Have you ever attended or hosted a Favorite Things Party? If not, you are missing out! It is by far my favorite annual party to host. While researching this type of party several years ago, I found most people host this during December. However, I find December to be insanely busy and already very costly for most, so I opted to host in January.
What is a Favorite Things Party? The idea is simple. It’s the perfect evening of fun, conversation, food and drink. After you perfect your guest list, ensure each guest knows to bring her “favorite thing” within a set price limit. This year was the first year I have raised the bar and set the limit at $20-$25 and let me tell you, the gifts were amazing! Each guest brings 3 of the same items they absolutely love. These items can ben kitchen gadgets, beauty products, clothing or accessories, a craft supply or even something handmade. Everyone is asked to wrap their gifts.
I’ve seen gift distribution completed in many ways and in fact, I’ve tried several different ways. I believe this year was my favorite. We did three different rounds. In round one everyone placed their name in a bowl. We drew names and if your name was drawn, you unwrapped your gift, explained why it was your favorite and then picked another name from the bowl to receive your gift. We continued until everyone had revealed what they had brought. After all gifts were revealed we drew numbers from a bowl. Then we started with number one and allowed that person to select a gift of their choice, essentially allowing them to shop for their favorite thing. When we reached the last number, we shopped in reverse order. I really liked this method because it provided the element of surprise, but also allowed selection. Many were worried they would bring something that another guest already had. This meant you may have a loved a gift, but it just wasn’t for you. Since we raised the amount this year, I really wanted guest to go home with at least one or two things they absolutely loved!
As a final touch, guests were invited to bring one $5 item to share. We put all of these items into a pot and spun a random wheel to allow three winners to take home all of the loot. This was optional, but super fun for the winners!
Below are some of the photos of the favorite things from our party this year. Which have you tried? What would you have brought?
