Our annual summer Hostess Gift blog is always one of our most popular posts of the year, and we’re back with more suggestions.
Summer is full of entertaining—BBQs, outdoor drinks, weekend visits to friends’ houses—and we are all looking for hostess gifts that are actually useful and appreciated, not just stuffed in a drawer. We love finding ways to help you show your appreciation, and this year’s list includes new suggestions and a few repeats of some FabList favorites.
Pro Tip: Buy ahead and stockpile! Order 6 of an item, and you’ll be ready to go when the occasion hits.
You can also always find tons of additional Hostess Gifts on our site!
Short Visit: Cocktails, BBQ, or Dinner Party:
Cocktail culture is in full swing in summer, and your hosts might enjoy some big square ice cubes that keep cocktails cold without watering them down, as they don’t melt as quickly as smaller cubes. Plus, they make any cocktail look fancy and festive! Maybe gift one with a bottle of alcohol and a recipe for a fun drink?
Other bar items you can also give include any of these items (recently highlighted in our Father’s Day gift guide).
Stainless Steel 6-Piece Bar Set: For someone starting a bar from scratch, a full set is a good option.
Jigger: Be sure to get one with measurements on the inside for accuracy.
Koriko Weighted Shaking Tins: Koriko is the one to go with!
Strainer: A must for any bar.
Stirrer and Stirring Glass. A great addition to a home bar.
Muddler: Many home bars may not have this one yet!
Japanese Bar Knife: For peeling citrus.
Hand Soap: We can always use a fresh bottle, and people appreciate getting ‘the good stuff’ as a gift! The Resurrection Aromatique Hand Wash from Aesop is our go-to hand soap for hostess gifts.
BonBon Swedish Candy: We’ve written about these before, but are adding them here as they are always a crowd-pleaser! People say they don’t want candy… but just wait until they try these. The packaging is fun, and the sour mixes are especially popular.
BonBon Potato Chips: BonBon just launched a potato chip line! We’ve tried all four flavors (Sour Cream & Onion, Dill & Pickle, Truffle & Parmesan, and Salt & Vinegar) and can say these are DELICIOUS!
Mahjong Shufflers: If your hostess is a mahjong player, these are practical, festive items she probably doesn’t have yet. It makes tossing the tiles much easier and more fun, plus the rules are printed on them for easy reference! A great $15 gift.
We know candles are ‘passe’ as gifts, but we actually like them because we use them and don’t often buy them for ourselves. Quince has great candles at a great price that throw off a lot of scent. Chrissie loves their Marrakesh Mint, but check out their seasonal offerings. They recently launched diffusers, and Chrissie just got the Mint Diffuser and is loving how it makes her home smell fresh.
The Flamingo Estates Heirloom Tomato candle is so wonderful for a summer smell!
Longer (Overnight) Visits:
Food & Drink!
If you’ll be eating at least breakfast and possibly lunch and dinner at your hosts’ home, why not send them some goodies ahead of time? Goldbellly now offers ‘Taste of America’ boxes, where each box highlights the food of a specific city/state – these would make a great gift! Or perhaps a bunch of delicious (and Oprah-approved) English muffins from the famed Model Bakery in Napa for breakfast?! Some wonderful cheeses from Cowgirl Creamery in Petaluma for apps? Some Memphis BBQ ribs for dinner? Delicious Levain Bakery Cookies or the famous ‘Tom Cruise’ coconut cake for dessert – both are SO good! The choices are endless…and all are appreciated.
Ever since a friend brought Chrissie a variety of Burlap & Barrel spices as a hostess gift a couple of years ago, they have been a go-to gift for her to bring others who like to cook. They are awesome – so much better than the regular supermarket spices. The cinnamon, black lime & chili salt are her favorites.
Fill a beverage bucket/cooler with ice and a bottle of wine, and then gift them the cooler.
Activity-Based Gifts:
Pool Float/Item: If your getaway features a body of water, a fun pool toy is always a great gift!
Games/Puzzles:
Dominoes: A nice set of dominoes makes a great gift and looks good on a coffee table when not in use.
Throw a few fun games into a beach tote
Flowers or Greenery:
Send a beautiful bouquet of flowers ahead of time from Bouqs
…or why not a beautiful plant that will last much longer and can even be planted outside?
Household Items:
Plan ahead and have a lucite tray personalized with the family name, address, house name, etc. If you’re doing a group gift, you could add some of the bar items listed above to go on the tray.
Chrisie LOVES her Lola blanket, as does everyone we know! They are not inexpensive (!), so it would be a great group gift. One friend recently said she was on a girls’ trip and everyone just wanted to use that blanket during the hangout time. The weight and softness are perfect.
Bath & Beauty Items:
Korean Face Masks: On a recent girls’ trip, Chrissie gave everyone face masks, which everyone put on after dinner one night. Why not gift a box of masks for the hostess to use later, or for a fun ‘bonding’ exercise during the getaway? Biodance is our favorite.
Basket of Korean Skincare: We recently were in Korea and are full believers in their products, which are top quality at a terrific price point. Who wouldn’t love a basket full of serum, PRDN eye and lip serum, sunscreen, and barrier cream?
Great Tote: We love this tote, which can also be monogrammed. Comes in blue or red (with a navy interior).
For a more traditional canvas tote, which can also be monogrammed with the family name (or location name, or whatever you want), L.L.Bean is always a great option.
Big Group Gift
Ooni Pizza Oven: These convert any backyard into a pizza party!
Yeti Cooler: These keep things cold for SO LONG and are very appreciated. You can even fill them with beverages, cheeses, etc., to bring the party! The one with wheels is very handy because coolers get heavy when fully loaded and are a struggle to move around.
The Corivan Wine Preservation System is a great group gift, or a very generous individual gift, that lets you take a single glass of wine from a bottle and keep the rest fresh for weeks.
Countertop Pebble Ice Machine: Chrissie & friends gave this to Jo and her family after a visit, and it is so loved that it now travels with Jo’s family on vacations!
