Holiday Hostess Gifts {and Giveaway!} with NewlyWish

type="html">With Thanksgiving behind us, Hanukkah wrapping up, and holiday parties coming at us thick and fast, our thoughts have turned again to hostess gifts. I was talking to a friend of mine, Amanda from NewlyWish, who not only runs a wonderful wedding registry site {more on that soon} but she just finished shooting a segment with Isaac Mizrahi on….great hostess gifts! So who better to ask for ideas?!
Amanda was so kind to share some of her favorite gifting ideas and sponsor an exclusive hostess gift giveaway with Merci New York's readers. Three lucky readers {yes, three!} will receive a gorgeous champagne Celebration Candle from Belle Fleur, one of NYC’s finest florists. And everyone will receive Amanda's expert advice... She'll be back on Merci often as our Resident Gifting Expert. Total win-win for us all! {Giveaway details are below}.

Amanda, before we get into specific gifts, what do you think makes a great hostess gift?
The most important thing for any gift is that it’s well thought through; that it’s personal. It can be relevant to the person’s hobbies or interests, evoke a special memory you share, or be something a bit luxurious that you know they’ve always wanted but would never buy for themselves. We've with our partners, such as our friends at Bobby Berk Home, to showcase great gifts that really have personality.

I think those are some good rules of thumb, and I like the bit about luxury! So, tell us about the shoot with Isaac Mizrahi.
We filmed two segments with Isaac, one focusing on hostess gifts and the other is about how you can create an elegant holiday table-setting using your everyday dishes and serving pieces. Issac is such a warm and welcoming person – the perfect host, really – Even though I was a bit nervous before shooting, as soon as we kicked off our conversation I felt totally at ease and it ended up being really fun!



The segments came out great! {We've added a little teaser above, but you can check them all out here}. So on to the gifts… What are you recommending this holiday season?
In keeping with my comment on giving gifts that are relevant to a person’s interests, we have some great thematic gift ideas:
For the food and wine lover – A nice bottle of wine is always appreciated but think about pairing it with a fun piece of equipment, like an aerator, an interesting carafe, or a nice opener. Or, you can go one step further, and treat them to a wine tasting or cooking class that you can go to with them.
For the coffee drinker - Pair some nice coffee with an Italian espresso maker and some really neat Revol espresso cups from Bowery Kitchen – they’re porcelain, but shaped like partially crushed plastic cups – they feel great in your hand and come in white or mixed colors.

I also really like the idea of filling a gift bag with small assorted items – Melangerie makes these really fun ‘holiday sweater’ tote bags which are reusable, so they’re great gifts on their own {I use mine when I go to the supermarket} and to stuff with smaller gifts, like a candle, a room scent, or some great floral wine glasses from Fishs Eddy.

Our goal at NewlyWish is to help make it a little bit easier for people to find gifts that they know the recipients will love, so just give a little thought and imagination and all your gifts will be remembered for seasons to come!
To enter the Belle Fleur giveaway sponsored by NewlyWish:
Comment below with the best hostess gift you’ve received and you’re automatically entered to win! {Please make sure we have your email address so we can contact you!}
For additional chances to win, leave another comment after you:
1. Sign up for the NewlyWish newsletter on www.NewlyWish.com
2. Fan NewlyWish on Facebook
3. Tweet "I just entered to win the @Newlywish #BelleFleur #giveaway on @MerciNYC http://nblo.gs/bDVgG"
4. Add our cute little giveaway graphic {above} to your blog!

There will be three lucky winners who will each receive a Celebration Candle {value $54 each}. The winners will be chosen on Friday, December 17th. Good luck!

CONTEST CLOSED

Thank you to all who entered! Our winners for this contest have been contacted and will be announced on the Merci New York blog shortly!

All photos are courtesy of NewlyWish and are available for purchase on the NewlyWish site.

... Read more at http://www.mercinewyork.blogspot.com

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