This is a guest post by Sharon Naylor
Sharon Naylor is the author of over 35 books on family celebrations, including weddings, bridal showers, vow renewals, and more. She is beyond thrilled to be the new guest blogger for The Farm, and she will be posting inspirations and tips for your parties, get-togethers and big family moments throughout the year. Visit her website www.sharonnaylor.net for more on her books and articles.
As the holidays draw nearer, your inbox and mailbox start filling with lots of pretty party invitations. Friends, family, and neighbors will soon start hosting festive holiday parties, uncorking their best vintages, serving baked brie, mingling under the mistletoe, opening their doors with wide smiles as they welcome you to their homes.
When you’re the party guest, it’s a lovely gesture to bring a little something for the hosts. You might immediately think that a bottle of wine is the gift to bring, and so might most of the other revelers. There is, however, a new trend in ‘little somethings’ to bring to parties: a garden gift.
That’s right…party hosts beam with delight when you hand them a ruby-red vase blooming with winter flowers. Or a stunning glass bud vase in a velvet-wrapped box. Something that adds to their holiday décor not just now but for years to come. That bottle of Robert Strong may certainly be drained during the party, but that ruby –red vase lives on and on. The roses delight the senses during the long, dark winter months. And that bud vase will soon welcome spring and summer cuttings from flowering plants and spring’s burst of daffodils and tulips.
Here are some additional Garden Gifts to bring when you’re on the holiday party guest list:
• Potted green plants: ivy and air-purifying fern are at the top of the list!
• Flat garden stones with inspirational words or quotes on them
• Tall or round glass vases filled with the new, hot décor item: small, smooth river stones in silver and slate gray.
• A gardening book, tied with a thick brocade ribbon.
• A homemade food item you’ve prepared using your own kitchen garden herbs, such as a rosemary olive oil, in a pretty glass decanter with a homemade label.
