Have you been invited to attend Thanksgiving dinner at a friend’s home? Or, will you be dining at a family member’s house? Either way, by the very nature of it’s name “Thanksgiving,” one would almost seemed obligated to bring a hostess gift as a token of appreciation for the meal. If your Thanksgiving feast is not a potluck, then you may consider bringing a plant or nice flower arrangement as a gift.
If you do give a plant as a holiday gift, you want to try to match the plant with the environment of the recipient’s home. For example, if your host or hostess’ house is exposed to a lot of light, chrysanthemums, or other flowering plants are ideal gift choices. Many of these plants require warmer room temperatures to thrive. A few exceptions are cyclamens and azaleas, which like bright light and cooler temperatures. One note about azaleas, since the blossoms are so delicate you want to be careful when transporting it from your home to the car and into your host’s home.
If your Thanksgiving dinner host lives in an apartment or has limited living space, a hanging plant may be a more welcome choice than a large potted plant. If you are feeling especially generous you could bring the gift of a terrarium, which makes an excellent present for people with small children or pets. Terrariums are not only decorative, but they are also easy to care for making them great items for an elderly host or hostess. Because terrariums recycle their moisture, they need very little attention. A closed terrarium can often go a month or more between watering. They actually thrive on neglect.
If you like the plant gift idea, but don’t want to lug greenery with you on public transportation (my cousin lives in New York City and takes the train to spend Thanksgiving at a friend’s home in Connecticut) consider taking gardening books, small garden tools, or scaled down landscape ornaments (which can be stored in a gift bag). I once had a friend in college take environmentally friendly outdoor salt as a hostess gift (this was following a 6-inch snow fall) and helped apply it to the icy walk and driveway. (I put that one in the “it’s-the-thought-that-counts” category.)
The bottom line: it’s a good idea to bring a gift when showing up to share a Thanksgiving meal with friends or family.
Take a look at these other blogs for other gift giving ideas:
Ideas For The Perfect Hostess Gift
Creating a Gift Closet… That Keeps On Giving!
The Ultimate Housewarming Gift
Holiday Gift Ideas From Elton John