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    Home » Holiday Recipes

    Favorite Things Party: How to Host & Gift Exchange Ideas

    By: Jessica · Posted: Dec 4, 2019 · Updated: Sep 24, 2024 · This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

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    Favorite Things Party: How to Host & Gift Exchange Ideas. It was a party that turned out to be so much fun, that’s it’s now an annual tradition! 

    Favorite Things Party Ideas

     

    After planning my son’s “Woodland Friends Birthday Party,” I immediately started thinking about planning another, and the Favorite Things Party was born.

    ——> Stop right here if you need a free party planning checklist! Then come back and check out how I host a Favorite Things shindig!

    Favorite Things Party Ideas-Champagne Bar Ideas https://fantabulosity.com

    How to Host a Favorite Things Party

    I gotta say, that I went in to planning my first “Favorite Things Party,” empty-handed. 

    I googled…

    • “Favorite Things Party Ideas,”
    • “How To Host a Favorite Things Party,”
    • “How Does a Favorite Things Party Work.” 

    All of those gave me great tips, ideas, and tricks, but I have to say I still did it my own way, which is the beauty of it.

    Favorite Things Party Ideas

    See my Christmas Favorite Things Party, and even consider having a Christmas movie-themed party!

    Martini Bar Ideas fantabulosity.com Red apple martini and White Chocolate Peppermint Martini

    …and the Summer Favorite Things Party!

    favorite things party ideas

    Now back to THIS Favorite Things Party…

    Favorite Things Party Ideas-Champagne Bar Garnishes https://fantabulosity.com

    Favorite Things Party Ideas

    The planning of my favorite things party, all started with my favorite drink. Champagne.

    DRINK IDEAS

    I thought and thought about creating a signature drink for the evening, but the more I thought about it, the more I was loving the idea of letting everyone get creative and serve up their own bubbly, by creating a Champagne Bar!

    I provided:

    • fruit garnishes (blueberries, blackberries & raspberries)
    • fruit juices
    • chocolates

    I coated the rims of the champagne glasses with gold sprinkles, and not only did that make it super cute… but we all loved the extra “sweetness,” with every sip.

    I also provided different types of champagne, in case we had “Sweet,” lovers, and “Dry,” lovers. Which… I’m glad we did, because I had a healthy mix of both “tastes” attend.

    It didn’t take long for the girlies to get in the champagne. I always knew we were friends for a reason. 🙂

    Favorite Things Game & Gift Station

    How to do a favorite things gift exchange party

    I knew I wanted to designate a space for my guests to immediately drop off their gifts when they came in the door. No one wants to carry and “babysit,” gifts all night.
    (For Heaven’s sake we left the kids at home. We needed to drop our bags and get a glass of champagne in our hands… quickly!) 

    I used my fireplace as a landing zone for the gifts. This worked out beautifully because this is where I had everyone gather when it was time for the favorite things gift exchange, so we didn’t have far to go.

    I also made sure to provide a sign, explaining to everyone what they needed to do when dropping off the gifts. (Don’t worry… I’ll fill you in on how I had everyone play the game, below.)

    Favorite Things Party Ideas-Gifts

    If you follow me, you may know my style. I’m a huge fan of Kate Spade, so if I can incorporate that into my daily life, or when celebrating… you better bet I will.

    So my color scheme for the Favorite Things Cocktail party was easy. White.Black.Gold. The colors I think of when I think of Kate Spade goodies.

    Favorite Things Party Ideas-Cocktail Party. White, Black, Gold decorations

    The Menu

    I was so excited to finally throw a party that could have a cocktail party “feel,” to it. I’ve thrown a ton of kids parties, so it was Momma’s turn.

    Favorite Things Party Ideas-Cocktail Party Menu https://fantabulosity.com

    I did mention to the catering manager, that I wanted to take the goodies, and put them in my own, small “tasting,” dishes.

    So I just took what they gave me, and divided it all up into the small dishes. My guests LOVED the small tasting dish options! Besides… who wouldn’t love miniature plates and forks? They’re simply just too cute.

    Cocktail Bites

    Food on table for Favorite Things Party
    Favorite Things Party Ideas-3
    Favorite Things Party Ideas=Cocktail Party Menu Ideas https://fantabulosity.com

    The strawberry-spinach salad was a no-brainer for this party. It’s classy, AND delish. Since spinach leaves are so large, my dear friend helped me by chopping the spinach up into small pieces, so it would fit better in each miniature container. It turned out ADORABLE! Don’t you think?

    Favorite Things Party Ideas-Food Ideas, spinach & strawberry salad https://fantabulosity.com

    Buy the little square plastic dishes we used for the salads here: Mini Square Cubes

    Dessert

      Small, itty-bitty Snicker cake bites were a perfect dessert idea for the party, and were a huge hit. Everyone loved them… and I may have had 5 {ahem 15} myself.

    Favorite Things Party Ideas-Food and Menu Ideas- Cake Bites https://fantabulosity.com

    Don’t EVEN get me started on gooey butter cake. Ahh… if you don’t like it… I may have to re-evaluate our friendship. I simply took small bits of the gooey butter cake, and put it in to the mini spoons, for my guests to easily grab and go. HEAVEN!

    Favorite Things Party Ideas-Dessert Idea; Gooey Butter Cake in Mini Spoons https://fantabulosity.com

    Favorite Things Party Gift Ideas

    Let’s move on to the purpose of the night. The Favorite Things Gift Exchange!!! Here are my girls gathering in the living area, ready to give and receive!

    Favorite Things Party Ideas-Girls night cocktail party! https://fantabulosity.com

    Some of my favorite gifts to give at a Favorite Things Party, are:

    • cake stands
    • mascara
    • drink dispenser
    • coffee frother
    • dry shampoo
    • bakers twine

    How to Host a Favorite Things Gift Exchange:

    Well here’s how we did it. Remember above how everyone wrote their names down on three different pieces of paper? I had them put all three pieces of paper into the bowl when they were done.

    Each person would take turns, going up to the front of the group… grab the three gifts that they brought, and draw three names out of the bowl.

    Those three people would get the “drawers,” three favorite things! I had everyone explain why those were their favorite things, and it just gave it a little more of a personal touch!

    Now… some guests brought three different favorite items, and some people brought 3 of the same favorite items. Either way worked fantabulous! (P.S. We also did a price limit. Each gift could not exceed $10.)

    Girls will be Girls… with Champagne

    I have NO idea what I was doing here, but I can tell you that I was having a fab time with that big ole grin on my face.

    Favorite Things Party Ideas https://fantabulosity.com
    Favorite Things Party Ideas-Gift Giving! https://fantabulosity.com

    I must say… the best part of the night was sitting back and watching everyone cut loose and have a good time.

    It’s a rare occasion when just the girls can get together to mingle, have a cocktail (or two) and actually get some “me,” time… so seeing smiles on my guest’s face all night, was truly the highlight of it all.

    Favorite Things Party Ideas- https://fantabulosity.com

    More Party Activity Ideas

    If your party is hosted during the holidays and you’re looking for something else to do besides the gift exchange, going on a Christmas scavenger hunt would be a super fun idea too!

    Or, if you’re thinking of making fun party favors or fun little gifts for everyone, I loved making these hangover kits for the gals.

    To see more of the shindigs & parties I have hosted:

    • Taco bar on table with salsa, chicken, and toppings in bowls.
      Taco Party and Taco Bar Ideas
    • Salami rose on charcuterie board, sitting next to nuts, cheese and crackers.
      How to Make Salami Roses
    • Christmas movie night ideas in an image collage.
      Christmas Movie Night Ideas
    • Mountain Picnic Set Up

    More Holiday Recipes

    • Slice of pink lemonade cake, with pink and white striped straw sticking out the top.
      Pink Lemonade Cake
    • Close up of chocolate peanut butter brownies
      Peanut Butter Chocolate Brownies Recipe
    • A square of carrot walnut cake.
      Carrot Cake Poke Cake
    • Slice of possum pie on a white plate with a fork sitting next to it with a bite on it.
      Possum Pie
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    1. Alexis says

      November 25, 2020 at 1:06 pm

      Does the number of gifts brought by each person matter? I have 14 people participating. So does my group need to bring more gifts?

      Reply
      • Jessica says

        November 25, 2020 at 5:32 pm

        Hi Alexis! Great question… Yes! So you’ll want everyone to bring the same amount of gifts. For instance, I did 3 gifts. So each person brought 3 gifts and left with 3 gifts! You could one, or you could do 10! It doesn’t matter… as long as everyone brings the same amount of gifts!

        Reply
    2. Catherine Szabad says

      May 18, 2020 at 7:46 am

      Hello – Just found your site!! Have a lot to catch up on! I am very interested in how this party works – so does each person go home with 3 gifts? Also would love the recipe for the Apple Cider Rum Chata drink!!!

      my email is [email protected]

      Thank you – Catherine Szabad, Buffalo, NY

      Reply
      • Jessica says

        May 21, 2020 at 6:46 am

        Hi Catherine!! Aww, thank you!
        YES! Each person goes home with three gifts! And for the drink, all we did was equal parts of rum chata and apple cider! Just be cautious of the temperature of both ingredients. The rum chata can curdle!

        Reply
    3. Kelly Gabel says

      December 19, 2014 at 7:45 am

      Jessica ceases to surprise us with her elegance and creativity in party planning. This Party was such a fun idea and brings something different to the table around the Christmas time. It also allowed a bunch of moms who are entirely focused on shopping for their family’s favorite things to STOP and focus on what really makes themselves smile. Not only did I come home with some awesome gifts, but I learned a lot about the other gifts. After learning about everyone’s new favs, I just might have to go out and buy myself a “stocking stuffer” or two.

      Jessica forgot to mention the AMAZING cocktails that were also made. My favorite was the Apple Cider Rum Chata Concoction. It kept us going back for more and more and more! Thank goodness for Tylenol the next day!

      Reply
      • Jessica says

        December 19, 2014 at 5:16 pm

        Oh Kelly…you’re so sweet!!! Thank you so much for saying those awesome things! So glad you could make it!! 🙂

        Reply

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