Baby shower hostess gift idea?

[gooddecisions]

I'm being thrown a baby shower in honor of my upcoming first born tomorrow and would like to give a nice hostess gift. I understand a lot of planning and money can go into throwing a shower, which I've offered to reimburse and was turned down. So, how can I show my gratitude with a nice gift? Any ideas? She is single with no kids, goes out a lot and plays sports. I'm not impressed with the online search results of candles, homemade cookies, or flowers. I don't have a lot of time to figure something out, so I appreciate any ideas you may have.

Note: I cringe at the thought of reading through all 200+ pages of the never ending pregnancy thread, so I apologize if this has already been addressed there.

[reeneejune]

Well, first of all, don't feel like you have to/should give the hostess gift at the shower. I'm usually the single friend throwing the shower, and I'd be a bit embarrassed to receive a hostess gift when I want all of the attention to be on the soon-to-be mom; but that's personal preference. I think a nice thank you card along with a gift card to somewhere your friend enjoys going out to would be a lovely gift. I know I'll get rotten tomatoes thrown at me for suggesting a gift card, but for people who like to go out, it's a really nice thing. And if you want a slightly more personal touch, you can take her out to lunch to give her the thank you note and gift card.

[yogiii]

I think you should plan a day out with your friend before the baby arrives. Things will change once baby is here and your friend will appreciate spending the day with you. Maybe treat her to lunch and a movie or something like that.

[gooddecisions]

Thanks for weighing in. Renee, that's really sweet of you to throw showers for your friends. I really didn't think anybody was going to be up for throwing me one and I haven't been hinting, so I definitely appreciate the effort and money that goes into it. I'm leaning towards a mani/pedi gift certificate for the place that's near both of us. So, leveraging yogi's advice maybe that's something we can do that together. I can barely get to my toes these days, so I know mine could use some TLC!

[yogiii]

double post

[yogiii]

I forgot to say, congrats! Also, the kid thread is very random, a lot of the topics are revisited over and over again as posters ask questions or look for advice. Pre or post baby you can always pop in without needing to read any of the previous info. Everyone is friendly and non-judgmental over there.

[regina24601]

yogiii's right - come play with us on the pregnancy thread! Just drift in and out of the conversation as topics tickle your fancy (that's what I do).

As for a gift, I had 2 friends who co-hosted a shower for me. I didn't give them a gift at the shower (you mentioned your friend wouldn't want the attention, so do take that into consideration). After the shower, I sent them thank-you cards with a gift card to their favorite restaurants enclosed. They seemed to appreciate it. Hope you enjoy your shower today! And congratulations on the pregnancy!

[gooddecisions]

It was an amazing night! I feel really blessed to have such great friends who would rally to do this for me. :-)

[yogiii]

congrats - glad you had a nice time.

[cronewitch]

A nice general hostess gift is a pound of coffee or coffee beans if you know they grind their own. It doesn't need served the same day like you might expect a bottle of wine to be shared. So you don't have to worry matching the beverage to the food.

[mizbear]

I have no kids and have found the pregnancy/kids thread a great place to bounce ideas and frustrations with my nieces. I have them as much and sometimes more than their parents- so I appreciate the support.

And although I am like reeneejune from a personal hostess standpoint, I am sure the hostess will be pleased as punch with your personal acknowledgement of her efforts.