A few weeks ago, San linked to this article about how to host a Favorite Things party, and I have been thinking about it nonstop ever since. The gist is that you and a bunch of friends get together, and, after agreeing on a budget, each of you buy enough of one of your life essentials to give to each guest. (The article lists suggestions for how to do this with a big vs. small group. It also suggests going with a theme – kitchen, beauty, etc.)
Yes, I know it’s very off-brand of me to want to host A PARTY, because that’s just not my jam. But I have three or so friends that get along with one another who might also think it’s fun. I am so not ready to have real live people in my real live house, but I am maybe warming myself up to the idea.
In the meantime, I keep thinking about what I might bring as my Favorite Thing. What would you bring?
This kitchen tool. I use this ALL the time. Mostly for breaking up ground beef, to be sure, but it also comes in handy for scrambling eggs or doing a chunky mash on things like potatoes or avocadoes. Sometimes if I have frozen vegetables I am using in a soup or something I will use this to break them up in the pot, too. It’s versatile and dishwasher safe and I use it all the time.
A cooling eye balm. This costs more than the suggested budget, but I love love love this eye balm. It has a cooling element that I find very refreshing, plus it adds a much-needed glow to the saggy smudged undereye area.
Olive juice. Okay, okay, this is kind of a niche product, so maybe it wouldn’t go over that well at a Favorite Things party. But I love this stuff! It makes for really tasty dirty martinis, which is the only kind of martini for me. I also get a chuckle out of the name, despite the fact that I have never and will never go by Sue.
Cat slippers. My daughter got me a pair of these several years ago and I wore them to shreds. They just made me so happy, to look at their cute little cat faces. (They also come in llama or pig or sloth, if those are more your style!)
A stylish outdoor wine tumbler. I got this as part of a Fab Fit Fun box a few years ago and for some reason, I get such a kick out of it. It’s pretty and portable and makes me feel like A Fancy Lady.
Wearable reading light. This isn’t technically something I use – at least, not very often – but my husband uses it and it (usually) prevents me from waking up when he climbs into bed to read at one or two in the morning and therefore it is high on my list of favorites.
The best foot cream. I credit Nicole for the hot tip about this foot lotion. It is The Best. I put it on my cracked, dry feet before bed and they feel all soft and happy the next morning. MAGIC. You have to get the exfoliating kind, though – the regular kind is fine, but it doesn’t have magic properties.
Korean street food snack. My husband and I bought a package of garlic Tteokbokki when we made our date-night trip to the Asian grocery store. While the description isn’t wildly exciting, at least not to me (“rice cakes with red chili and garlic sauce”), the actual snack is SO tasty. Slightly sweet, slightly spicy, with a texture unlike anything I’ve ever had before. Kind of like if you were to cook penne pasta but not all the way through, so it’s somewhere between chewy and crunchy. I fear that this description might be a deterrent, which is the opposite of my intention. In any event, this stuff is SO GOOD. Oh, it is also extremely easy to make.
Packable reusable bag. I have a million reusable grocery bags that I keep in my car, but I keep one of these in my purse, folded into its little square pouch. It comes in handy ALL the time, if I’ve popped into Trader Joe’s for “just one thing” without a grocery bag and end up buying too many items to carry, if I need an extra bag at the airport, if I’m out with my daughter and she finds eighty perfect rocks she cannot live without. Also, it’s machine washable which I love.
Matcha whisk. I love a nice soothing cup of matcha in the morning, and this whisk really does seem to eliminate lumps and clumps. It’s inexpensive enough that I could possibly even pair it with a little bag of matcha; Trader Joe’s has smallish bags that aren’t wildly pricey.
Ice roller. My husband got me one of these last year and I use it for my feet. I LOVE IT. You can remove the little green portion and put it in the freezer, and then pop it into the handle, and voila! cooling and soothing foot rolling action. I think this tool is intended for faces, but I have also used it for bruises, like when I bark my knee against the corner of the bed, or for bug bites, to which Carla is extremely sensitive and which develop into enormous golf ball sized welts. There’s something about being able to roll the frozen part over the affected area that makes it more comfortable than dealing with an ice pack.
Okay, those are some of my favorites. Now I want to hear some of yours!
I am kinda sorta attempting to complete NaBloPoMo, with the full expectation that life will make it impossible any day now. If you want to follow along, or join the fun, check out San’s blog here.
This is such a great list. I love the idea of a fav things party, but after reading your list I’m realizing that I don’t have enough favorite things in my life to talk about. I guess my smart wool socks. As we approach winter – those are the bomb. I like my reading light too. The hair brush I stole from Curly – I feel like it doesn’t yank at my very thin hair the way a normal brush would. I have a handful of favorite hair products, but Coach is sleeping and I’m not sure of the name of any of them and they are in my bathroom. I don’t have a lot of kitchen gadgets and perhaps that is what my life is missing. I also really like my wristlet. I love being able to run places and not bring in my entire purse.
Socks would be such a great item to bring to a Favorite Things Party! And I would be so delighted to be the recipient of some sort of hair product or kitchen gadget.
I have been to a coup,e of these, and they are wonderful!
That foot lotion is on my Amazon subscriptions– I sue it every day– so excellent.
I would absolutely bring Laniege lip mask– such a little delight. Or maybe a few of my favorite Expressie nail polishes
**couple
**USE
(I left my glasses in bed, and Ben is asleep, so I am very squinty…)
Ooooh I’m jealous that you’ve been to parties like this! How fun! What were some of the best things you exchanged?
I adore the Expressie polishes, too. What a great idea.
I really like beauty products, especially with a 30-ish price point because you can get some small indulgences. I have been to a 15 and under party too and most people did cute housewares/kitchen gadgets or books and candles
Suzanne! I too have been thinking about that party! Can I just come to yours? Be there in like five days *gets in the car*
I love that you love the magical foot cream! When I was teaching 10-12 classes a week my feet were in terrible shape – all that barefootedness took its toll, I guess. That was the only thing that saved it!
I also have that exact wine tumbler, shall I bring it to the party I just invited myself to?
DO I NEED COOLING EYE BALM?
I have no idea what I’d bring, now I’m overwhelmed with so many great ideas.
Yes! Come on over!!! We’ll be tumbler twinsies! I feel like you would have a VAST array of favorite things to bring — probably a face cream or a mascara.
And I think you do need the cooling eye balm — I love it so much.
I need to order that foot cream. The situation is dire.
I would love to do one of these parties. Hmmm. All time favourite things?
Magic Bags.
My Yeti.
A favourite mug for morning coffee.
Brookside chocolates.
I’ve got a recent favourites post in the works for this weekend, though it doesn’t contain things nearly as fun as your list <3
Magic bag! Yes! You would totally bring that and I would find it so fun to try! Looking forward to your favorites post. 🙂
What a good idea about using the face roller on bug bites or other parts of the body. I would have loved that when I had shingles on my neck a few years ago and ended up using bags of frozen veggies to get that awkward area.
Yes, it would definitely be good for neck shingles. Ugh. That sounds like a terrible experience!
What a fun idea! And OMG those cat slippers! And I have that reading lamp and use it for painting rocks.
Hmm, what would my item be… I cannot live w/o softlips chapstick. Is that too basic? Ha!
Chapstick is never basic LOL!
I have been thinking about a favorite things party since I read San’s post, too. I think it could work for my book club. I think it might be a nice thing to do for our December meeting.
This magical foot cream is intriguing to me since my year of unemployment meant no pedicures for me. Am going to think about it strongly.
I don’t know what my favorite things are, though, that is the problem. Reusable lint roller? Crucial for all pet owners. Earbuds? Definitely out of the price range. My Zojirushi thermos? Don’t people already have enough thermoses/water bottles? Why is this so hard for me?
It is definitely challenging to come up with an item to fit in a budget. Especially if you are going to have to buy 3 to 5 of a thing. I think lint roller is an excellent choice.
Love the variety of your favorite things. I was tempted to buy some of the Korean snack for my younger daughter since she lived in Korea for a year. But there were too many flavors to choose from! My older daughter loves llamas and cats so the slippers are tempting. However, I don’t know her size. So…for now my credit card is safe!
Phew! Glad you dodged a spending bullet. 🙂
What a fun idea! Though you do need to pick groups carefully. No one invite me to a makeup one! For one group of my friends, a knitting theme would be fun, but then we all tend to tell each other when we discover new things, so it wouldn’t be much of a surprise. Still, I love the idea. I’ll have to ponder what kind of favorite things I would want to evangelize.
Ha! Yes, this is why I think a theme would be tough unless you have a very in-sync group!
Look everyone needs to own an ice roller and that’s just a fact. I use mine on my face in the morning and maybe it’s only my opinion but I feel like it does something?
I think I would do an ice roller, a lil’ chiseler (small plastic scraper to get food off your pans that doesn’t scratch the pan), a small but powerful flashlight, a really awesome travel mug, and some snacks.
YES. I was thinking of a pan scraper right after I hit publish. Those are small but so useful.
I have been doing an annual fave things party with 4 college girlfriends since Dec 2020 (when we had to do it virtually of course). It is really fun. We’ve now shifted it to Feb and make it a galentine’s day party. I almost always bring a puzzle as my gift. I like the Galeson brand puzzles. I should check out this foot cream though as my feet are pretty scary looking… I have super high arches so I have terrible calluses.
I am so jealous of everyone’s favorite things parties!
In July, I hosted a favorite things party! It was a small group of only five people. I no longer really enjoy throwing parties. But this one was fun.
I have that same kitchen tool and I love it!
That cooling balm has been added to my wish list. That sounds like it would be helpful with headaches or sinus problems.
Oh, that does sound like a fun, little party! I’ll have to think about it after the New Year though; just too much going on here right now.
I have THREE of those outdoor wine tumblers that have been gifted to me (stops to consider what this says about me) that I absolutely love; so I can bring those when I join you and Nicole for the “party.” Although, I think I would only need a day or so to get there.
That cooling cream, the ice roller thing and the lotion are all calling to me now.
One of my favorites that I would bring (only if I knew the group wore makeup and I knew their skin tones and preferred colors) would be the Cover Girl Outlast lipstick. I LOVE this stuff. I recently bought a trial size of a high end lipstick that promised to stay on; it did not – Cover Girl for the win again (they always win). Oh, and surprisingly enough, a drying mat (a product that I didn’t even know existed until a couple of months ago) for the dishes you hand wash, very handy if you don’t have the counter space (or want) a dish rack.
The drying mat sounds very appealing! I use a dish towel and it gets so wet I don’t think it helps much! Definitely bring your tumblers – I am sure we can find something to put in each. 😉
We used to go through SO many dish towels! This drying mat is great and so cute that I usually just leave it out. I’ll try to find a way to bring it up/link it in a future post.
I wish I had enough local friends to through a party like that – maybe I should rename my “Secret Santa Mug Swap” the Secret Santa Favorite Things swap and we can do this virtually (or maybe all get on a Zoom Call). Now, there’s an idea. 🙂
I love the reusable bags and the and that kitchen tool on your list. Handy!
Favorite things I could bring:
A 16-wedge apple slicer (I use it so often!)
Wet’n’Wild Primer & Setting Powder (so good and affordable)
a pretty coffee mug (always!)
Ooooh that is a good idea! Coffee mugs are always awesome, I agree.
*throw! (sorry for the typo!)
I love your list! I have the other O’Keefes foot lotion, but I’m going to try this one, and I’m also going to buy that booklight, because I find it super ineffective to clip them to a book, which is how mine works! I’ve never had a party like this, but I frequently use my own favorite things as inspiration for gifts for my siblings.
The budget limits are tough so I think only the water bottle below qualifies, but I use my own favorite things list as an inspiration for gifts for my siblings:
A Nalgene narrow mouth water bottle, which shuts tightly, is pleasant to drink from, never leaks, never gets funky, shows it’s water level and can be carried by its strap. It has entirely improved my water consumption levels. (Nalgene Sustain Tritan BPA-Free… https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09LMPKWMY?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share)
A Cuisinart Smart Stick blender, which I’ve had for over 10 years and use constantly, despite having a nice actual blender and a food processor.
Silpat silicone baking sheets, or the equally good knock offs, which I have in both sheet pan and cake pan sizes. I use them for cooking so that I can skip tinfoil and avoid staining my pans or having food stick to them, and I use them for baking to skip using parchment paper and so that my cakes come out easily and my cookies spread perfectly.
I also love my salt and pepper mills (Cole & Mason Derwent Salt & Pepper Mills) which I found after many years of looking (doesn’t clump, turns easily, seasons evenly, easy to fill), but they are super expensive, so arguable if it’s worth it.
They make cake pan silpats?! Omg this is life changing information! Love your list 😊
I’ve heard of these parties but never been to one. I guess if I want one I’m going to have to host it! I’ll have to think about this.
I love your list ESPECIALLY THOSE CAT SLIPPERS. I want them- until I remind myself that every time I try to wear slippers my feet get way too hot. In South Florida there’s maybe a handful of days a year where slippers actually work. But… my daughter always complains of cold feet (my husband and daughter complain that I keep the house too cold- I have no idea what they’re talking about.) Maybe a good Christmas present for her!
I need that foot cream. While I was reading this post I was actually rubbing Trader Joe’s pumpkin butter on my heels- but I’m sure your stuff works better.
I will be at your party; just tell me when! I would use that masher (I think it is a meat separator, I don’t know the technical term) a lot! I also wear my slippers to death, as I have hardwood and don’t like the cold or the feel of any grit on my feet! I would probably have one of the following at my favorite things party: voice activated plug (so handy when you don’t want to get up to turn on the space heater or the light), Swedish dish towels, fancy soaps (I love lavender). Right now that is all that I can think of though!
Such a fun party idea! Your list is great – and the ice roller for bug bites is something I’ve never thought of. I have such a sensitive skin (prone to hives which is really uncomfortable) and this is such a clever idea.
Super intrigued by that reading light! We have some of the kind that you clip on the pages of the book. They work okay, but always seem to sort of shift out of position so the light isn’t right where I want it. I didn’t know this strap on the head kind even existed!
I have that same kitchen tool! I use it for ground beef, and haven’t thought of using it for other things like potatoes. I am definitely not putting it to good use!
I think I want to do a fave things party with my book club. It would be so much fun! But what would I bringggg? AHHH. Maybe a bubble wand curler? Or maybe a butter crock. I love mine!
I went to a favorite things party years ago, just before the pandemic. It was SO much fun!! I brought Burts Bee’s tinted lip balm which I still love.
The O’Keef’s foot cream is not to be missed; I love that too.
What a good questions. What would I bring. Mhm maybe my favorite shade of lipstick that doesnt look like you are wearing lipstick? But then not everyone likes lipstick.
Or maybe I would bring a nice candle. Oh I know the NOrwegian cozy socks that everyone got for our wedding and that I have been gicing to the husband numerous times. Those are amazing.
I love the matcha wisk.