What Gift to Bring Hostess?

Hi there. I will be visiting my boss and his wife in New Mexico (staying at their guest house) at the end of this month. They invited me and my spouse to come and stay with them for a few days, and then we will travel on to visit some other areas on our own. I am having trouble coming up with a nice gift to present to her (well, both of them, actually) that isn't cheezy, tacky or something they really don't want or need (geez I am making this difficult!) These folks are classy but not the "flaunting" kind. Does anyone have any suggestions of what the heck I can give? It has to be something I can pack on the plane trip there to. Oh lordy please help me!

I think consumables are good hostess gifts. Do they like chocolate? Wine? Coffee? Smoked salmon? etc...

My dad's cousin's wife is from Taiwan and she will often bring a selection of teas from Taiwan when they visit my folks.

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Originally Posted by Zeek

Hi there. I will be visiting my boss and his wife in New Mexico (staying at their guest house) at the end of this month. They invited me and my spouse to come and stay with them for a few days, and then we will travel on to visit some other areas on our own. I am having trouble coming up with a nice gift to present to her (well, both of them, actually) that isn't cheezy, tacky or something they really don't want or need (geez I am making this difficult!) These folks are classy but not the "flaunting" kind. Does anyone have any suggestions of what the heck I can give? It has to be something I can pack on the plane trip there to. Oh lordy please help me!

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Do they drink? A nice bottle of wine (or 2) always seems like a nice treat. Any hobbies you know of? Maybe some other nice edibles? I always appreciate things I don't have to store long term.

Tickets to a symphony?
Fresh arrangement or something unique that can be planted in a garden?

It's always nice to bring something special from where you live. If you live in wine country, bring some local wine. We had some special rice floating around Arkansas for a while, so I brought some of that to a Xmas party in Tennessee once.

A friend of mine makes organic seasoned olive oil, and it makes a wonderful gift. She grows everything except the olives, and it's lovely to eat and beautiful to see.

You can go and buy all that stuff in any gourmet or gift shop, but it would mean more if you can say, "My friend made this" or "this is only grown in my area".

Karen

It's pretty hard to bring wine on a plane these days since you can't carry it on. Then there are the extra baggage fees.

But something special from your area is good.

I agree with the idea of something that will be eaten or drank.

Olive oils can be fantastic, paired with a fancy balsamic (some of which can be expensive). Wine is good if you know them well enough to know that they do drink.

Euro-style, you should always bring your hostess flowers. Not red roses, though...

Wine, or a bottle of good schnapps always works well with the menfolk. Sometimes you even get to help him drink it... ;-)

Tom

I would agree bringing something from one's local area if not a big deal to get.

If I was visiting someone in New Mexico, most definitely I would bring smoked salmon. It is the best from our area (I noticed that Alburqueque and Santa Fe didn't have many sushi restaurants when we visited those places a few years ago.. :rolleyes:...which surprised me because they are cosmopolitan places.)

I have brought unusual/tropical fresh fruit for them to try. This works well with friends that you know but know it's expensive/rare to buy in their area.

What I would bring might depend the cultural background of the people that I was visiting. Even in Canada. Fresh cut flowers for the hostess is definitely a European thing. Amongst older Asian generation (like of my parents' generation), this might be abit "foreign" even puzzling to them...unless one of them was a gardener.

It is a lovely, simple gesture among traditional Asians to bring a few beautiful large oranges, tangerines, peaches, etc. for your guests...if you are on a budget.

I usually bring something local when I visit.

We have Charleston-grown tea, locally ground grits and some SC plantation grown rice. I often take a gift bag of South Carolina regional goodies.

Sometimes I take South Carolina travel mugs (our state flag/emblem) and locally-made soaps.