In case it’s not already obvious, I’m a very set-in-my-ways introvert. If I socialize with you, it’s because I love you 100,000 percent because being social really pushes me beyond the lines of my comfort zone. But when it comes to those select few in my circle, there’s pretty much no limits to the gift I would give. Which brings me to today’s blog post topic: hostess gifts. Since I don’t often attend social gatherings, I put a lot of thought into how I can shower my hosts and hostesses with love. I happened upon this video on the Magnolia Network YouTube channel all about three timeless hostess gift ideas, and it really inspired me to think deeper and more thoughtfully about the welcome gifts that I give to those who open their homes to me, and I thought it was worth sharing with all of you.

Truth be told, I’ve actually been planning this post for months because I wanted to make sure it had authentic ideas that anyone could use. My goal was to list tips that were easy to follow and simple to replicate whether you’re a seasoned socializer, or a once-every-two-years socializer, like me. These gift ideas truly feel easy enough to throw together without coming off as forced. Keep scrolling for the lovely, organic, unpretentious ideas that I was inspired to create, as originally designed by Kate Martindale and Amy Neunsinger, of Magnolia Network.

Vintage Specialty Tea Set

My tea ritual is really important to me. I love to curl up in the morning with a steaming cup of chai or mint tea, so I was drawn to the idea of passing that moment along. For this hostess gift, I filled a wooden box like this with crinkle cut paper (or you can use wood shavings, as they show in the YouTube video), and then I finished things off with specialty loose leaf tea packaged in these clear wrappers and velvet ribbon from Michael’s. As a bonus, since the particular tea I chose was loose leaf, I also tucked an inexpensive tea infuser into the box. The vintage tea cup I included came from one of our local antique stores, which makes for a good story to tell our hostess.

Wrapped Herbs And Bread Board

Homemade bread is one of my personal favorite things to have on hand in our household, especially since my dad makes it for all of us almost weekly. I love the idea of wrapping one of his loaves up with a reusable kitchen towel along with a new or vintage bread board like this, and a few sprigs of my own home-grown sprigs of herbs. If the party is charcuterie- or cheese-related, the bread and herbs can be used right away at the party, or they can easily be repurposed for the hostess’s weekly meal plan later on. I specifically sought out a cloth towel that could be wrapped fully around even an oversized bread board, and since it came in a 2-pack, I was able to tuck one away for our own home—bonus!

Fresh Herb Bouquet

Of all the gift ideas I picked up from Kate Martindale and Amy Neunsinger, I think this is my favorite. It’s so simple, and makes such good use of what a person might already have on hand—namely a vintage vessel and a handful of fresh herbs. I just recently started keeping a collection of container herbs on our porch, which is where I sourced the herbs for the bouquet that you see pictured here. But if you have access to a farmer’s market, you should be able to grab a bunch there for only a handful of dollars—and you’d be supporting a local grower, too, of course.

As for the vessel, I pulled from my own overflowing collection of vintage vases to sink my cut herb branches into, and it worked perfectly. If you’re anything like me, you can’t resist a good vase or ceramic dish while secondhand shopping, so this is the perfect moment to pull from that hoard and pass along your extras to a deserving host or hostess. Fresh herbs are easy to repurpose for their own personal dishes throughout the week, plus the fragrance of fresh cut herbs just can’t be beat. Think of it like a bouquet of flowers, but more functional.

I personally feel like we’ve all collectively lost touch a little bit when it comes to these types of gifting opportunities. We either buy something last minute that our friends realistically probably won’t use, or we default to a bottle of wine. It’s easy to opt for routine, but what if we all tried to think out of the box? These ideas from Kate Martindale and Amy Neunsinger don’t cost much more than “normal” hostess gifts (in fact, some might be significantly more affordable), but they are infinitely more thoughtful, I think. Try one out the next time you head off to a party, and let me know how it goes!

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