How to host a favorite things party
If you’ve been looking for a wholesome and exciting party theme for the holiday season, you’re in the right place. The “favorite things” party is quickly taking over our feeds and our hearts!
The concept is simple: each guest brings a set number of an item or product they’re loving, everyone gets one of each item, and each guest walks away with a curated gift array of the top things their besties are loving! Yep, it’s incredibly wholesome. Plus, if you’re someone who gets anxiety during a white elephant gift exchange (why so much stealing? why so much pressure?), this party is your new safe space.
This theme has been totally viral on social media the past few years, and it’s truly such a fun way to curate really special gifts, and to connect and learn more about your friends!
Ready to get in on the fun? We’re walking you through everything you need to know to host this unique holiday party.
Wait, what is a favorite things party?
Let’s start with the basics. A favorite things party is a form of gift exchange! Most often, it is hosted with a small group of friends (5-10 is an ideal range, but it’s truly up to you). Each guest chooses their “favorite thing” (whether it’s a beauty item, a book, or something else), and brings enough units for each person at the party. Ex: if the party has six guests, you bring six of your item!
Then, you exchange! You can choose to have each guest present their favorite thing and hand it out to everyone, or you can have each item displayed and let everyone “go shopping” and fill a gift bag with one of each favorite thing.
If you’re hosting with a larger group, you can also tell everyone to bring a set amount of their favorite thing that is lower than the total number of guests, and have each person choose one item at a time, in rounds, so everyone ends up with the same number of gifts (without people having to buy tons of their specific item!). (To break it down: you could host a party of 20 people, where everyone brings 5 of their item. Do 5 rounds of selection, and everyone walks away with 5 gifts.)
Consider the favorite things party to be a modern take on a white elephant. There’s no stealing or swapping; everyone just ends up with a few of their friends’ favorite things!
Get the step-by-step breakdown below.
So, how do you actually host a favorite things party?
While this theme is totally adaptable, here are a few key areas to plan around.
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Hosting faves like taper candles or some adorable mugs
- Decide if you want to keep it intimate or have a larger gathering. As the host, it's helpful to set expectations in advance — you can decide if everyone will bring a gift per each guest, or if it’s easier to set a number so people don’t have to buy too many of their items (great for bigger groups)!
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Establish your party “rules”
- While rules make this sound rather formal, really what you’re doing here is creating guidelines to help everything go more smoothly! For example, it’s helpful to set a budget or price limit so guests have a clear expectation of how much they should be spending per item.
- Then, make a plan for how you want the gifting to go down. Will each person share what they brought one at a time, or will you all open each one and guess who brought what? Making your own house rules is totally fair game!
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Prep and send your Invitation
- Choose from a wide variety of designs that are perfect for this cozy and fun gathering.
- Add a note on the Invitation to let guests know how many gifts they should buy, plus your desired budget, so all the information is in one place!
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Add a few more “favorite” little details
- Whether you make a custom cocktail for the evening, prepare a cheer-cuterie board with festive holiday treats, or plan some gorgeous decor, show why hosting is one of your favorite things and throw in some extra special personal details!
Need a little inspo on what to bring to a favorite things party? We’ve got you.
While the main point of a favorite things party is to bring things that are truly your personal favorite, we’ve got a few favorite things party gift ideas to get you started.
- Hosting faves like taper candles or some adorable mugs
- Purse essentials like pouches or a mini hand cream
- Beauty faves (travel size perfumes are always popular)
- Skincare must-haves, too (like this Tower 28 party pack or these Summer Fridays minis)
- Kitchen trinkets like a cute lemon squeezer or a ceramic butter bell
Check out our full list of favorites here.
Feeling inspired? Let the party planning begin! We’ve curated an array of some of our favorite things party Invitations to get you started.
Explore more favorite things Invitations
Happy hosting, and here’s to the “favorite things” party becoming one of your new favorite things!
The more parties, the merrier!
Keep enjoying the season and try one of these festive themes, too.
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