This year was the first time I’ve heard of a “Favorite Things Party”. Apparently, they’re becoming pretty popular; and with good reason! The name of this party defines exactly what it is — you gift someone else with your “Favorite Things!” The idea is that you bring one gift within a specific price point (we did $50-$75) that is something you use and love.

How to Host

Start by inviting a group of friends to your Favorite Things Party. My friend, Sam, hosted this party for the first time this year and invited a lot of her girlfriends of which many of us had never met before. I feel like this made the party extra special since we didn’t know what to expect others’ favorite items to be.

Everyone that attended the party brought delicious appetizers and we made platefuls of finger foods to enjoy before the gift exchange.

Here are some recipes that were a big hit:

• Jalepeno Pepper Poppers – Jalepenos are a hit and miss with me, so I was a bit skeptical here. I’m so glad I didn’t pass these by. A matter of fact, I made a trip back for more!
• Pecan Cranberry Goat Cheese Dip – Oh my goodness, this dip was sooo deilicious and the presentation is very Christmas-y.
• Buffalo Chicken Dip – This is my old faithful party food. I always bring home an empty dish.
• Festive Christmas Margaritas – I don’t drink alcohol, so I had the mocktail version of this Margarita. It was the best fruity and festive drink with cranberry, orange, and rosemary garnishes.

Gift Exchange

There are many variations of this party, but Sam decided that we do a White Elephant or Chinese Christmas style gift swap. This type of exchange allowed for the ladies to steal gifts from someone else which made the night pretty interesting!

Everyone brings their gift and places it in a central location of the party. The host allows each guest to draw a number to determine the order picking gifts. Person #1 picks a gift to unwrap first. Person #2, and every person thereafter, can steal a previously opened gift or open a new gift. Once everyone has gotten a chance to open or steal, person #1 is allowed to steal one last time if they like. There is a catch — once a gift has been “stolen” three times, the gift is “dead” and can no longer be stolen.

The Popular Gifts

I wanted to share some of the hot gift ideas if you consider hosting a Favorite Things Christmas Party of your own! These gifts were stolen quite often at our party. I was taking notes of things I’ll likely end up purchasing for myself since they were stolen.

1. Ember Temperature Control Smart Mug – This is the gift that I stole from someone else. Luckily I was able to bring it home with me. I was low-key hiding it so no one else would see it in hopes of taking it from me.

2. HomeVac Cordless Vacuum – During my first chance to open a new gift or steal one that was already open, I stole this item from my friend, Sam! It’s a cordless vacuum and I had every intention of leaving this thing in my car because of my messy children. Sadly, it was stolen and quickly became a “dead” item after three steals.

3. Gift Box of Cosmetics – This was a hot ticket item that was passed around quite a few times! I have not used any of these items for myself, but all of the other girls were raving over how great they are and trying to snag them as their own. I will have to make a point to try these items soon. Especially this lip sleeping mask.

4. Barefoot Dreams Blanket – This was the item that I brought to the party. Everyone loves these Barefoot Dreams Blankets. It’s basically a cult! The third stealer of this blanket was so excited to have it locked in for herself!

5. Faux Fur Blanket – Apparently you can’t go wrong with a good blanket. This blanket is sooo soft and cuddly. And it’s machine washable. I’m sold. Give it to me!

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This party was so simple and so much fun to see what others love and be able to have a time of friendly fellowship! What about you… have you attended a Favorite Things Christmas Party? I’m wondering why we wait until Christmas to have a party like this. Why not throw one in the middle of summer too!