Holiday Gift Guide for the Host: Under $50, $50 to $100 and Over $100
Everyone has someone who always has people over: the friend who does Christmas Eve, the aunt with the good china, the neighbour whose door is always open. The best gifts for them are the things they would use every time guests arrive but rarely buy for themselves. We have sorted our favourites by price, so you can start with your budget. Every piece below ships from Toronto.
Gifts under $50
Small enough for a Secret Santa or a hostess gift, good enough that they will still be on the table next Christmas.
Gold Glitter Beaded Charger Plates, $20 for four. Thirteen-inch acrylic chargers with gold glitter and a beaded rim. They make anyone's Christmas table look finished, and at this price there is room for a second set. See the other styles in charger plates.
Gold Tree Bark Serving Bowl, from $14.99. A bark-textured gold bowl at 5, 8 or 11 inches. Buy all three and they stack, which makes a full set of matching serving bowls for under $90.
Gilded Leaf Charcuterie Set, $34.99. Three ten-inch cheese and charcuterie tools with golden vine handles, long enough to reach across a board without leaning over it.
Gilded Leaf Triple Nut Bowl, $34.99. Three joined sections in one gold piece, so nuts, olives and dried fruit go out together without three bowls crowding the table.
Cardinal Cup and Saucer Set, $39.99 a pair. Red cardinals on white porcelain, supplied in a gift box. For a couple, it is the nicest way to say "come for tea". The Red Country Rose pair ($34.99) also comes boxed.
Birds of Paradise Teapot, $44.99. A full litre of tea in one pot, painted with birds of paradise on white porcelain. Add the Gilded Leaf Teaspoons ($39.99) for a slightly bigger gift.
Gifts from $50 to $100
For family, close friends and anyone whose house you will be eating at this year.
Vitantonio Argento Grill Pan, $64.99. Made in Italy in heavy cast aluminium, with raised ridges for proper grill marks on steak, halloumi and vegetables. It works on every hob, induction included. For the cook who has everything else, pair it with the Vitantonio Ceramic Non-Stick Pot (from $59.99).
Blue Flower Gold Trim Teapot, $59.99, or $89.99 with the matching milk and sugar pots. Blue florals on white porcelain with a gold trim: as much a piece to leave out as one to pour from.
Gold Ray Oval Cake Stand, $59.99. A 15-inch oval on a pedestal with a fluted gold rim. It takes the things a round stand cannot, like a loaf cake, a row of éclairs or a sliced tart, and lifts them to eye level.
Gold Royal Salute Flatware Set, $69.99. Twenty-four pieces of gold flatware, a full service for six, with an ornate handle that suits floral china. Gold Versallion is the same price with a decorated stem.
Gilded Leaf Salad Serving Set, $69.99. Twelve-inch salad servers with golden vine handles, long enough to turn a full bowl without knocking leaves over the rim.
Mayfair Meadow Teapot Set, $89.99. White porcelain with a meadow motif and a built-in filter, so loose leaf tea goes straight into the pot. For someone who has moved on from tea bags.
See all gifts from $50 to $100
Gifts over $100
The once-a-year gift: a wedding, a first Christmas in a new home, or a parent who hosts every holiday.
Cardinal Tea for Six, $149.99. The Cardinal teapot with three pairs of cups and saucers, $19.97 less than buying them separately. Red and gold on white, it suits a Christmas table without being a Christmas pattern, so it stays out all year.
Pink Peony Tea Set, $299.99. Our most complete tea service: fine bone china for six, down to the centrepiece plate the cake sits on, in gift box packaging. For a plainer white and gold, the Ace Elegant Bone China Tea Set is $174.99.
Gilded Leaf Three-Tier Cake Stand, $129.99. Three plates on a single stem with a golden vine, and it breaks down flat for storage. Made for afternoon tea, as our Christmas afternoon tea guide shows.
Gilded Leaf Serving Set, $124.99. A two-section bowl, a square tray and four teaspoons, chosen to work together on a hosting table. Bought separately they come to $139.97. The Gold Ray Dessert Table Set ($119.99) does the same for a dessert table: a cake stand, a tray and a boat-shaped bowl.
A complete dinnerware set is a bigger gift that gets used every day. Every pattern comes as a service for 12 from $109.99; see our dinnerware buying guide to choose one.
How we help with gifts
- Tell us it is a gift. Add a note to your order, or reply to your order confirmation email, saying who it is for, and we will pack it accordingly.
- Free shipping in Canada on orders over $100.
- Free local pickup from our Toronto store.
- Arrives broken? Send us a photo and we will replace it.
Still deciding? Browse The Gift Edit, or read How to Set a Christmas Dinner Table for ideas on what a host might be missing.