I spent the summer with my best friend’s family and gave them a card with money and they were horrified. But my parents insisted and so they just turned around and spend the cash on day trips for me and my friend. I’m surprised at how many recent threads are full of ungenerous people.

We own a beach house and spend the summer here. We have a revolving door of the kids friends that come to stay with us. My recommendation is spending money, bottle of win or restaurant gift certificate. I wouldn’t do snacks/ desserts.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I take kids to the beach with us almost every weekend. Yes to spending money. Gift is a nice touch but not necessary. Things that are appreciated are certificates to restaurants, a family game, a bottle of wine. Things for the house like decorations, serving dishes etc are less appreciated.

You want a little kid to bring you wine

I'm not OP or PP but ***k yes I want a little kid to bring me wine.

+1. Unclutch your pearls Francis.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The hostess gift is antiquated. We are in the age of excessive consumerism. Everyone has more than enough stuff-good included. I’m positive the beach house has plenty of snacks.

Just like people exchange presents at Christmas and on birthdays, so do people still bring hostess gifts.

But most don’t want them

I and many others enjoy receiving hostess gifts. Yours is not a universal view.

What is a good hostess gift?

I’m planning to send my child with snacks and desserts.

When people have sent food likes this to us, it mostly gets wasted. I have the house well stocked and meals already planned out. So unless it is something that is my family’s particular taste, whatever the kids don’t eat gets tossed. If the beach trip involves a long drive, definitely do not send a grocery bag full of snacks. Not everyone wants a bag of frosted animal cookies consumed in the car.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The hostess gift is antiquated. We are in the age of excessive consumerism. Everyone has more than enough stuff-good included. I’m positive the beach house has plenty of snacks.

Just like people exchange presents at Christmas and on birthdays, so do people still bring hostess gifts.

But most don’t want them

I and many others enjoy receiving hostess gifts. Yours is not a universal view.

What is a good hostess gift?

I’m planning to send my child with snacks and desserts.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The hostess gift is antiquated. We are in the age of excessive consumerism. Everyone has more than enough stuff-good included. I’m positive the beach house has plenty of snacks.

Just like people exchange presents at Christmas and on birthdays, so do people still bring hostess gifts.

But most don’t want them

I and many others enjoy receiving hostess gifts. Yours is not a universal view.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The hostess gift is antiquated. We are in the age of excessive consumerism. Everyone has more than enough stuff-good included. I’m positive the beach house has plenty of snacks.

Just like people exchange presents at Christmas and on birthdays, so do people still bring hostess gifts.

But most don’t want them

Anonymous wrote:The hostess gift is antiquated. We are in the age of excessive consumerism. Everyone has more than enough stuff-good included. I’m positive the beach house has plenty of snacks.

Just like people exchange presents at Christmas and on birthdays, so do people still bring hostess gifts.

The hostess gift is antiquated. We are in the age of excessive consumerism. Everyone has more than enough stuff-good included. I’m positive the beach house has plenty of snacks.

I have a child who has been invited to a friend's beach house several times over the last few summers. We go to Trader Joe's and buy a grocery bag of snacks and a few non-alcoholic drinks.

Oops. I just saw you aren't friends. Give them a GC to go out or a nice bottle of wine when they get back.

Definitely send them with spending money. When they are back, take them out to dinner.

Anonymous wrote:Are you friends with the family? If so, you could invite them over for dinner after they return. Or send a nice bottle of wine/gift basket to their home.

We are friendly but I would not say we are friends. Their child is their youngest and ours is our oldest so kid ages vary greatly. They have teenagers and I have a preschooler still. All play dates have been drop off since we have known the family.

We will thank them properly after the trip whether it is a thank you card with local gift card or taking their kid somewhere. My problem is that it is hard to focus on older kid(s) because of my youngest.

Are you friends with the family? If so, you could invite them over for dinner after they return. Or send a nice bottle of wine/gift basket to their home.

Any gift should be consumable. I would skip gift certificates to a restaurant because even if it might be nice, you’re still assigning a time sensitive task.

I count books as consumable and I would put a puzzle in the same category. I think it’s a nice idea for a beach house gift.

Otherwise wine, chocolate, cookies, etc.