Gift Guide: Hostess Gifts Under $25

The holidays are right around the corner and to help you find great gifts and have them arrive in time, I am starting my gift guides now. Every Friday will be a different gift guide of items that caught my eye around the web. Each gift guide has a different theme, and these are based on your requests and the requests of friends and neighbors. Heading to your partner's parents' for Thanksgiving? Staying at a relative's house for a few days over the holiday break? Were you invited to a party by a new neighbor? Below are some great hostess (or host) gift ideas under $25 to thank them for their hospitality. And heck, a lot of these would be great gifts for anyone!

Hostess Gifts Under $25

• I love gifting tea towels, they're pretty and practical. I grew up with calendar tea towels and it was fun to pull one from the drawer and look up what day of the week my birthday fell on that year. Give alone, or use it to wrap a loaf of pumpkin bread for a two-in-one gift! The calendar towel shown here I bought last year and it has held up great through dozens of washings and hard work in the kitchen! $17.00 
• Who doesn't love a personalized gift? This soy candle has a fresh grapefruit scent, burns for 71 hours, and you can choose any initial in gold to be placed on the irridescent glass vase. $24.00 
• There is nothing more delicious than pears from Harry & David. And there's nothing smarter than an edible gift! This kit comes with six pears and a kit for kids to decorate the pears – a great gift for a family! $24.99
• Another great edible gift? This cold brew coffee press from Bodum. It comes in two fun colors and makes a cup of Joe super easy.  Complete the gift with a Voyager Pack from Blue Bottle Coffee; they have a kit made just for a French press and I just love how their coffee tastes. Press: $9.99; coffee: $17.50
• How cute are these Salvador Dali and Pablo Picasso salt and pepper shakers? Talk about a conversation starter and they also receive rave reviews on the MoMA site! $22
• For the fashion lover, these charming books from Lauren Friedman are packed full of great ideas, gorgeous illustrations, and look beautiful on a coffee table or in a bookcase. If you were a fan of Lucky Magazine, her work may look familair to you. Take your pick of 50 Ways to Wear a Scarf ($8.78), 50 Ways to Wear Denim ($14.95), or her latest book, 50 Ways to Wear Accessories ($10.50).
• This summer I used Avon's Skin so Soft and couldn't recall why I stopped using it.  Incredible scent and incredible ingredients for happy skin even in winter.  This kit has a limited edition scent of sandalwood and jasmine in a body wash, body cream, and hand lotion. I had the opportunity to try this kit and liked it so much I had to add it.  The scent is beautiful, not too heavy and smells expensive (great choice for friends who like feminine scents as well as the one who lovesa more mysterious fragrance).  The hand cream is my new fave as it absorbs quickly and leaves your skin silky.  And the body wash is utterly decadent. $14
• Pair your cheese plate with a gift for the host – this set of spreaders is utterly charming while also being practical. Witty messages and classic silver handles make these complement most any decor. $23.97
• This kit makes growing your own herbs indoors easy and based on the reviews, quite successful! The set provides everything you need to grow the ten most popular culinary herbs. $22.97
• When hosting a party, you can't have enough coasters. This set of four slate coasters can be personalized with an initial and name up to 12 letters and the company has speedy shipping. $24.99