Your Hostess Gift Guide

Whenever you are invited to someone’s home for an evening or longer visit, it is appropriate to bring a hostess gift. This token helps to thank your hostess for the time, money, and energy she devoted to making your visit a good one. Hostess gifts can range from bottles of wine to Arte Italica tabletop accessories, and the size of your present should be determined by the significance of your stay; a weekend visit to a friend’s cottage warrants a larger gift than a two-hour dinner party, for example.

Although wine is often considered a classic hostess gift, this present is actually fraught with problems. First, unless you know that your hostess drinks alcohol, you can’t be sure that your gift will even be used. Additionally, wine is a temporary gift – after the bottle is empty and the glasses washed, what will be left of your present?

For a more lasting gift, we recommend choosing among the tabletop accessories and beverage dispensers from top brands like Arte Italica. If you’re worried about the expense, you might consider organizing a cumulative present from several guests, thus ensuring that your hostess receives one enduring gift, as opposed to half a dozen bottles of wine.