Favorite Things Party Gift Ideas + How To Host One

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With the holidays approaching, I want to tell you about one of my favorite traditions—a favorite things party. These gift exchanges are actually really fun year-round, and we love to incorporate them into our girls’ trips. After I tell you what these parties are all about, I will also include my best Favorite Things Party gift ideas!

What Is A Favorite Things Party?

In a nutshell, it’s a gift exchange where you bring one of your favorite things to share with everyone in the group. You bring the same gift, wrapped up for everyone to open at once. They are so much fun! I have a couple of friend groups where we do these parties and always look forward to them.

Why?

Well, I know that I am going home with awesome stuff! Not that I don’t love the gifts my family gets for me, but these are tried-and-true products beloved by my peers. I have found so many new favorites (hence the name) through these favorite things gift exchanges with my friends.

This post is primarily about favorite things party gift ideas, but before I start with those, I want to share a few tips for hosting a great My Favorite Things party.

Shop My Favorite Things Gift Ideas

4 Tips For Hosting A Favorite Things Party

Are you wondering how to host a favorite things party? It’s easy! These parties can be held all year, not just as a holiday party. And they are fun for adults and kids! I have even seen variations with couples, and you bring your favorite liquor or bottle of wine. Of course, that can get expensive quickly if you have more than four or five couples!

As I mentioned above, a Favorite Things Party works like this:

set a time/date
set a budget
buy the same gift for all
wrap them up cute
gather for food and drink
open them at the same time
explain why you love it
go home with new faves

It’s that simple! Once your friend group gets the hang of things, you don’t need to do much handholding, but for the first one, you must make sure everyone understands how this works. It’s different from a traditional Secret Santa or white elephant gift exchange, where people are used to only bringing one gift.

#1 Communication Is Key

Make sure everyone understands how this works! Honestly, feel free to send them this blog post. Make sure they know to buy one of everything and wrap it. For example, if you have a group of 10, they need to bring 9 identical gifts. They don’t have to put names on them unless they are personalized gifts, like this cute Initial Makeup Bag.

Upon arrival, everyone can take their gifts out and arrange them around on the counter or table. It’s so fun to see 100 or so gifts!

#4 Set A Budget

The most important thing is to have a set budget. In most cases it’s around $20, but can be more or less. Take your group size into account. If it’s a large group, maybe limit it to $15. If it’s a more intimate group, you can go up to $50 if you’d like! The good news is that most people can find a favorite item in any dollar amount.

If you are hosting a favorite things party for little kids, set the price limit low. Make it $5 and have them bring their favorite candy or Little Golden Book. It’s always a fun idea!

It is a good idea to be as close to the budget as possible. If your item is below the price limit, grab your favorite hand soap or candy to go with it.

#3 Favorite Things Party Food & Drink

We like to do this in conjunction with a girls’ night out or cocktail party. It’s fun to carry the theme over to the food and drink and have each of the guests bring a bottle of their favorite wine or mocktail. Likewise, you can always do the same thing with appetizers, where everyone brings something they love!

I reccomend that you eat and drink first, then make sure to have a clear table, counter, or living room space for when you start to open gifts. Of course, the cocktails and mocktails can carry over to the gift portion of the party.

#4 Relax & Leave Extra Time

Don’t rush through things like a little kid at Christmas. Savor the company and take your time opening gifts. Also, allow time after opening gifts as you try out some of the products and talk more about them.

What usually works best is for one person to get up and grab their gifts. They pass them out to everyone, and then everyone opens up their favorite things gifts at the same time. As they are opened, the gifter can tell people more about the item. Why is it one of your favorite things? This part is so fun!

Take five or ten minutes before moving on to the next. Savor the gifts and the conversation. It is also always helpful to have a set of bags on hand for people to put their gifts into before moving on to the next. Many of these are small, and we don’t want them to get thrown away in the cleanup accidentally.

My Favorite Things Party Gift Ideas

Now that you know how to have a Favorite Things Party, here are some gift ideas. Click the button below to view my entire Amazon List of Favorite Things Party Gift Ideas. Of course, the whole point of these parties is to share one of your personal favorite things. But, chances are that many of my reccomendations will help inspire you!

Favorite Things Party Gift Ideas

Next, I will break it down into categories, and you can also click on any of the images below to shop for those specific favorite things ideas!

It’s always cost-effective to buy things that come in a larger pack, like glass straws or makeup erasers, and then break them up into smaller groups. Also, consider whether people are flying (such as girls’ trips) and try to make sure the items are light enough and above TSA liquid regulations.

Soaps, Candles & Lotions

These are the most popular gifts, and I actually like them because they are something everyone can use and use up! They are also great because most of my personal favorites, such as the Capri Blue candles, come in various sizes to accommodate different budgets.

Beauty Must-Haves

What’s your favorite mascara or setting spray? Do you have a tired and true sleep mask? I love the Laneige Sleeping Mask. Think outside the box and look at what you actually use on a daily basis. Likewise, is there a beauty item that you can’t live without? Last year, I received the Pond’s Makeup Remover Cold Cream at a favorite things party, and now it’s one of my go-to’s!

Favorite Accessories

I love gifting a mesh beach bag because I always bring one with me on trips, and it costs only around $10. But at this point, I have already given one to everyone I know! Also, think about jewelry cases, bracelets you love, the best hair ties, and so on.

Home Gift Ideas

Home items are always a fun favorite things party gift idea. Items like these magnetic measuring spoons are sure to go over well. And this Charcutire Card Deck is my new go-to gift! I also like the idea of cute charcuterie accessories like little forks and spoons.

Snacks & Drinks

Gift your favorite bottle of wine or favorite candy. I once had someone bring lime-flavored tortilla chips to a party, and we’ve been hooked since. Try to find items that people may not have tried before.

Practical Gifts

The heart of a favorite things party is practical items that you use regularly and love. Don’t be afraid to give your favorite surface spray, like the Peppermint Mrs. Meyers Spray or the CocoFloss, that you can’t live without. Also, even the Activewear Laundry Detergent is something most people haven’t tried and could really use! It gets that funky smell out of your workout clothes.

Mix Up For Favorite Gifts

Feel free to mix things up, too! If you have a cute clear travel cosmetic bag, fill it with candy you love. Additionally, you can put together a pick-me-up kit with your favorite shower steamers, a Liquid IV, and some Mario Badescu Face Spray. You can be as creative as you want!

As I mentioned above, you can click on any of the images in this post to shop for the exact favorite things gift ideas on Amazon. I hope you have enjoyed these favorite things party gift ideas!

More Shopping With Our Little Lifestyle

And if you are looking for more shopping inspiration beyond favorite things parties, you are in the right place for gift guides! Browse my Ultimate Gift Guide for gifts for the whole family, or use the following links to shop for your specific needs.