Hostess Gifts with Style and Humor

Headed to a friend’s lake cabin or beach house for the weekend? To ensure that you’ll always be on the best guest list, arrive with a clever hostess (or host) gift that can be opened and enjoyed immediately. Here are two easy, inspired ideas from our editor.

If your host and hostess have a taste for luxury, treat them to the Richie Rich basket, inspired by the comic book and film about the world’s wealthiest kid. Invest in a keepsake picnic hamper and line it with crisp gold or silver tissue paper. Add a bottle of good wine, a wheel of French Brie cheese, a jar of fruit compote, a package of artisanal crackers or a loaf of handmade bread, a bunch of tiny champagne grapes, some crisp apples, and a bar of dark chocolate. If your host has a taste for cigars, add a couple for good measure.

For friends with a sense of humor, give them the Barney Rubble, inspired by Fred Flintstone’s best friend, next-door neighbor, and fellow member of the Loyal Order of Water Buffaloes lodge. Take a brown grocery bag and roll down the edges several times. Line the bag with colorful crinkle cut paper and add a bottle of inexpensive wine such as Charles Shaw, otherwise known as “Three Buck Chuck” from Trader Joes. Fill the bag with inexpensive but tasty treats such as cheddar cheese, a loaf of bread, a jar of olives, and some Hershey’s kisses.

Whichever gift you choose, your host and hostess will be delighted with your thoughtfulness and impressed with your inventiveness.