Gifts For The Host/tess
Candles – DUH!
I mean really, it’s the best gift ever! Nothing says ‘I love you (and your holiday party)’ like a Voluspa candle. Plus if you wait for a sale at a place like Anthropologie or grab a 3-pack at Sephora, you can get these candles like Voluspa, Capri, for less than 10 bucks! YAY! Best friend ever! Plus you can reuse the cute container — look at this crafty person who planted succulents in the tins!
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Fun Wine Stopper
Buy a couple multi-packs of some wine stopper (Funny sayings, Birds!, Winter Beanie Hats!) and throw it in the bag with the wine you bring to the party. It’s a funny little thing the host/ess can keep after the party is over.
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Baby Succulent
Head to your local nursery, or even Amazon, or maybe you’re one of those green thumb gals who has successfully propagated succulents from cuttings. Whatever your method, this is nice pop of green is the middle of usually gray weather.
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Something local: honey, coffee, cocktail mixer, candy, soap/lotion
Hit up your local farmer’s market, craft fair, or boutique and stock up for party season! In LA, some of my favorites are: Lincoln’s Little Flower Sea Salt Caramels, No-Tox Life‘s entire body line, and Bloom Honey (love the Sage or Orange Blossom). I wanna hear about the local goodies you like gifting and if anyone knows of a LA or OC based SALT company, I’d love to hear about it!
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Fun Pin for your Nerdy Friend
These are best ‘happys’ to get! I have so many and love looking for new pins whether at Cons or out and about in Comic stores and boutiques. Check out local stores or hit up and Wild Fang or Witchsy for your bad ass lady friends, and Yesterdays for the nerdy folks.
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An Advent Calendar
If you have a Trader Joe’s near you, they have Advent Calendars for 99 cents, plus last year they had a “fancy” one for 4.99. It’s a fun little gift to highlight the anticipation of the season.
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Then there’s the parties where you bring food to share… I love cooking so I’ve been pinning recipe ideas that I think would be great to take to a party. Or at least a good excuse to take pictures of a failed Pinterest recipe and audition for Nailed It!
Spinach Dip Christmas Tree from It’s Always Autumn
Spinach dip baked inside of bread?! YES, please! Someone make this and tell me if you can really make this defined tree or it turns into a blob!
Recipe here at It’s Always Autumn.
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Garlic Herb Tomato Goat Cheese Dip from Cookie Rookie
There are a few of my favorite thiiiiings! Tomatoes, garlic, and goat cheese all baked into a dip. Perfect for bread and veggies and sharing.
Recipe here at The Cookie Rookie.
Sausage and Stuffing Balls
One of my favorite dishes to make at Thanksgiving is my mom’s family’s southern dressing. The original recipe makes two HUGE pans. I usually end up cutting the recipe in half but this might be an excuse to make the whole recipe and use it in these little finger foods! Plus there’s a cranberry dipping sauce, so it screams holidays!
Recipe here at I Should Be Mopping The Floor
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Or you know, just bring a bottle of booze and everyone will be happy! Hope you have a blast at your holiday parties! Please share your favorite party recipes to share, and host/ess gifts to give in the comments!
