hostess gifts for shabbos/y"t?

ceo

Sun, Sep 03 2006, 10:58 pm

What types of gifts do you give when invited over to someone's house for a seuda? Do you always bring? I need ideas!

I must admit, that I don't always bring a gift when invited to someone's house for a seuda. If it's out first time eating there, then I try to remember to bring something, but I don't always remember. If we are very close with the family and have eaten there a number of times, then I often don't.

If we know that the family enjoys nice wine, sometimes we bring that. But again, only if we know that it will be appreciated.
If we are sleeping at someone's house for a shabbos or y't, we try to bring something a little nicer. About a year and a half ago, we bought something like this for our neighbors who invited us for lail seder:
http://www.crateandbarrel.com/.....13236

Other ideas?

aussiegal

Mon, Sep 04 2006, 4:22 am

a game for the kids is a great idea, stem!
You could offer to make a kugel or salad to bring.
If going for a whole yom tov, an al netilat yadayim handtowel is nice!
If you're aboslutely desperate there's always flowers, but they don't last!

Raisin

Mon, Sep 04 2006, 6:15 am

Something they can serve at the meal - some nice fruit or after dinner mints is nice. Flowers are liked by some people, but if there are a lot of guests coming, someone else may have bought, and unlike chocs or wine, cannot be kept for next week. (I got 5 bunches of flowers last week, 2 after shabbos came in already Exclamation

)

chen

Tue, Sep 05 2006, 10:22 am

We always bring s/t. If we're coming for a meal only, then we bring some food item--a bottle of wine, a cake, some nice fruit. If the children go to a friend for Shabbos, then we'll add something like al netilas yodoyim towels. If the whole family is going for a Shabbos then dh will usually get toys for the kiddies, and I'll bring an assortment of prepared salads, bagels, lox, or the like. (obviously only if the trip is short enough that the stuff won't spoil or if we go by car and can take a cooler.) For very close friends whose needs I am familiar with, I may bring s/t I know they need. for example, we visited friends & I noticed their dish towels were all on the threadbare side, so the next time we went I brought new ones.

If I send a homemade cake, I enclose a note listing the ingredients and will sometimes include a card with the recipe.

When the children were young and were frequently going to friends for Shabbos, we kept a box in the closet with assorted gifts. That way, if a child was invited on Thursday, I didn't have to race out Thursday night to get a gift before th stores closed.

chocolate moose

Tue, Sep 05 2006, 10:48 am

We went on Pesach and brought a mayim achronim b/c we knew they didn't have one.

Otherwise, offer ahead of time, so they don't make their own. If you bring flowers, for exampl, and they already have their own, yours are redundant.

I'd bring someting practical. Dessert, for example, or a salad or kugel. wine or a box of chocolates they can put away.

DefyGravity

Tue, Sep 05 2006, 11:53 am

I agree with Sara, when I'm the host, I always appreciate something practical that can be used for the meal. It's always very helpful when someone brings a kugel or dessert.

JMto2

Wed, Sep 06 2006, 11:47 am

It depends to go for a meal I usually bring nothing since it is by a friend and they come to us and it is mutual we do not buy for each other. If I go to someone for shabbos I buy the expnsive delicious choclate and a nosh for the kids. For a whole yom tov I never went to anyone so I do not know what I would do. If I just sleep in someones house then I take a bottle of wine etc.