From Fourth of July fêtes and Labor Day barbecues to cheeky PTO’d Mondays spent at friends’ beach houses, summer is the season of being hosted. And while a bottle of wine is never unwelcome, it does feel a touch underwhelming when your kind party-givers have been busy arranging hydrangeas into perfect bouquets, batching signature spritzs, and folding fresh towels at the foot of your bed like they’re running a boutique hotel. Surely we can do better than booze.
Arrive with something a little more personal. Think a custom linen cocktail set embroidered with their family name – or, better yet, an inside joke that will make you both giggle at next year’s aperitivo. A set of shell-shaped table weights can (stylishly) save their favorite tablecloth from an untimely wind gust, while a hand-marbled guest book turns a one-off weekend away into a burgeoning new tradition.
They’ve handled the menu, the flowers, the guest room, and all of the invisible labor required to make a gathering look effortless. The least you can do is arrive with the best hostess gift they’ve received all summer.
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