Maybe if you were known for bringing gifts like these, you'd get invited to next year's Broad Summit.
Thanksgiving is coming up soon — well, not for you Canadians, you guys already had yours so I guess you’re just shit out of luck — but for the Americans, maybe you’re thinking about stuff to bring with you as a host/hostess gift. I don’t know, do people give hostess gifts anymore? I think people usually just forgo the hostess gift for a bottle of wine or some flowers, but I’m an alcoholic and always feel a little weird about giving wine. For one thing, how am I supposed to know if it’s any good or not? And also, when I hand it over, then the hostess is either like, “Oh, let’s have a glass with dinner,” and I’ll have to explain, or it makes the person feel strange because they don’t know how to act if an alcoholic gives them alcohol. So, I’ll go with flowers, which are always nice, but why not give something that’s cool and will last? You know, the kind of gift that you’d probably not buy for yourself because you don’t really need it, but that you wouldn’t mind receiving? Here are some ideas for things to bring to your hosts at the holidays (or anytime) that will make a good conversation starter.
- East And West Coasters. Thanks to Kerry for 1) reminding me about Elsewares, which is a great resource for unusual and cool gifts, and 2) for alerting me to these East and West Coasters. Good for family members who are spread out across the country, as many of mine are. I might get some for The Stiletto Mom, lest she starts to suspect our beef has been resolved — ain’t no party like a West Coast party.
- Puzzle Serving Board. This might not work so well for parties with more than six people. But who wants more than six people at a party, anyway? Who am I, Puffy?
- Split Salt and Pepper Shakers. All of the rest of these are by Fred & Friends, the witty company who brought us the Air Fork One. This Split Salt and Pepper Shaker is from their new line, and you can buy them online through Perpetual Kid beginning in November.
- Half Pint Creamer. Also by Fred and Friends, the Fred and Friends Half Pint Creamer
is available through Amazon.
- Good Chemistry Salt and Pepper Shakers. I should have just done a list of five cool salt and pepper shakers from Fred and Friends, huh? These are perfect for the geek in your life — science geek, that is. English nerds will get the joke, but this is an isolated case where the subtleties might be wasted on them.
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I freakin’ love those coasters.
In my in-law family, a hostess gift consists of food. Specifically, instead of bringing the thing you were assigned to bring (because I MUST assign them to bring something, because it their world all gatherings are potluck and their heads explode if you try and do anything else), you bring other stuff too. Like, you were told to bring a pie, so you bring a pie PLUS a 2 ft x 3 ft cake, PLUS a salad that is made with apples, cut up Snickers bars, and Cool Whip (I’m not making that up), PLUS six dozen cookies, PLUS the brownies that are left over from your work party that have been sneezed over 67 times by your coworkers, PLUS another salad made with Jell-O AND Cool Whip, PLUS a half-eaten tin of candy that someone else made for you to make up for that one time she left you to clean up the concession stand at the high school football game all by yourself so she could rush off to a 4H rabbit judging thing.
Multiply this by numerous in-laws and add in a “Wait, you’re not going to eat ANY turkey?” when I’ve been a vegetarian since the mid-90s and…well, happy holidays!
Kerry, can we revisit the snickers bar salad for a moment?
I know, right?
Not that it’s not delicious…but my god.
Oh, and also, if someone brings Jell-O “salad” to your Thanksgiving, it’s considered a salad and must be served as a meal. Even if it’s actually half Jell-O and half Cool Whip. I learned this a year or two ago, when I failed to put out these “salads” during the meal, assuming they were intended to be dessert.
Welcome to Wisconsin. Your spin classes are futile here.
I have pretty much completed all my holiday shopping thanks to you and this blog. Must have the chemistry shakers for my girlfriend (the chemistry teacher).
I’m glad you’ve got your shopping done! Ironically, I have not even started yet.
Howdy (because that’s what the cowgirls say)
Anna, greetings from Product Review Round-Up (url above), my new blog venture! I linked to your fabulous review of Neutrogena Body Oil but I can’t seem to comment on the posts from January and September lauding the many virtues of this product. So, here I am – on yet another one of your excellent product reviews – to thank you for your thoughtful evaluation of a product that I wish was still available in the giant industrial sized bottle at Costco, but sadly is not. Still, it’s worth the price for the smaller quantity as nothing beats this Body Oil’s ability to truly lock in moisture. I like to use it immediately after showering, slathering it on while my skin is still damp. The oil combines with the water to make a very agreeable oil slick. Strange but it works for me.
Anyway, we have you linked under “Beauty & Personal Care”. Say it with me, Anna – yee-haw!
Thanks and Happy Trails,
Grace and Tiffany
Wranglers, Product Review Round-Up