Psst. Have you heard? It’s November.

You know what that means right?  It means that the holiday party invites are going to start rolling in any minute.  And if you’re anything like me, you probably wait until you’re headed out the door to figure out what the heck to bring along for the hostess.  It’s not like you can show up empty-handed after all.

But again, if you’re anything like me, you may find yourself hard-pressed to come up with anything more creative than a bouquet from the wannabee floral department at your go to supermarket.

Have no fear though; I’ve done the creative work for you, and put together a list of ten spruced up holiday hostess gifts that will knock their socks (or stockings as the case may be) off.

Here’s what I’ve come up with:

1. Something festive.  Fill a decorative glass jar (or even a canning jar would work) with a homemade nut/berry mix and tie a big, beautiful ribbon around it.  Imagine how pretty it would look.  And the fact that the contents are totally shelve-able means that your host(ess) wouldn’t feel obligated to serve it at the party.

2. Something frivolous.  Head over to Cost Plus (World Market) or Pier 1 and pick up a set or two of cutsie cocktail stirrers.  I’m partial to the peppermint or reindeer ones, but there are plenty of options.  Next stop: the grocery (or liquor) store.  Choose a nice bottle of liquor (Chambord, Godiva, Bailey’s) to present with the stirrers.  Again, a big, beautiful bow would go a long way to add wow factor to a relatively simple gift.

3. Something sinful.  Think chocolate.  This time of year you can easily find decadent goodies on every end-cap of every specialty store.  There are peppermint barks, gourmet marshmallows, truffles, and toffees.  Things that beg to be savored fireside.

4. Something portable.  I like the idea of a nice quality travel mug presented with an assortment of holiday flavored teas.  They have such yummy sounding teas available this time of year (sugarplum dream or gingerbread for instance).  Arrange the mug alongside the teas in a basket with a candy cane and you’ve saved your hostess a trip to Starbucks!

5. Something personalized.  Pick up a pair of plain martini glasses (readily available) and a glass etching kit from your local craft supply store.  Let your creative juices flow.  Etching initials or snowflakes on the glasses would make them instantly unique.  Tie itty bitty ribbons around the stems and present them with some cute cocktail napkins (I LOVE the ones at Z Gallerie!).

6. Something practical.  If the hostess is throwing a big holiday shindig chances are she won’t feel up to making breakfast the following morning.  A dozen fresh bagels (or muffins or croissants) from a local bakery along with flavored cream cheese (or jams) would likely be much appreciated.

7. Something fragrant.  Personally, I’m a sucker for those scented pine cones that start popping up all around town about this time of year.  You can buy a mesh bagful of them at the grocery store (or Michaels or JoAnne) for under five bucks.  You pour those pine cones into a decorative basket and slap a metallic ribbon on them, and battabingbattaboom:  I guarantee you’ve got a great gift.

8.  Something traditional.  And what’s more traditional than wine? But you truly can put a spin on even the most traditional of hostess gifts.  Consider purchasing a wine that is produced in the recipient’s home state.  And present it with a decorative bottle stopper (like this or this).

9. Something homemade.  I’m sort of infamous for my homemade tortilla chips and guacamole.  But salsa is much more give-able than guacamole and lucky for me, my friend Becca passed along a fabulously simple and tasty salsa recipe.  So…if you invite me to a holiday party, you know what you’ll likely be gifted!

10. Something tailored to the occasion.  For a cocktail party, consider bringing along a set of cute appetizer plates and a bottle of flavored organic olive oil.  For a dessert reception, maybe champagne flutes and a box of chocolates.  For a cookie exchange, maybe a set of copper cookie cutters.  You see where I’m going with this right?

So…these are decent ideas right?  And easy enough that you could keep one or two on hand for last minute invites.

What about you?  What’s your best idea for a festive hostess gift idea?

And for other great Works for Me ideas, visit That Family.