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Hostess gifts--would this be weird?
My go-to hostess gift is a bottle of wine--either something local to where I'm living or something from the US. If my host doesn't drink I bring flowers.
H has a few day conference in Europe at the beginning of December and I'm tagging along. We're flying into London the weekend before and staying with friends. On Monday H leaves for his conference and I'm staying in London for two days with a different friend. Then I'm going to Germany for a few days to see yet another friend before meeting up with H in Prague where we will be staying with another set of friends.
In total, that's four host/hostess gifts. Two of them are couples, two are single women in their mid-twenties (if that at all matters). There is no local wine in Malaysia, and even if there was I can't transport four bottles into the UK with me from KL.
This leaves me with two options: 1) stop at a corner shop and pick up a bottle of wine before each stop or 2) bring some sort of Malaysian handcrafts(I've seen some really nice carved wooden bowls, etc) with me as hostess gifts.
On one hand there really wouldn't be anything special about the wine, but on the other hand I'm hesitant to pick out something that someone else might feel compelled to keep if they didn't like. That is why I tend to stick to consumable, non permanent items in the first place.
Please vote on which option you would prefer to receive as a hostess gift.
[Poll]
Re: Hostess gifts--would this be weird?
Are there food items in KL that you could bring? (If you were Swiss, I'd say bring Swiss chocolates, for example.)
I used to take Swiss chocolates to people when we were living in Geneva. Here there really isn't a local edible treat that is easy to transport, which is where my dilemma arises.
I think you'd be fine with either, then.
And are you going to have time for a London GTG? Your itinerary sounds busy already.
Unless I was certain the local-made gift was the host's style, I would bring a bottle of wine/flowers.
Agreed. Even if it's something I don't like and I end up putting it in cabinet. I still appreciate the thought of bringing something all the way from another country. And I often find use for those kinds of things down the road, like if I have some space on a shelf to fill. Things with a story are always fun.
I agree with all of these. I've always appreciated trinkets people have brought me. Sometimes I display it, sometimes I admire it for a bit and it gets put/given away, but I definitely enjoy it more than a bottle from the local corner store.
Ditto.
I love the thought that goes into a local gift, but I'm also one of those people who has guilt issues getting rid of gifts. Even favors from weddings. They just pile up and I feel bad if I ever do donate it to Goodwill.
However, a bowl I'd probably be able to use for something so it's a lot better than something like candle holders, picture frames, or decorative items that I may not have space for or that may not match my style. If nothing else, I could use the bowl for cat food or to collect cosmetics in the bathroom or to toss my jewelry in when I go to bed at night or any of a bunch of other things.
So that's my long-winded way of saying, I think either is okay. I love a bottle of wine (probably since I live in a place where even a "cheap" bottle is a generous gift to be treasured), but I would also appreciate the thought involved in the bowl and would be able to find a use for it.
I don't think that I will
I'm afraid that this trip is a bit of a whirlwind and the only thing that makes it OK in my book is that I have zero plans to sightsee aside from a museum or two in London.
I'd bring local coffee or tea. I seem to remember Malaysia having a lot of tea and coffee plantations. It's consumable, light and your friends get to try something new.
I like random stuff from other countries too so I voted for that but my usual go-to when we stay somewhere is to take them out one day. What about just taking them out for a nice lunch or cooking them dinner one night or something like that?
A lot of my friends here live in tiny apartments with no space for anything so I am always hesitant now to bring more stuff to clutter it up. However, I love clutter so if you were coming to see me, I'd want something cool from another country!
(Really helpful, right?)
BFP Apr 2012, EDD Dec 19 2012 * twin h/b at 6wk, 9wk scan * Baby A lost at 12wks, Baby B was my rainbow born at 36wks
This is a great idea. My dad does business in columbia an I always have him bring home coffee.
Ditto.