Gift Ideas for the Holiday Entertainer

Our December issue is overflowing with incredible gift ideas for the wine lovers, food snobs, and style mavens on your holiday shopping list. We found so much great stuff that we added some extra web-exclusive bargains online.

Two years ago my friends and I started holding our gift exchange the second week of December with the idea that we’d all give something useful for holiday entertaining. A sneak peek at what I’m giving this year:

L.A.-based furniture designer Charles Fradin’s new letterpress invitations and note cards he designed for Williams-Sonoma have whimsical drawings of cupcakes and dinner plates.

Alessi's adorable Lilliput salt and pepper shakers are a definite conversation starter for the table.

Modern Twists’s new placemats are made from hand-silkscreened, non-toxic silicone so they are super-easy to clean. They come in fun floral and nature-inspired designs.

Lupicia’s seasonal tea blends like White Christmas (flavored with white chocolate and apricot) and Christmas Wreath (blended with apple, cranberry and spices) for serving after dinner.  

Bottlerocket’s Find the Love gift pack is like a wine party in a box. One box serves up to 12 people and includes basic information on how to taste wines as well as tasting sheets and six bottles of wine. You can pick your box of wine based on themes like Explore Spain and Bubbly.

Playful inside-out Champagne glasses from Alissia Melka Teichroew look like tumblers on the outside but have the iconic Champagne glass silhouette on the inside.