consumable gifts like wine and flowers are so popular.
I agree…this is a stretch for a sponsored post. Hostess gifts are not supposed to be gift gifts…they’re a thank you gift of appreciation. Some of the things I like to give are a high-end bottle of olive oil, a jar of homemade jam or local honey with a rustic loaf of bread for the morning after, or a bag of seasonal fruit from the farmers market. A bottle of top shelf champagne is always greeted with delight. And always, always a hand-written thank you in the mail the following day.
I’d have to agree. I always wonder if people really bring candlesticks or marble coasters to hostesses? You have to know the person pretty well to be able to get it right. Otherwise you’re just bringing in clutter,
My thing to bring is a bottle of bubbly and some fancy handmade & local macaroons. Even if they already have dessert planned, they work. And since they’re kooky macaroons, like cucumber-habanero, it’s fun :)
Agree. Unless someone knows me really well, I’d rather they not bring a permanent gift (unless it’s a pretty tea towel or high end candle – those are usually pretty safe). I’d love to receive one of those treats that Cynthia above mentioned!
Maybe I’m extra sensitive about it because a friend once commented on how tacky she thought it was to buy gifts at Costco. This was not long after I gave her a lovely glass tray as a hostess gift, which she knew was from Costco. Waah. We’re not really friends anymore. But now I stick to wine, food or flowers.
What a jerk! Costco is a fun place to buy gifts! Some of my favorite and most useful home items are from Costco. People can be such snobs.
Exactly. Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth!
I love these picks. I’m all about the hostess gift. I like to pick things they can use for entertaining. I think the pretty linen napkins are always a safe bet.
~Krisztina /
I would be thrilled to receive any of these as gifts, and I’m pretty sure if I gave one to a hostess I would *forever* be in her good books.
Those candlesticks caught my eye… because I have the exact same ones, which I bought either at Target or IKEA for a Halloween party almost exactly 4 years ago. I spray-painted mine black, the seller says they have been updated with copper paint… and one of us is hoping to make $84 + $39 shipping on them!
I understand your need for sponsored posts, and I’m happy with pretty things to look at any day of the week, but this one really makes me miss “Trolling Craigslist”, where it’s another curated group of items with great design, but without pretenses.
That’s funny. And sad all at once. ; )
Were yours originally red? They do look a lot like an Ikea red wire fruit bowl I have.
OMG I totally put these in my Chairish “favorites” and was thinking “that is more than I would want to spend, but maybe I’ll make an offer for less.” SOOO happy I took the time to read the comments and saw this!! I am totally that person that would get scammed by paying $80+ for an Ikea hack. Thank you Sarah!!
Haha, I saw this glass hand jewelry holder on chairish, marked up. I freaked out because I had gotten rid of one that was exactly the same color/style everything, from my parent’s house. I told my mom and she was like, “What are you talking about, that was just a cheap thing at home goods or something.”
Whoop there it is! I do still wish I had my cheapie glass hand, though.
As for a host/hostess gift, Chairish is way out of my price range, and I’m all for something consumable anyway. Wine, freshly baked bread (yum!), tea, preserves, something seasonal, etc, nicely wrapped. Alternatively, nice candle. :) Mmm now I’m hungry and want a candlelit bath.
Update: repainted my candlesticks gold over the weekend, realized they do look better. So thanks to Emily (and, unfortunately, that Chairish scammer) for the idea! And it only cost me $9. Would’ve been $3.50, but I couldn’t decide on spray paint and ended up buying two :)
i have a love/hate relationship with chairish. yes, it is wonderful for people who don’t live in LA to source amazing vintage finds, however, their prices for the most part are ridiculous. i feel like the owners just put it out there to see if they could actually get that much for it and aren’t serious about selling / negotiating.
While many of the items shown are fantastic, I’ve got to agree with the commenters who say to bring something consumable as a hostess gift. Most people have VERY specific taste in décor, and one person’s awesome vintage item is another’s “did your grandma leave you this when she died?” Also, if you’re bringing flowers, it’s nice if they’re already in a vase or container. One less thing for a busy hostess to have to do (run around their house looking for a vase).
I LOVE THESE KIND OF POSTS!!!!!
I reminder in the brass petal days, sometimes Emily would do links to etsy favorites.
I’ll be buying something for sure!!!! As I do with your target posts too!
Love all the items, but I will stick to my regular and just bring a bottle of wine, ha!
Forget all that, what about that awesome huge blue vase on the table? Where’s that from?
That wood corkscrew is so fun! That would make a fabulous gift!
Paige
The Walnut Bowl Set really pretty. Loved those sets at first sight :mrgreen:
I myself would prefer to bring the bowls but maybe as a house warming gift for a friend I knew really well. The problem with buying people something for their home is that it might not be their taste or it may seem like you’re implying that you have better taste than they do. As we all know, everyone thinks they have good taste – – remember that scene in When Harry met Sally about the wagon wheel coffee table?
I agree with Cynthia – this is a real stretch for a sponsored post! To me, most of these things seem absolutely ridiculous to bring as hostess gifts – what may be vintage and treasured to one person certainly can seem like trash to another person. Not to mention that I typically like to be no more than $25 for a hostess gift…I am especially fan of consumable items too – wine, champagne, bread and jam, etc. These sponsored posts are getting so excessive. These design blogs are becoming more like one big commercial. Not sure anymore what’s the genuine feeling of the author.
To be fair, Em might be spending more time with the new baby and sponsored posts probably can be written by someone else. I think part of it too is that people respond more negatively to certain companys, in this case chairish because of the prices. Maybe they’re trying to use LA prices online and everyone else in the US is like “what!?”
I do think nice items were picked out though. Maybe it could’ve just been swung differently? It is nice to look at pretty things, if only to get ideas to find items cheaper somewhere else.
I am so relieved to see some of these comments! I was wondering if this is the “new standard” in hostess gifts??? If yes, I suppose I will be going to a lot less parties! I do love to look at pretty things, but hostess gifts in the $60-85 range is a little out of my comfort zone. :(
I feel like the host/hostess would look at me like I’m crazy if I brought items like that as a gift. Very expensive and just too personalized in my opinion.
I’ll stick with wine, vase of fresh flowers, candle or homemade bread or sauces. :)
I definitely think it would have been better frame this as gifts for friends rather than hostess gifts; the prices are high for hostess gifts.
These are all above my budget. Suggestions under $20?
Thank you for chosing our vintage Italian umbrella as one of your favorite hostess gifts. They were and are an amazing find. My name is Michelle, Co-Founder of Merchanstyle and our Chairish shop is a great place to find some unique and special gifts. We specialize in revitalizing vintage chairs by breathing new life back into them one chair at a time. Thanks again Emily!!