Holiday Gift Ideas for a Host

It is highly likely that you’ll be invited to more than a few gatherings this holiday season. With the flood of invitations comes the tricky navigation of being a good guest. While I recently listened to an excellent podcast, Every Little Thing interviewing Emily Post’s great-great-granddaughter on how to be the ultimate guest, sometimes we need to step outside of the box when it comes to a host gift. Of course it’s always easy to default to a bottle of wine or an appetizer. However, it is high time we strive for more useful and thoughtful gifts that actually has the person in mind especially since not everyone drinks! Why not give your host a gift they will be able to enjoy on their own time? A gift just for them. Here are a few holiday gift ideas for a host:

The holiday season has barely started but you’re helping your host dive right into the new year with a gorgeous yet functional gift. Planning future days has never been more attractive than with the . This wall calendar features the classic floral illustrations RPC is known for all on heavyweight paper which I always repurpose at the end of the year. The gift of organization is an underappreciated one.

Not all of us are lucky enough to have a fireplace, so a good smelling woodsy candle is a great stand in. There are SO MANY forest-y candles to choose from but I have a few favourites that have perfected this genre of scent. There are two categories: smokey woods or straight up woodsy. For the fireside smells, my favourites are:

SMOKEY FIRESIDE CANDLES
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FULL ON FOREST CANDLES
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The (formerly Google Home) is a great little addition to a party. They have the ability to control the music playlists, ask last minute food prep questions, and find out what’s on their calendar with Google Assistant. It’s almost as if we’re living in the world the Jetson’s dreamed up….

If you’re set on bringing some type of beverage, why not elevate that idea with a cocktail caddy? Though there are many variations on the market,  I would recommend going to the thrift store and creating a custom one. There is NO shortage of antique barwares to be thrifted. You could include vintage cocktail glasses, deadstock napkins, picks (for drink garnishes), and coasters to name a few. Top it off with new bitters and a spirit. Thankfully nowadays it’s easier to find non-alcoholic spirits such as or even the newly launched non-alcoholic Tequila, Almave, by Lewis Hamilton.

And that concludes my brief list of holiday gift ideas for a host. If none of these gifts resonated with you, maybe this thought will. When you’re trying to conjure up an idea for a gift, ask yourself what would be a useful for the recipient that they might not be able to justify buying themselves. This doesn’t necessarily mean expensive either. While I have spoken of specific items, this list can be used as a general outline and replaced with similar things. For instance, the calendar doesn’t have to be Rifle Paper Co, perhaps you whip something up of your own and have it printed for all your friends. Everything is expensive these days so working within the confines of your budget while still being thoughtful is the ultimate goal.