Saying Thank You - Gifts for Your Hostesses

During this season of our lives, Brad and I have been showered with love by so many people that mean so much to us.  There really isn't a way to adequately say "Thank You" to those people that spend so much time and money to make a day feel so special for you and your family, but I always enjoy trying!

These are our sweet hostesses for the Arlington and Sulphur Springs showers that helped us get ready for our sweet baby girl.  (They also happen to be some of the same hostesses that gave our wedding showers.)

With the holidays right around the corner, lots of friends and family will be hosting parties that you'll attend as well, and it would be a nice gesture to surprise them with a little "Thank You" gift as well.

So how do you let them know you appreciate them?

1.  Say It.  First of all, TELL them thank you (before, during, and after the event).  Like I said, you won't really be able to adequately thank them for all they've done, but you can sure try!

2. Write It.  On the Hostess Gift you are going to present them, add some sort of handmade or handwritten card that tells them how much you appreciate them for what they did for you.  You can make this personal to each hostess, or make it personal to the event if there are multiple hostesses.

For the Baby Showers that were given in honor of our sweet little girl, I attached the following note to each of the hostess gifts:

I created this thank you card from the theme on the invitation of our first

shower, and printed it in business card size for the first set of hostess gifts

and 4x6 photo size for the second set of gifts.

3.  Gift It.  You might not be able to thank your hostess as much as you'd like to, but coming up with a creative or thoughtful gift will definitely make an impact.  Don't think that you have to spend a whole lot of money either.  They have offered to host an event where you were invited or even in your honor, so they knew that it would require some time and money.

Both of our showers for Bryleigh were given during the Fall season, so I knew that I could do something related to that.  I also made the gifts personal in using the "Sugar and Spice" quote considering we'll be having a baby girl.  This line of thought is what led me to the idea of the muffins and cookies.  I've craved a whole lot of cinnamon during the pregnancy, so I thought it would add a personal touch to include that in the gifts.  Both of those items covered the "Sugar" category.

Brad picked out the "Spice" portion of the hostess gift for the Arlington shower by suggesting Bath and Body Works gift sets from the new Fall line.  It was PERFECT!

Sugar - Cinnamon Creme Coffe Cake (muffins) - Homemade!

Spice - Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin gift set from Bath and Body Words

The ladies that helped host our Sulphur Springs shower had been requesting some of my dad's famous Hopkins County Stew (they were sad to miss the Stew Festival a few weeks ago!), so I knew that was the PERFECT "Spice" item to have for them.  I purchased the jars at Ikea and then asked my dad if he would "help" with the stew.  (He ended up making the whole batch himself...)  Needless to say, they jumped up and down when Brad and I walked over and handed them their jars!  It was the perfect way to let them know how much we appreciated all they had done for us.

Sugar = Snickerdoodle cookies from Tiff's Treats (My all time favorite cookies!!)

Spice = Hopkins County Stew - Homemade!

If you are looking for some ideas for an upcoming party, give these a try!

Baby Showers:

1. Sugar and Spice (as shown above) for the hostesses of a Baby Girl shower.

2. Manicure/Pedicure set (or gift card to a local salon) - "Thank you for making sure our little lady is perfectly polished."  You could also purchase a bottle of polish in the color representing your gender and simply add a tag for "It's a Boy!" or "It's a Girl!"

3. Monogrammed umbrella - "Thank you for showering us with love."

4. Shower gift set (bubble baths, lufas, shampoo, conditioner, razors, etc) - "From our shower to yours. Thanks for sharing your love today."

5. Do a little "DIY" project.  When you buy supplies to put cute gifts together, you can end up spending a lot less than if you were to go out and buy that item in the store, and the gift comes with a very personal touch because you took the time to make the gift.  Ideas include: magnetic chalkboard signs on silver platters, wooden picture frames, crosses, or monograms, stationary, etc.  (If you have sewing/embroidery skills, then you're sure to wow them with some homemade, personalized gifts!)

Wedding Showers:

1. Personalized address stamps
2. Candle holders, crosses, and other home decor pieces
3. Candles! My all time favorite candle would have to be Bird of Paradise by Circle E...there's nothing wrong with sharing some of YOUR favorite things in the form of a "Thank You" gift for your hostesses.
4. One of my favorite ideas would be a cookbook wrapped in a dishtowel with a cooking utensil of some sort tied on the outside.
5. A cutting board (could be customized depending on your budget) with a cheese knife

Holiday Parties:
1. Spa in a Jar (or a gift card to the spa) - Who doesn't want a cute mason jar filled with lots of goodies??  And after hosting a holiday party in the middle of the holiday season, your hostess is sure to need some "spa" time.  This can include bath salts, sugar scrubs, bubble baths, lufas, etc.  **If you'd like to spend a little more, you could do a monogrammed robe and slippers.
2. Homemade goodies on a festive platter.  The holidays always tend to bring out the inner baker in everyone, so while you are whipping up some sweet treats for your family, set some aside for your hostesses.  You can give them something that will last a little longer by putting those treats on a festive platter or reusable bags/boxes.
3. Personalized items.  There are countless websites where you can add monograms or names to just about anything.  Some of my favorites would be the planners, scarves, and stationary.
4. Hostesses of your Holiday Parties probably have a heart for hosting a lot of parties...all the time...for any occasion, so any gifts they could use to prepare for a party or during the party would make for a great way to say "Thank You."  These could include aprons, personalized baking dishes or carriers, or pretty much any item from Williams-Sonoma!
5. Holiday parties usually mean COLD weather, so a nice Hot Chocolate basket filled with your favorite hot chocolate mix, marshmallows and/or whip cream, and some cute holiday mugs (or those nice travel mugs if they are on the go a lot) are a great way to help your hostess relax after the last guest has left and the last piece of silver is put away.