NEW ATTITUDE ON GRATITUDE WHEN CHOOSING A GIFT FOR A HOSTESS, YOU HAVE OPTIONS OTHER THAN FRUITCAKE.Byline: Barbara De Witt Staff Writer Hostesses everywhere are cringing behind their doors as the pass-along fruitcake fruit·cake n. 1. A heavy spiced cake containing nuts and candied or dried fruits. 2. Slang A crazy or an eccentric person: "a fruitcake under the delusion that he was Saint Nicholas" season begins. That dreaded cake has become the butt of holiday jokes and the epitome of bad hostess gifts, we know, but what's a good guest to give? Hostess gifts, traditionally called bread-and-butter gifts, have always been a dilemma because the guest often doesn't know the host well enough to bring the perfect item. Think about it. What if they're allergic to the sulfites in wine or the sugar in your fruitcake or candy? Or the family dog falls ill from snacking on the poinsettia poinsettia: see spurge. poinsettia Popular flowering plant (Euphorbia pulcherrima), best-known member of the diverse spurge family. Native to Mexico and Central America, it grows in moist, wet, wooded ravines and on rocky hillsides. you brought. It may look like you're out there all alone on the welcome mat, but trust us - you're not. Etiquette books devote entire chapters to the subject. Manners mavens Emily Post and Letitia Baldrige say community customs dictate what's hot and not in hostess gifts, so ask around. Maybe wine is acceptable and expected, they say, but neither suggests fruitcake or any cake the hostess is expected to serve when she has already planned her dessert menu. Flowers are tricky. If you present them at your arrival, then the hostess has to take the time to arrange them. According to Post's daughter, Elizabeth, who updated her mother's original book with ``Emily Post's Etiquette'' (HarperCollins Publishers; 1992) it's better to send the flowers on the morning of the party with a card. And if you're a houseguest, you don't have to come bearing gifts. Houseguests have the option of presenting their hosts with a thoughtful gift during or directly after the visit when they've had an opportunity to see what would be most appreciated. Of course, that's the challenge. If they're art fans, Baldrige suggests tickets to an art exhibit. But tickets to this year's Rose Bowl game might be more awesome (if you're willing to pay a ticket broker big bucks). And you might endear en·dear tr.v. en·deared, en·dear·ing, en·dears To make beloved or very sympathetic: a couple whose kindness endeared them to friends. yourself forever by offering to take their children to the zoo or museum for the entire day. Somewhere in between you may find the perfect gift, and it might come from an offhand comment from your hostess who complains her coffee grinder is dying or she can never find a fresh can of golf or tennis balls. Until then, take a gander Gander, town (1991 pop. 10,339), NE Newfoundland, N.L., Canada. Gander's airport, an important base in World War II, is a hub for international flights; it also attracts many refugees. It was the site of a Dec. at our list: Playtime. Board games have made a major comeback in these cocooning co·coon·ing n. Retreat into the seclusion of one's own home during leisure time, as for privacy or escape: "The harassments of daily life times, and Bombay company has several types - including Chinese checkers on a fancy board for $56 that you'll want to display all year 'round. At Restoration Hardware are library games inspired by those the Yanks played during World War II for $29 and a magnetic dart board that looks like an old-fashioned pub-style version for $39, and in the Discovery Channel catalog (call 800-938-0333) is a nifty six-in-one game set that incudes in·cu·des n. Plural of incus. magnetic chess and checkers, backgammon backgammon (băk`găm'ən, băk'găm`ən), game of chance and skill played by two persons upon a specially marked board divided by a space, called the bar, into two tables (inner table and outer table), each of which has 12 , dominoes, playing cards and a cribbage cribbage (krĭb`ĭj), card game played by two persons with a deck of 52 cards and a scoring (pegging) device known as a cribbage board. board in a faux leather case for $20. Fans of those Tommy Bahama print shirts can find similar tropical themes on his new playing cards priced at $10 a deck at the Tommy Bahama store in Pasadena. Coffee-table books, like celebrity hairstylist Serge Normant's new ``Femme Fatale'' (Viking Studio; $35) in which he makes over contemporary celebs into vintage movie sirens, are visually appealing. Whatever the book, it should reflect your host's tastes, not yours. Cocktail time. A pair of wine goblets to match their crystal pattern, a set of six gold filigree filigree (fĭl`ĭgrē), ornamental work of fine gold or silver wire, often wrought into an openwork design and joined with matching solder and borax under the flame of the blowpipe. wine glasses for $64 at Pottery Barn or something a tad more frivolous, like a set of four tiny red-and-gold cordials at Pier 1 Imports Pier 1 Imports Inc. (NYSE: PIR) is a Fort Worth, Texas-based retailer specializing in imported home furnishings and decor, particularly furniture, table-top items, decorative accessories and seasonal decor. for $25. And for the friend who has trouble getting a grip on corkscrews, how about the OXO OXO Også (Norwegian: as well, too) Good Grip cork-popper, priced at $19.99 at Macy's and Bed, Bath & Beyond Stores. (Note that OXO company makes a variety of utilitarian tools for people with carpal tunnel syndrome carpal tunnel syndrome: see repetitive stress injury. carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) Painful condition caused by repetitive stress to the wrist over time. and arthritis.) Stylish shakers. Those plastic salt and pepper shakers Salt and pepper shakers are condiment holders used in Western culture that are designed to allow food eaters to distribute edible salt and ground pepper.[1] This is a conjoined term for salt shaker and pepper shaker. she hides in the kitchen cupboard may do the job, but what about a pair that sprinkles a dose of humor as well. At Elisa B. in Pasadena you can find shakers poised on tiny yellow cars that look like VW bugs for $28, and at Nordstrom you can choose a dainty set of square silver shakers in a gift pouch for $26. Special scents. Now, if your host and hostess have signature fragrances, then treat them to a fresh bottle. Otherwise, get a whiff Verb 1. get a whiff - smell strongly and intensely get a noseful smell - inhale the odor of; perceive by the olfactory sense of Philosophy's new Baked Goods at the cosmetic counter. The set of four scrumptiously scrump·tious adj. Splendid; delectable: "Normandy . . . where the bosky landscape is enchanting [and the pen] scented unisex gel washes for hair and body, include cinnamon buns, banana nut bread, pumpkin pie and chocolate chip cookies, available for $30 at Sephora stores. An alternative that smells like sweet watermelon watermelon, plant (Citrullus vulgaris) of the family Curcurbitaceae (gourd family) native to Africa and introduced to America by Africans transported as slaves. Watermelons are now extensively cultivated in the United States and are popular also in S Russia. is the Time Out set from Sears for $20 that includes bubble bath, body lotion and shower gel packaged in a holiday-themed ceramic container that can be used to hold Christmas cards. Green thumb gifts. Fountains, garden stepping stones and fancy hummingbird feeders can become budget breakers, but you can still charm a flower fan with a C.Z. Guest candle by Slatkin & Co. for $28 at specialty stores. Guest, who is an East Coast gardening expert and style icon, has scented her candles with choice of Jardin de Fleurs or Jardin de Roses - and presented it in a small decorative terra cotta cot·ta n. pl. cot·tae or cot·tas A short surplice. [Medieval Latin, of Germanic origin.] pot. When the candle burns down, a package of petunia petunia, any plant of the genus Petunia, South American herbs of the family Solanaceae (nightshade family). The common garden petunias, planted also in window boxes, are all considered hybrids of white-flowered and violet-flowered species from Argentina. seeds is revealed for spring planting. Holiday dishes. Even if it's too late for this year's holiday dinner, your hosts may enjoy a set of old-fashioned holly-print dessert plates that are dishwasher safe and boxed in a set of six for $30 at Restoration Hardware stores. Lenox china also has some hostess gift ideas to be used year after year, including a Santa treat jar for $34 and a set of holiday- themed coasters for $32, available at most department stores. Other ideas include a set of six elegant blue and white porcelain coffee mugs for $30 at Bombay stores. Vintage gifts (and we don't mean alcohol) Sure, you can give a bottle of wine. It's quick and easy (just pull some merlot out of the pantry or closet), slap a bow on it, and hand it over. But it's so predictable. For the same amount of money - usually $10 to $15 - you could wow your hosts with a more thoughtful gift they'll enjoy after the party is over. Stumped? Read on! A pair of movie tickets. A rose bush, a lemon tree or bedding flowers (if they have a new garden). Starbucks' famous Christmas Blend coffee beans. Gift certificates for a CD, video rental or See's Candies. A 2002 calendar with a personal theme. Novel kitchen magnets to hold snapshots from the party. A film classic for their video library (that you know they don't have). A basket of goodies you baked yourself. - Barbara De Witt CAPTION(S): 10 photos, box Photo: (1 -- cover -- color) Think outside the box Leave the wine at home and give your hostess something unique (2 -- color) Restoration Hardware print dessert plates (3 -- color) Discovery Channel catalog six-in-one game set (4 -- color) Philosophy Baked Goods (5 -- color) no caption (bottle of wine) (6 -- color) Elisa B. salt and pepper shakers (7 -- color) Time Out scents from Sears (8 -- color) Bombay ``Cocktail Time'' glasses (9 -- color) Lenox Musical tree (10 -- color) Tommy Bahama playing cards John McCoy/Staff Photographer Box: Vintage gifts (and we don't mean alcohol) |
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