Practical Hostess Gifts That Will Save Thanksgiving Day!
Do you want to impress your host or hostess this Thanksgiving Day or Christmas Day?… (or any day for that matter). Well, forget the bottle of wine! Instead, try one of these practical hostess gifts for Thanksgiving that will save the day! Don’t just be a guest, be a hero!
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Practical Hostess Gifts for Thanksgiving and Beyond:
(Gift List is updated for 2023)
As we approach Thanksgiving and the holiday season, at some point you’ll be asking, “What should I bring?”
Even if your host doesn’t need you to bring a dish, it’s always nice to bring a hostess gift.
Luckily, I made it easy for you with some ideas for practical hostess gifts for Thanksgiving and beyond.
Here’s a unique spin on the hostess gift idea…
The “Things You Forgot to Buy” Basket:
Most likely, your host will have forgotten to buy a few things at the store.
Unfortunately, he or she won’t realize it until the last minute. But it’s totally okay because YOU will come to the rescue with some of these useful and unique hostess gift ideas. (Just display them nicely in a cute basket and be sure to refrigerate as necessary.)
- Lemons – because Uncle Larry will need one for his vodka tonic.
- Tonic Water – Just in case the host only remembered to buy vodka…and forgot the tonic. (I’m speaking from experience.)
- Whipped cream – because you know someone will be asking for some with their dessert.
- Brillo Pads – What? You’re laughing at Brillo pads? What kind of person brings Brillo pads as a hostess gift, you ask? Someone who saves the day, that’s who. Imagine this scenario…. The exhausted hostess is scrubbing away on that baked on mess at the end of an exhausting evening. She reaches under the sink for a scouring pad or something with a little more muscle than the wimpy little dish rag she’s been using. Darn, she realizes she forgot to replenish her supply…what will she do?… “Wait a minute, didn’t my favorite guest bring me the best hostess gift ever? Yes, here it is! The box of Brillo. Our dinner party has been saved!” You’re welcome…
- Scouring Pads – Just in case you can’t pull off the box of Brillo pads suggested above…
Ideas for a “Dinner Party Essentials” Bag (Practical Hostess Gift):
These are helpful gifts that your Thanksgiving host probably already owns…but may appreciate extras:
- Dish Soap and Hand Soap– plus the seasonal scents ones are always nice!
- Tapered Candles- You can’t go wrong with everyday basic ivory candles and these are drip-less too.
- Basic Matches or if you want to go more decorative, these holiday themed books of matches are cute. After all, you never know when you might need to light a candle. Hopefully, no one smokes these days so it’s not like people are carrying around lighters anymore!
- Can Opener – This is one of the items I like to keep in duplicates for any last minute emergencies.
- Pretty dish towels or even plain bar wipes for clean up. Just wrap them in a bow and you have an instant and practical gift. *Remember, anything becomes extra special when you wrap a pretty bow around it!
- For more helpful and practical gifts for Thanksgiving, you might want to also take a look at my list of 5 favorite kitchen items for ideas!
Practical Hostess Gift Ideas for the Newbie Entertainer:
Hosting Thanksgiving dinner or entertaining for the first time can be stressful.
We’ve all been there, right? Help the new hostess out with a few useful entertaining necessities:
- Set of Cheese Knives – a practical Thanksgiving hostess gift that can be used anytime.
- Drink Coasters – I really like these adorable farmhouse style coasters or if you want to go really rustic…these wooden ones are fun!
- Kitchen Fire Extinguisher – because you must be prepared for a kitchen disaster! **Only bring this practical gift if your host has a sense of humor.
- Flowers for the table – because that newbie host may have forgotten a Thanksgiving centerpiece. Of course, make sure you show up with the flowers already in a vase. Be sensible…you don’t want to give your frazzled Thanksgiving host/hostess an extra chore of looking for one. Also, think about choosing a short flower arrangement so the flowers won’t block conversation at the Thanksgiving dinner table…unless you actually want to do that!
- The Easiest Dessert Ever – Recently, I came across cannoli chips and dip! If you love cannolis but don’t love the mess when you bite into them, give the chips a try! If you want to see how I displayed them when I bought them, head over to this blog post.
Which brings us to…
Helpful Hostess gifts ideas to save the day if the conversation turns political:
Yes, sometimes even adults need a distraction!
If you want to be the peacemaker this Thanksgiving, choose one of these creative yet practical hostess gifts:
- A funny family game – This one is on my Christmas list and is great for the whole family!
- Another Fun Family Game – great gift for a large group! After all, you can’t go wrong with party games!
- Brand New Game from our Favorite Internet Family! – We can’t wait to play this one!
And if you can’t avoid political arguments, you might just have to by someone this funny wine bag!
Practical Thanksgiving hostess gifts to keep the little ones busy:
Keep those little rascals from getting in the way with these practical gift ideas for kids:
- Popular Coloring Books or a Holiday coloring book, and crayons.
- An Educational Puzzle
- An Engaging Game – Who else played this as a kid?…
Now, my last practical hostess gift idea:
This gift will save the host from giving away all her food storage containers…
- Disposable Takeout Boxes – At the end of the evening, guests can pack up a neat little box to take home any dinner or dessert leftovers. This way, they don’t have to borrow storage containers. You know people never remember to return those anyway. (I know this because I am one of those people!)
Now, you can plan ahead for your next event:
Put together some unique hostess gifts or even throw together some last minute ones.
Either way, I hope my list of Thanksgiving hostess gift ideas gives you some alternatives to the typical bottle of wine.
Cheers to saving Thanksgiving day… you hero, you!
Which is your favorite practical hostess gift idea for Thanksgiving?
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Great suggestions – Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Thanks, Patti! Happy Thanksgiving to you too!
I love that Meyer’s hand soap!
Me too! I always buy a bunch of the holiday scented ones because they disappear so fast!
These are awesome ideas. I have the funny game ready to take with me. 😉 Happy Thanksgiving!
Thanks, Rita! Happy Thanksgiving to you too!
These are all great ideas!
Thanks Paula! Hope you are getting a lot done this weekend!
Thank you for sharing at #OverTheMoon. Pinned and shared. Have a lovely week. I hope to see you at next week’s party too! Happy Holiday!
Thanks for sharing and pinning, Marilyn! Enjoy your weekend!
Congratulations! Your post was my feature pick at #OverTheMoon this week. Each Hostess displays their own features so be sure to visit me on Sunday evening and to see your feature! I invite you to leave more links to be shared and commented upon. Please don’t forget to add your link numbers or post title so we can be sure to visit!
Great suggestions, Shelley! I can’t stand it when people hand me flowers with no container. Have a great week.
Thank you! I know what you mean…who needs another project! Enjoy your week!