Have you been invited to a Favorite Things party? The first time I heard of them was about 4 years ago, and I have hosted my own every year since! I love the concept, and it’s always so fun to see the random and unique items everyone brings.

I’ll explain what exactly a Favorite Things party is, and then I’ve created a list of dozens of ideas if you need a little inspiration. There are a few Favorite Things gift guides out there that I peeked at before my very first Favorite Things party, but they have all seemed so boring and generic. I was able to come up with some different clever and unique options that I can’t use all of them myself, so hopefully they are helpful to you!

What is a Favorite Things party?

The concept is that you have a girls get together, with a gift exchange activity. Everyone is going to bring 3 of something that is one of their current favorite things – could be something for the kitchen, self-care, a gadget, food or beverage….anything! But you’ll want to set a price limit per item. I’ve gone to a party with a $5 per item limit, and that was a little too limiting. I feel like $15 is the sweet spot, but of course it’s totally up to the group you’re with!

1. Each girl brings her 3 items (all the same thing, but fine if they are in different colors or patterns).

2. When the gift exchange begins, everyone is assigned a number starting with 1.

3. Use small pieces of paper to write out each person’s number three times onto separate papers, and put them all into a hat or box. (So if you have 10 girls, you will have 30 pieces of paper – three separate papers for each number.)

4. Choose someone to start! They will explain their gift and why it’s their “favorite thing.” Then they will pull out three pieces of paper from the hat or box, and the ladies assigned to those numbers get to take that item home! You can’t pull the same number twice for the same item, and obviously you don’t want to pull your own number.

5. After everyone has shared and gifted their favorite things, every girl there will be going home with three totally different gifts!

Make sense? Feel free to leave a comment and I can clarify, or share any of your own tips if you’ve done this type of gift exchange before!

I have been to a birthday party that had a Favorite Things theme, which was fun because the birthday girl didn’t necessarily want everyone to bring her a present so it really was a gift for everyone. My annual Favorite Things parties have become a Christmastime tradition! For three years now, I set up a hot chocolate bar, a dessert charcuterie board, some appetizers and wine, and my girlfriends over. It’s always such a different mix of favorite things and gifts and always so fun to come away with new things to try!

Here are some ideas for every price point if you’re hosting or attending your own Favorite Things party:

$5 per Item

• Artsy bookmarks: if your group has readers in it, I always love cutesy or unique bookmarks and they make so many different styles now! Like these magnetic ones, which you could break out into three separate gifts.
• Garden seed packets: flower seeds are inexpensive enough that you could group a few together in a little bundle as a gift, or find a cute (inexpensive!) pair of garden gloves to pair with them.
• Makeup removing towelettes: This is what I brought to my first-ever Favorite Things party, a pack of Burt’s Bees make-up removing wipes. They are great to keep in your nightstand should you ever have a night where you feel too lazy to get up and properly wash your face…it’s better than nothing!
• Olipop sodas/kombuchas: here’s a great excuse to get your friends to try a healthier fun drink that they might not otherwise splurge on! These better-for-you soda and sparkling drinks are priced so that you can give two per person if you’re in the $5 gift range, like this root beer alternative!
• Spa headband: It’s just more fun to wash your face with a huge terrycloth bow on your head! You could even pair it with an inexpensive face mask pack.
• Silicone muffin pan liners: kitchen gadgets are always a fun Favorite Things item, and these are on the more inexpensive side.
• Diamond-painting kit: this was my Favorite Things gift for my 2023 party! They come with everything you need for a simple at-home craft/project that’s easy to do while binging a show or listening to a podcast and they range in price from $5-15. The two linked here are $5.
• Disposable air fryer liners: Everyone has an air fryer nowadays, right?! We LOVE our air fryer but don’t want to clean it every time I put in some tater tots. I like using these large disposable liners for easy clean-up. (They are quite thin, so I usually use 2-3 at a time.)
• Mini-bottle cocktail kit: This can be a cute little gift – find a cocktail glass at the Dollar Tree, and add a mini bottle of liquor plus a mix-in for a cocktail kit! You can do a mini vodka, a can of ginger beer & a lime for a mojito. Or a mini Bailey’s and hot cocoa packets in a coffee mug!
• Spa socks: I don’t think I’ve ever been to a favorite things party where fuzzy socks weren’t involved. They are a universally loved item, especially good if you don’t know the group too well and aren’t sure about their specific interests! Everyone likes socks!

$10 per Item:

• Pretty Pastel Highlighters: These highlighters are so beautiful and come in packs of 16 colors that aren’t obnoxious! I would love to receive these!
• Silicone Air Fryer Liner: In my previous category, I included some disposable air fryer liners for easy cleanup. This is slightly higher cost but a reusable version of the product that still cuts down on clean-up time if you’re a frequent air fryer user like I am!
• Lightsaber Chopsticks: this is a fun novelty item that your friends surely don’t already have!
• At-Home Manicure: This was one of the favorite things I received at my 2022 party. Press-on nails have come a long way, and these look as good as a salon manicure!
• Belt Bag: These have become trendy this year, and this $11 version looks just as good as LuluLemon!
• Burt’s Bees Moisturizing Kit: This $10 pack comes with 5 different products – lotion, chapstick, cleansing cream, foot cream, and hand salve. Perfect for wintertime!
• Scarf: Since you don’t know who exactly will be receiving your gifts, this is a great one-size-fits-all accessory item. I purchased this scarf for some girlfriends this year :)
• Kitchen Gadgets: There are so many fun unique gadgets in this price range: a pineapple cutter/corer, olive oil spray mister, ground meat masher, clip-on strainer for pots, and a heat sealer for plastic bags!
• Candles: a classic gift. For gifts, I like the make sure the fragrances are pretty neutral and clean smelling rather than strong food or floral scents. This is a good one!
• Diamond painting kit: I had some cheaper options in the previous $5 category, but here are two that I really like that are $10 – mountainscape & succulants.

$15-$20 per Item

• Cookbooks: At my 2022 Favorite Things party, I gifted Half Baked Harvest cookbooks because I LOVE her recipes and food photography. But I also (of course) love this Gilmore Girls official cookbook, and another beautiful option is Graze, a small bites and charcuterie cookbook!
• Cookbook holder: I love these kitchen counter cookbook-holders that keep your page open to whatever recipe you’re working on!
• Corkcicle Wine Chiller: I’m a white wine girl, and sometimes you don’t have enough time to get a bottle to chill for company! Here’s a cute wine chiller that I have bought for gifts for hostess friends.
• Veggie Chopper: this is an awesome time-saving kitchen gadget for dicing veggies!
• Board Games: My current FAVORITE is called Chik-a-Pig!
• Lumify Eye Drops: these went viral on social media, because they noticeable brighten and whiten your eyes instantly!
• Pepper Spray/Personal Safety Alarm: I always carry a pepper spray in my diaper bag and stroller, and a personal alarm on my car keys. Better to have them and not need them!
• A Year of Cozy hardcover book: I love this beautiful coffee table book full of great reminders!
• Super Food Powders: I have both these superfood reds and superfood greens powders that I add to smoothies every day for some extra vitamins and nutrients!
• Cactus Spa Tealight Candles: these are adorable tealights that would add a spa-quality to your bathtub or nightstand!
• Bathtub Headrest: speaking of spa, I’ve never been a big bath-taker because I don’t find it particularly comfy! I feel like when I lean back, I slink down too far otherwise I have to sit straight up. Then I discovered this cushion that suctions to the bathtub and it’s a game-changer!
• Deep-tissue Massage Gun: These little guys are just around $20 bucks now, and come in pink and black!

I haven’t seen a Favorite Things party set a price limit above $20, but if you are looking for items in a higher category then let me know in the comments and I’ll put together another list with some great options!

I’m excited to hear if you picked any of these items for your own Favorite Things party, or what other clever ideas you’ve seen!

This year I had nine of my girlfriends over to my house. Some are fellow pilot wives, some are in my book club, a couple from my neighborhood and a couple from previous jobs. It’s so fun to get all of your friends together at your house, and we all left our babies and toddlers with our husbands for a true Mom’s Night Off. :)

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XOXO Kenz