My husband and I host guests regularly and have received our share of appreciative gifts. I do not invite guests in expectation of any gift, and as long as you make an effort to be pleasant, to the best of your ability, you are welcome in my house. If you don't know what to bring, don't have time to shop, or are short on funds please don't worry about it. We're a big family and most of the people we host are not going to be inviting us back. I've lived in communities where hostess gifts were not the norm. My mother used to say that there really isn't a gift that is a fair exchange for hosting, especially houseguests. But even extremely practical hosts like myself understand that people … [Read more...]