For those who are lucky enough to be spending Passover with family or friends, it’s always nice to bring a special hostess gift.
If you’re not sure what to bring, here are some ideas to point you in the right direction:
Judaica
This lovely Spode Judaica Passover Matzoh Plate
I also love Yair Emanuel and think this Kos Eliyahu is very pretty for $32.99.
If you are staying at a home with young children, you might want to pick up a few of these Rite Lite Printed Colorful Laminate Passover Seder Plates, 11 in.
Wine
When pouring four glasses x two nights x however many guests, wine can become a real expense at seder time.
KosherWine.com is still offering free-shipping on all cases for Passover – but you need to order by midnight tonight (3/17) to guarantee deliver in time for the seder.
Passover orders from Jwines.com have until midnight tomorrow (3/18) for guaranteed seder night delivery – and orders over $200 ship for free.
For a truly frugal option, check your local Trader Joe’s. My favorite is Sara Bee – it’s an inexpensive version of the Bartenura blue bottle.
You may also want to consider a set of wine glasses for your host. Pottery Barn’s Alessandra Etched Glass Stemware is marked down right now from $75 to $29.99.
Housewares
Housewares are always appreciated gifts during Pesach, especially since at least at my house, it seems that all the really nice pieces get rotated into our regular kitchen once Passover ends.
While there is no “wrong” choice on housewares, here are some ideas that are sure to be well-received:
- table cloths & cloth napkins
- glass pitchers
- serving platters (Amazon has Fiesta platters for $17 – I think a few of these in bold colors would be very festive!)
- wine opener — the Metrokane Rabbit Wine Opener Tool Kit, Silver
is half-off on Amazon right now
- kitchen aprons (Zazzle has oodles of fun Passover aprons in the $20 range – including matching ones for the whole family)
- kitchen towels / netilat yedaim towels (Eichlers and Amazon both have a number of very pretty options in the $8 – $12 range + shipping. If you’re local to Brooklyn, you can pick up at the store.)
If you prefer to shop at brick-and-mortar stores, Bed, Bath & Beyond is always a good choice. Don’t forget your 20% off coupon — you can get one when you register for their email newsletter.
{If you are bringing housewares that need to be toiveled, be sure to either leave enough time for your hostess to do that — or consider taking care of it for her.}
Cookbooks
If your hostess is the type that that reads cookbooks like most read the newspaper (guilty as charged), she may well appreciate a new Kosher for Passover cookbook.
Passover Made Easy ($10.87, but check ship times), No Potato Passover ($19.99), and Susie Fishbein’s ever popular Passover by Design ($19.79) are all great options.
Flowers
I love fresh flowers, and it’s one of those things I don’t often treat myself to. Tulips are a wonderfully seasonal flower and the spray of a dozen tulips is sure to put a smile on anyone’s face.
You may want to buy your hostess a vase too – I know ours are packed up in our taped-off china cabinet.
Edible Gifts
Can you ever really go wrong with food? Just make sure that you know what customs your hosts have for Passover.
You know I’m a fan of Jennie’s Macaroons (although I’m not sure these will arrive in time for the first days) – and you can save 25% on your order when you use the code PASSOVER25.
OhNuts also has a wide selection of Kosher for Passover treats. Get free shipping when you use the code APFS12 on orders over $100.
Labor of Love
While I’m awful at asking for help, I’m usually pretty good about offering it. I know most hostesses will more than appreciate some assistance with sous-chef duties, setting the table or even sweeping up after dinner (matzah crumbs are a mess!).
Speaking of “love”, I just read a suggestion on Facebook to give a gift certificate for a manicure / pedicure. Great idea! (And don’t forget about these super cute 10 Plagues Manicure Decals, on sale Buy 3, Get 1 Free.)
What do you like to give — and receive — as hostess gifts for Passover? What did I miss?
Still looking for more ideas? Be sure to read thru the comments on this Ask My Readers: Best Frugal Seder Hostess Gift Ideas.
I could have any Pesach hostess gift I wanted it would be kosher l’pesach Twinkies. I mean cmon, you can’t tell me there are any natural ingredients at all in Twinkies.
Sorry, Pesach prep brings out what I used instead of a sense of humor.
LOL – but would your dog eat it??
I think an immersion blender would be a good hostess gift. We just got one for ~$19.00 at Costco. I still have not gotten a hostess gift (and we have been invited out for the first seder), I may just do that. Also, I think if you get a gift that needs to be toiveled, it is nice to toivel it so your hostess can use it immediately during the holiday.
I agree!
Finally went shopping today and found a few things for my hosts. I really didn’t know what to bring (too young to buy alcohol, can’t give cookies or cake, flowers might die on the bus, was afraid to buy a book because I don’t know what they have already, etc.) so I tried to get a medley of helpful things for the chag. Yom tov always generates a lot of dishes, so I got an Oxo scrubbing brush (http://www.oxo.com/p-290-soap-dispensing-dish-brush.aspx). Every family I’ve ever stayed at serves salad at some point (and sometimes every meal!) so I found a set of bamboo serving spoon things. And a couple of wine bottle stoppers, because people open a lot of wine on Pesach.
Esther, it sounds like a very thoughtful package — I’m sure your hosts will be touched!