Last Minute Gifts

Entertaining is as popular today as it has ever been. Our lives are so busy, yet we still want to share celebrations and sometimes just a simple meal with friends and family. There are those people who are natural entertainers; they make a party seem effortless. And then there are people like me who take at least a week of preparation to pull off a gathering. I may not be great at entertaining, but I love to be entertained, so I often find myself shopping for “hostess gifts” to give to my natural entertainer friends. And gifts for entertaining are great ideas for birthdays and other holidays.

Finding a creative gift can be a bit challenging. Of course, there is the good old standby of a bottle of wine. If you would like to give something a bit more unique, and your hostess is a wine lover, you could purchase some unique wine corks or even a wine decanter. But what if you want to move away from wine altogether?

Sometimes a host will ask that you bring along an appetizer or cocktail to share. This is the perfect opportunity to bring a creative gift. I like to bring my appetizer in an attractive serving dish that the host can keep, and be sure to give them a copy of the recipe. Another idea is a gift of cocktail glasses with recipes for unique cocktails to go along with it.

Does your hostess enjoy outdoor entertaining? How about some citronella candles? The outdoor entertainer can never have too many of these! Or maybe a fun ice bucket or container the hostess can use to display those cold beverages.

I have been married long enough to have lost or broken some of my wedding gifts. But there is one gift we were given that we use on a regular basis for entertaining. We received some unique terra cotta soup bowls and chili pepper salt and pepper shakers to go with them (very cute). When I do entertain, soup is one of my favorite menu items. It can usually be made ahead of time, and all it takes is a good loaf of bread to make the dinner extra special. These soup bowls are the perfect thing to serve it all up.

Regardless of how regularly your hosts entertain, they can always use napkins and other paper products. A fun idea is to purchase a basket and fill it with napkins, skewers, coasters, or any other paper product that can be used for a gathering. I once attended a wedding shower, and a guest gave the bride-to-be a gift of napkins for every season. So, when the new bride entertained throughout the year, she would always have special napkins to share.

So the next time you are invited to your neighbors for a bar-b-que, I hope you have been inspired to bring along a little something special for your host to go along with your famous baked beans!