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Holidays seem to be the popular time for friends to come together and celebrate the season. I’m sure you’ve got a few parties on your calendar this month, or perhaps you’re planning on hosting a party yourself? If you’re attending a party, I’ve created a fun printable wine gift tag for an easy hostess gift this holiday season.
surprise your holiday hostess with a gift
For many years we’ve had a few close friends who host us for Christmas parties and I think that it’s important to be a good hosted attendee. This normally involves a few things in my mind so I thought I’d share some of my thoughts / tips for what you can do to make a host(ess)’s job a little easier.
TIPS FOR BEING A GOOD PARTY ATTENDEE
- RSVP – please call to let your host(ess) know that you will be attending. It also might be nice to also let them know if you can’t attend so they’re not left wondering.
- Food request – when you call to RSVP it’s an optimal time to ask if you can bring something to the party. I often offer up a vegetable platter since it’s a healthy option that is a finger food, plus using the Rubbermaid Party Platter makes it easy to put together and transport. If you have a specialty, you might say, “would you like me to bring XYZ with me for the party?”
- Be on time – this is a simple one, if you’re going to be late, let your hostess know when you RSVP. Otherwise, be there at the start time, within 5 minutes in my mind. Sometimes if you’re attending with good friends and you know that there’s a bit more flexibility in the timing, but just be respectful of your host(ess). This also goes for being early — perhaps they have some final preparations to finish, so drive around the block or park down the street to wait if you arrive early.
- Bring a thoughtful gift – I’m a big fan of consumable items for hostess gifts. You might not know their decor, so consumable items are always a good idea. Wine is a favorite, or even a special seasonal treat. Another idea is plants, such as a poinsettia. My printable gift tag works well for a bottle of red wine or a poinsettia — ’tis the season for red!
- Shoes off? – you might ask when you arrive if you should take off your shoes, as this can be an important custom for some households. You might also just peek at the entryway and see if there are other shoes left there. This is a good time to remove your coat and ask where you should place it. Often host(ess)s have a specified spot or room for coats during parties.
- Leaving – try to be mindful of whether your invite had an ending time and try not to stay past that time. Sometimes you’ll have to just get a read of the host(ess) to see whether they’re ready to wrap things up, or take your cue from other attendees when they start to leave.
- Thank you – don’t forget to say thank you when you’re leaving and it’s always a nice idea to send a thank you note to the host(ess) after attending.
If you’re ready for a quick and easy hostess gift, here’s a look at my printable ‘Tis the Season for Red wine gift tag. Also works for a poinsettia!
First off you need to print the gift tags and then cut out the rectangle shape. You can leave a bit of a white border if you want, or cut straight to the green.
‘Tis the Season for Red Wine Gift Tag Printable
cut in from corner to help cut out the circle
For an easier time cutting out the circle that will loop around the wine bottle, I recommend cutting in from the corner to get started.
cut out the circle
Then, follow your grade school scissor instructions and move the paper as you carefully cut around the circle with your scissors.
Wine tag hostess gift
Now your tag is ready to go on the bottle. You can leave the corner slit and use it as a way to slide on the tag, or place a small peice of tape on the back to seal the cut and then the tag slides down over the bottle neck. To help it lay against the bottle, consider giving a slight bend to the two “arm sides” towards the bottom of the circle.
Have fun choosing a bottle of wine whose label represents the holiday season! If you’re not a big red wine fan, consider adding this gift tag to a poinsettia for another excellent holiday hostess gift.
And here’s a look at my simple holiday veggie platter, featuring red and green vegetables. For red ideas tomatoes and red bell peppers work, also radishes or perhaps pickled beets. Green vegetables are plentiful, such as cucumbers, broccoli, snap peas, snow peas, celery, artichoke, green beans, asparagus.
vegetable platter for parties with Rubbermaid Party Platter
The Rubbermaid Party Platter is the perfect way to store and present your vegetable platter. You can choose four food items, or perhaps even eight and place two vegetables in each compartment area. Then mix up or purchase your favorite dip and add it into the leak-proof inner container. It’s always a good idea to make your dip ahead of time so the flavors can set in, the inner container comes out so you can make it in advance and store in the refrigerator while you prepare your vegetables.
Right now you can pick up your own Rubbermaid Party Platter at Fred Meyer, they even have a $1 Ibotta rebate special right now. It’s the perfect answer to storing and transporting your holiday vegetable platter to your party.
I hope you like these ideas and that they’ll help you with any upcoming holiday parties.