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Oct 14, 2023Liked by Dame Sophie

My lifestyle is more casual, so my newest go to is a flowering plant in a pretty container. How suburban of me: my local Target has a plant selection at the front door, so it's easy to run in an out. Back in our dinner party days, I used to bring a "bottle of red, bottle of white" to ensure I would have the wine varietal I preferred and still leave a hostess gift.

And again in our dinner party days, when we were bringing a dessert/appetizer, a friend would buy pretty platters/bowls from estate sales/Goodwill and leave it at the end of the night as part of a hostess gift (this was when we were young marrieds and you still needed serving pieces to fill out your collection.)

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I love all of these options! The platter-as-gift is especially brilliant.

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Thank you for the ideas on non-alcoholic gifts, I am always stumped and these are great!

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I'm so glad they're helpful! I enjoy adult beverages and am working on not assuming that everyone does or can when thinking about social events.

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I'm crazy for Luxardo cherries. I keep them in my kitchen at all times and go through them at an alarming rate... a small luxury. I mix a few in with a can of cherry bubly (or other carbonated water) and it makes for such a nice treat. I can't go without them! I recently bought 6 jars on a customer appreciation sale at a local store for 15% off... they are literally the best

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What is the opposite of "I'm in this picture and don't like it"? Because this post is very much my jam. (I don't even drink but love fun drinks and fancy glasses, which is occasionally confusing on work calls as I sip Coke Zero from a stemless wine glass.)

May I contribute the suggestion of seasonal liquid hand soaps or a mini cake stand, which are surprisingly useful around the kitchen sink, consolidating tiny skincare bottles, etc. Other fun foodstuff options are fancy jams/sauces/salad dressings, a huckleberry vinaigrette being the most successful gift I ever gave my father.

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Just bought two Thomas Paul trays -- I’m staying with my sister next week! Thank you for the tip!

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