Gift for holiday host

[DrQ]

We will be invited to a dinner and I am considering a gift for the hosts.

We have been at their house before and in previous visits I have previously brought wine (I don't know what type of wine they enjoy), candied and spiced nuts and a Collin Street Bakery Deluxe Fruitcake. We have not received feedback on any of these gifts, so I don't know if they enjoyed them or not.

They are not directly in our circle but are related to my DS's family and they host my DD and her family when they are in town for holidays. We are friendly, but do not contact them directly.

This year I'm considering a bottle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil that is suitable for dipping and tasting.

Would you consider that a nice gift?

 

[clifffaith]

We will be invited to a dinner and I am considering a gift for the hosts.

We have been at their house before and in previous visits I have previously brought wine (I don't know what type of wine they enjoy), candied and spiced nuts and a Collin Street Bakery Deluxe Fruitcake. We have not received feedback on any of these gifts, so I don't know if they enjoyed them or not.

They are not directly in our circle but are related to my DS's family and they host my DD and her family when they are in town for holidays. We are friendly, but do not contact them directly.

This year I'm considering a bottle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil that is suitable for dipping and tasting.

Would you consider that a nice gift?

I’d rather have a special aged balsamic. If someone gave me a bottle of EVOO I’d find it a bit weird unless they just went on a special trip and it was a souvenir. On the other hand the woman I gave an expensive (to me—$25 for a very small bottle) bottle of balsamic to had no idea what to do with it.

 

[Hindsite]

In my view: Keep it simple, it is the act of giving the gift as a thank-you that is important. If there is a story to go with the EVOO that you can convey to make it more personal, then go with that, otherwise a mid range bottle of wine would be fine, assuming they drink. If the wine is not to their taste, then they can always pass it along to a friend or relative who would like it.

 

[bizaro86]

I find well under the majority in our social circle (younger generation than Tug average I suspect) drink alcohol. If I don't know that somebody does I would never assume. For gifts when invited somewhere we tend to go with a seasonal bouquet of flowers. This time of year we will often bring a poinsettia.

 

[stmartinfan]

You're a more creative gifter than most! Since you're done a nice variety so far, it seems fine to return to giving a bottle of wine this year. I keep a supply of nice wine gift bags to make it look more festive.

 

[DebraR]

If you're going for a holiday/Christmas dinner party, put a Christmas/holiday ornament around the wine bottle neck to act as a memento. I love getting ornaments for my tree. Everyone brings a bottle of wine.

 

[DrQ]

One of the things that I left out is that we will be traveling, so I will be packing the gift to go with us. I don't want to have to shop for a gift there.

 

[clifffaith]

You're a more creative gifter than most! Since you're done a nice variety so far, it seems fine to return to giving a bottle of wine this year. I keep a supply of nice wine gift bags to make it look more festive.

And for gosh sakes the “bag” stays with the bottle. At the end of a festive evening my cousin, who based on his wife’s position in the community and their social circle, certainly should have known better but somehow missed the memo, hunted down the Asian themed decorative wooden container that the wine bottle he and his wife brought arrived in and took it home. I found that very odd and Cliff and I talked about it after the fact. Fast forward two years, another holiday party and their bottle is in a cunning save-for-years nutcracker container. The wife made a pointed comment (while staring daggers at her husband) as we greeted them at the door that the container was part of the gift. Of course before I could stop myself I blurted out “well you’re not getting this one back!”

 

[1Kflyerguy]

Unless i know the person does not drink, I usually default to a bottle of wine that I would enjoy. At least in my circle of friends, more often than not the bottle will be opened and consumed during the event.

 

[Tia]

... If there is a story to go with the EVOO that you can convey to make it more personal, then go with that, otherwise a mid range bottle of wine would be fine, assuming they drink. If the wine is not to their taste, then they can always pass it along to a friend or relative who would like it.

a card suggesting it's great for dipping/tasting attached.

We gave a relative several bottles of wine as a Christmas gift one year, only to hear years later they get all kinds of gift wine but they don't drink wine!

 

[DrQ]

a card suggesting it's great for dipping/tasting attached.

I was thinking of making a bag of herbs to include with the gift:

Ingredients​

• 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper
• 1 tablespoon freshly cracked black pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• 1 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1 1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
• 3 cloves garlic , freshly crushed or minced
• extra virgin olive oil

Instructions​

• Combine the crushed red pepper, black pepper, oregano, basil, parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, rosemary, sea salt and crush garlic. Mix well.
• If serving immediately, place the spice mixture in a shallow plate. Drizzle the desired amount of extra virgin olive oil over, serve. Wait to combine extra virgin olive oil and dry spices until right before serving.

I would omit the garlic and include the recipe printed on a card.

 

[DrQ]

Unless i know the person does not drink, I usually default to a bottle of wine that I would enjoy. At least in my circle of friends, more often than not the bottle will be opened and consumed during the event.

They drink wine, but have not served us wine. They have made comments about some wines for which they do not care. I have given them different wines in the past, from a dry white to sweet dessert wines as well as a red. If I don't get feedback, I find it hard to proceed.

 

[1Kflyerguy]

They drink wine, but have not served us wine. They have made comments about some wines for which they do not care. I have given them different wines in the past, from a dry white to sweet dessert wines as well as a red. If I don't get feedback, I find it hard to proceed.

Ok, that does create some challenges. I give you credit for continuing to try for a better solution.

 

[rapmarks]

I was thinking of making a bag of herbs to include with the gift:

Ingredients​

• 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper
• 1 tablespoon freshly cracked black pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• 1 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1 1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
• 3 cloves garlic , freshly crushed or minced
• extra virgin olive oil

Instructions​

• Combine the crushed red pepper, black pepper, oregano, basil, parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, rosemary, sea salt and crush garlic. Mix well.
• If serving immediately, place the spice mixture in a shallow plate. Drizzle the desired amount of extra virgin olive oil over, serve. Wait to combine extra virgin olive oil and dry spices until right before serving.

I would omit the garlic and include the recipe printed on a card.

I think it’s a great gift. But leave out the red pepper for mine.

 

[VacationForever]

If the problem is that you do not know whether they like the wine that you are planning on bringing, I would just buy one of those gift baskets with dried fruits, nuts, chocolate, cheeses, olive oil etc. Just a bottle of EVOO works as well, as in your original post.

 

[DrQ]

The plus is that I found a locally (Texas) produced olive oil which is more likely to be true EVOO as opposed to imported oil.

Hand Made by Texas Farmers | Texas Olive Ranch

Award-winning Texas olive oil. We are sustainable farmers, creating staples for your everyday. From pressing olive oil and balsamic vinegars, to creating all-natural, olive oil skincare.

texasoliveranch.com

 

[Talent312]

As seen on a morning TV show...
Wrap the wine bottle in an old necktie. Tape one end to the bottom and wrap around to the top. Then attach a tie clip to hold it in place... That way, someone can wear it as a bandana after drinking too much.

This Christmas, we're giving gift bags of Lindt's Lindor chocolate truffles - available online at Lindt.com - and blackberry preserves from the Smoky Mountains.


.

 

[easyrider]

This year I'm considering a bottle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil that is suitable for dipping and tasting.

Would you consider that a nice gift?

If you think it the right gift, so do I. I've been on both ends of the Holiday gifting and no one has ever gave us Olive Oil. It's definitely a decent choice but kind of an unusual choice, imo. Starbucks or a similar type gift card are what I would give an acquaintance. The advantage to using a gift card is you can change your mind on the giving of the gift.

Bill

 

[rapmarks]

My parents didn’t drink alcohol much but a cousin always came for meals and brought them bottles of liquor. I think they had hundreds of bottles of liquor in a closet. We all took some snd threw out s lot when they passed. I still have some bottles in both homes
What was really sad is my sisters snd I met up at a timeshare with one of the dozen bottles of Baileys. Oh what a disappointment to find out it was solid snd totally spoiled.

 

[Elan]

How about some fancy cheeses and a box of gourmet crackers wrapped into a basket?

I recently visited a cousin who I know loves red wine. So, I brought a bottle to her house when she hosted dinner. Little did I know she only drinks wine that has low sulfites. Oops!

 

[Cornell]

If it were me, I'd love to receive an amaryllis that is beautifully presented

 

[rapmarks]

I think a nice plant, some tasty treats like cheeses, olive oil for dipping, fruits, special nuts, etc are nice gifts. I sent some neighbors special relish spreads from Harry and David in lieu of flowers when their son died. They seemed to appreciate it.