If you’re attending Thanksgiving dinner at someone else’s house this year, you’re probably in the market for a hostess gift. Don’t know what to bring? I’ve got 16 ideas for creative, thoughtful, inexpensive hostess gifts to bring with you to dinner this Thanksgiving.
First thing’s first, your default hostess gifts are probably wine and/or flowers. I urge you to think outside the box and avoid bringing wine or flowers to your host or hostess this Thanksgiving (or ever). Now, don’t feel bad if you’ve brought wine or flowers as hostess gifts before. This is a no shame zone. Just maybe adopt a new go-to hostess gift (good thing I’ve compiled a list for you).
Why am I suggesting you abandon the practice of bringing wine or flowers as a hostess gift this Thanksgiving? Let’s start with wine. Some people don’t drink wine and the ones who do are usually really picky about the wine they drink. If your host falls into either of these categories, what results is a pantry full of dusty wine bottles that will literally never be consumed. Eventually, your host will finally make peace with this fact and toss the lot down the sink. Right, mom? Flowers can also be problematic, but for different reasons. First off, they create immediate work for your host, which is not really what you want for your hostess. Flowers are also notorious for being allergens, and you really don’t want your host taken out by an allergic reaction.
You might be thinking ok, what are the best hostess gifts then? I’ve got your back. I’ve compiled a nice list of creative, thoughtful, and inexpensive hostess gifts that work great for Thanksgiving but can be used throughout the holiday season. Ready to find a new default hostess gift? Let’s go!
Thanksgiving Hostess Gifts
Baking dish
My go-to hostess gift, especially when I’ve offered to make a dish to share at the event, is a baking dish. I simply go to my local Home Goods or TJ Maxx or Marshall’s and find a lovely and budget-friendly baking dish. Pick something white so it goes with everything and can be used year-round. I then use the baking dish when I make my offering to the gathering and make it clear to the hostess that she should keep the dish as her hostess gift. It looks a lot better than a disposable foil pan and does double duty as a hostess gift. It’s a great option.
Candy
Unless you know that your hostess has sworn off sugar, a gift of candy is a welcome one. And while there is nothing wrong with bringing your hostess a family size package of her favorite grocery store candy, I like to opt for a little fancier candy when I’m bringing it as a hostess gift because she wouldn’t necessarily buy fancy candy for herself. Think truffles, peppermint bark, gourmet gummy bears, etc. If you really want to round out the gift, head to Home Goods again and pick up a cute candy dish to present with the fancy candy.
Oil & vinegar
Really nice oil and vinegar are wonderful hostess gifts. It really checks all the boxes. It’s useful, visually appealing, reasonably priced, and something people don’t typically buy themselves. I mean who doesn’t like a little bread dipped in oil and vinegar? It’s my husband’s favorite food group. If your host or hostess eats bread, it would really make a nice round gift to add a baguette to the oil and vinegar set you set.
Tea or coffee
Caffeine is a great hostess gift, especially at Thanksgiving! For anyone who has ever hosted Thanksgiving dinner before, you know that it’s not a hard meal to cook, it’s just a marathon of a cooking event. That means your hostess has likely been working hard for days to put together the meal on the buffet before you and she’s probably pretty tired. Especially if she has had kids underfoot while trying to pull it off. Help her recover with her favorite caffeine source. I would suggest a fancy tea that she wouldn’t necessarily buy herself. Grab a nice mug and a honey dipper to make a truly beautiful gift.
Vanilla extract
I don’t know about you, but I use more vanilla extract in the month of December than I do the other 11 months of the year combined. That makes vanilla extract the perfect Thanksgiving hostess gift. If Christmas baking is in your hostess’ future, she will surely need vanilla extract, so get her the good stuff. You can even wrap it in a beautiful new dish towel to make a super cute presentation.
Homemade goodies
If you yourself like to mix it up in the kitchen, why not make something special for your hostess as your hostess gift? You couldn’t get easier (or more delicious) than candied nuts, but cookies, brownies, or puppy chow are also great options. If you want to take a page out of my mom’s book, you can make strawberry bread for your hostess. I promise your hostess will love it.
Mom’s Strawberry Bread
What you need
- 3 Cups flour
- 2 Cups white sugar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 4 eggs
- 1 ¼ Cups vegetable oil
- 1 bag frozen strawberries, thawed
How to make it
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease loaf pans (makes 3 medium loafs). Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Throw the thawed strawberries, eggs, and vegetable oil in the blender. Blend until smooth. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the blender concoction into the well. Stir until well combined. Bake for approximately 1 hour until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
Breadbasket
When you host anything, you’re probably going to serve some kind of bread. The best way to serve bread is in a basket on the table or on the buffet line. But be honest, how many of us actually have a breadbasket? That’s why a breadbasket is a great hostess gift. It’s something that is super useful, but not something people run out to buy for themselves. I would suggest a simple style and maybe a plain colored dish towel to line it for maximum versatility!
Disposable tableware
If you want to bring something to Thanksgiving as a hostess gift that isn’t food, but is food adjacent, cute disposable tableware is a great choice! I’m talking paper plates, napkins, cups, even cutlery. You can, of course, choose Thanksgiving themed items that your hostess can use immediately, but don’t be afraid to get Christmas patterns so she can use them for the next holiday or just something generically pretty for anytime use. If you go this route, please get the nice stuff. Stay away from anything Styrofoam or incredibly thin. Those aren’t really useful.
Simmer pot starter
Another kitchen gift that isn’t really food that would make a beautiful Thanksgiving hostess gift is a simmer pot starter. Now, we talked earlier about how great a simmer pot is at making your house feel like Fall, so why not share that feeling with your hostess? I especially like this gift idea because you can get your kids involved in assembly. Take a cellophane treat bag that you can find literally anywhere (check the Dollar Tree!) and add to it all the makings of a beautifully smelling simmer pot. I’m talking an orange, a few cinnamon sticks, some whole cloves, and a handful of fresh cranberries. Tie it with a festive ribbon and you’ve got yourself a thoughtful, inexpensive hostess gift.
Cookbook
I love cookbooks. Don’t get me wrong, I love a food blog (especially How Sweet Eats and Sally’s Baking Addiction), but there is something special about a cookbook. It’s so fun to leaf through it and tab all the pages of the recipes you want to try. I also find it really helpful to get my children involved in meal planning because it’s much easier for them to pick something from a physical book than from an internet page. If you love cookbooks too and want to spread their joy to your hostess, a cookbook is a great hostess gift. Pick your favorite or pick one that looks awesome and you can share! My favorite cookbook is How Sweet Eats’ Everyday Dinners, and a friend just gifted me What to Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking and it is A+.
Game
You don’t have to bring a hostess gift to Thanksgiving that has anything to do with food or the kitchen. In fact, sometimes it’s nice to mix things up a bit. What better way to mix things up on Thanksgiving than to bring a game to your hostess? Grab a nice deck of cards or a fun group game that you can play over pie and coffee after the main event. Some options that might inject some fun into your Thanksgiving gathering are Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza, Uno, and Apples to Apples.
Plant
I am not a fan of bringing flowers as your Thanksgiving hostess gift, but a low maintenance house plant can be the perfect thing to bring! The most important part of that sentence, though, is low maintenance. I have a black thumb that kills every plant that enters my property. If your hostess is like me and does the same, you definitely don’t want to get her a plant that requires a ton of effort and precise care. Because many of us don’t know the thumb colors of our friends and families, I would recommend that you just stick to something super easy like a succulent for your hostess gift.
If you know for a fact that your hostess is like me, you can even go for a high-quality fake plant. They’re getting so much more realistic, so this might be the move, even if you don’t know whether your hostess is notorious for killing poor, defenseless houseplants.
Wrapping paper
I’ve never seen anyone bring wrapping paper to Thanksgiving as a hostess gift but hear me out. I think this is genius (if I do say so myself). Bring your hostess a beautiful roll of Christmas or Hannukah wrapping paper for Thanksgiving or generic or birthday themed wrapping paper at other times. Wrapping paper is something that everyone needs, especially this time of year. Spring for the good, thick stuff and add some gift labels or beautiful ribbon to round out your gift. This is a sleeper perfect hostess gift, guys.
Ornament
Staying on the holiday products theme, an ornament makes a beautiful hostess gift. Of course this makes sense for Thanksgiving, as many people set up their Christmas trees right after Thanksgiving, but it can work for any gathering at any time of the year. People love to add new ornaments to their Christmas trees, especially ones that have a story. I would suggest that you put some thought into it. Know that your hostess is into pineapples? Find a beautiful pineapple ornament. Is your hostess’ kid into monster trucks? They make fun ornaments like monster trucks too! Get creative!
Hand soap
Another good seasonal hostess gift is a scented hand soap in a fun, festive scent. Everyone loves to have a little festive hand soap moment, especially in the powder room, but they don’t always want to splurge on something like hand soap. That’s why a seasonal hand soap makes a perfect hostess gift. Pair it with a festive hand towel for a complete gift.
Local products
I love to find little locally made gems. Everything from sauces and jams to housewares and art pieces. I bet I’m not the only one who likes to have little locally made things in my home. That’s why local products make great hostess gifts. Head to your local farm market or artisan fair and grab something special. It’s good to include a little bit of information for your hostess on where she can purchase more if she likes what you gift her.
Other posts
If you’re looking for other Thanksgiving-related posts, check out these posts:
Now you are well-equipped to bring a thoughtful hostess gift to Thanksgiving dinner that isn’t wine or flowers. Your hostess will adore you! What is your go-to hostess gift? Let me know in the comments or over on Instagram @sarainseason.
While that strawberry bread is still hot sprinkle a thin layer of powdered sugar on top of each loaf.