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Party hosts bring people together and make everyone feel like the best versions of themselves. Thank them for their invitation and generosity with a grace note of gratitude — aka the host gift.
Keep it simple, thoughtful and, when possible, local. Farmers markets, small businesses and SoCal’s annual holiday art and craft fairs are a treasure trove of creative ideas at affordable prices! We’ve rounded up a few of our faves to put you in the running for Most Likely to Be Invited Back.
Chocolate granola ($15)
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Valerie Confections
)
Something they wouldn’t buy for themselves: Chocolate granola from Valerie Confections. Perfect for a late-night snack or as an added incentive to get out of bed after a late night of revelry. Shop online or skip the shipping fees and pick it up in person at the Valerie Confections store in Glendale.
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One to grow on ($19.20)
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Rosebud Homegood
)
Snip and share. Instead of a bouquet, add a cutting from a favorite plant and a little water to Rosebud’s Cloud propagation station, 3-D printed in Los Angeles, for a gift that keeps on giving. Plant propagation is easy, fun, budget-friendly — and in this case, cute!
Tray chic ($42)
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Greenwood Shop
)
The natural beauty of handcrafted baskets complements most interiors. We love this woven, rectangular leather-handled basket tray from the Greenwood Shop for its service as much as its style. When it’s not delivering appetizers to the table, the organic design can serve up style as a chic decor element when layered as a foundation beneath eclectic vignettes (books, candles, flowers) on an entry console, accent table or kitchen island. The hard part will be giving it away.
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Soap box banter (pack of four, $42)
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Better Studios
)
Rant, rinse, repeat. Organic, handmade, cold-processed and sustainably packaged, the cheeky bar soap four-pack from Los Angeles-based Greenwash comes in four climate-inspired scents: Boardroom Breeze (mint), which offers “big notes of mint, undertones of market denial”; Memories of Clean Air (lavender), which bills itself as “so clean you’ll think the EPA still had funding”; Coastal Collapse (lemongrass), dubbed “coastal luxury … the uninsurable kind”; and The Last Forest (cedar and sage), described as “tree-hugger approved, fire marshal concerned.” Two percent of every order goes to the BETTER Climate Fund.
Bee kind ($18)
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General Store Venice
)
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The father-and-son duo behind Eli’s Bee Company harvests honey from locations in Topanga Canyon and Calabasas. Each 8-ounce jar available at the General Store in Venice is labeled with the honey's origin and harvest date. The Topanga Canyon vintage features hints of sage, sumac and California holly, while the Purple Sage varietal is imbued with a subtle floral taste and delicate texture. Sweeeet!
Play it cool ($27)
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General Store Venice
)
For the friends who were born effortlessly cool, Slouching Towards Los Angeles: Living and Writing by Joan Didion’s Light at General Store Venice says “I see you,” while also serving as a celebration of what makes this place we call home so special. “A place belongs forever to whoever claims it hardest, remembers it most obsessively … loves it so radically that he remakes it in his image.” — Joan Didion
Blind date with a chocolate bar ($115)
(
Simbi Khali
)
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Give love at first bite. The At-Home Craft Chocolate Tasting Experience is curated by the gourmet chocolatiers at the Chocolate Dispensary in Los Angeles. The experts hand-select five to eight bars from around the world and provide an email link to download a tasting mat and flavor profiles for the DIY experience. The bundle includes a mix of dark, milk and white chocolate along with at least one single-origin dark chocolate confection. Ooooooh la la.
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You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
