Favorite Things Party 2025 | What Everyone Brought

Hi friend! I’m so excited to invite you in to our 10th Annual Favorite Things Party!  The party was so fun and Ali-Shaun said she thought it was our best yet. It was actually smaller in size (17 of us) than in years’ past, but it also made for a more intimate evening and the gift exchange didn’t take forever!

Favorite Things 2025

Our Favorite Things 2024

Let me start with the list of favorite things since that what most of you are interested in!

It’s always fun to see what everyone brought and why they love it.  So many good finds!  This year the ladies chose to up the gift limit to $50 since we’ve done a $30 limit for the past 8 years.

Some of us brought one thing valued at $50 and some brought several items that added up to $50.

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Shop Our Favorite Things

Aimee – Hey June Huggie Earrings & Jewelry Pouch

Aimee said that she wears her turquoise huggie earrings 24/7, even sleeps and showers with them. They’re from a small boutique called Hey June. The velvet jewelry pouch zips closed for travel with an accordian style organization inside.

Ali-Shaun – Wreath Sash & Fresh Wreath

Ali-Shaun dresses up her Christmas wreath with this statement sash that you can also embroider with your monogram.

Carola – Snail Mucin & Vitamin C Serum & Kristin Ess

Carola has beautiful skin and looks ten years younger than she is, so we all wanted to know what skincare she uses. She swears by the Snail Mucin and Vitamin C Serum. For her hair, she likes the Kristen Ess leave-in conditioner.

Danielle – Wax Seal Sticks & Coastal Oyster Stationery Set & Oyster Notecards

We were all swooning over the pretty oyster notecards and stationery set that Danielle brought. She found those paper goods on Etsy and each shop offers a wide variety of paper goods. The wax seal is such a cool touch and she got the melting sticks on Amazon.

Pajamas

Erin – Dock & Bay Beach Towels

I traveled to Seaside with Erin for Spring Break last year and that’s when I first learned about the quick dry beach towels. They are on the thin side and dry so fast. This summer, after doing way too many loads of laundry for our traditional pool towels, I bought these too. They are great! You can get them in different sizes and she also sends them to camp with her son.

Jenn – Nodpod & Necessaire Lip Oil

The Nodpod (weighted eye blanket) was the most favorite of our favorite things this year! I think we all need the relaxation and good night sleep and this doesn’t slip off in any position. The lip oil is highly moisturizing with a cool, metal applicator.

Kasie – Spice Grinder & Wooden Salad Hands

Kasie is known for her home cooked family meals and always brings a gift to help us in the kitchen. The spice grinder is a cool gadget that would get daily use and the wooden salad hands make sure your salad ingredients get evenly distributed.

Katie – Bedside Carafe With Cup

This is a pretty carafe that comes with the cup, perfect for helping you get extra hydration throughout the night while looking pretty on your nightstand.

Kelly – 3 in 1 Portable Wireless Charger & Clip On Strainer & Dr. Melaxin Peel Shot – Rice Exfoliator

Kelly is known for bringing very useful gifts and I’ve been one of the lucky recipients the past two years. The wireless charger folds up compact for travel and charges three devices at a time (iphone, iwatch and airpods). The clip on strainer eliminates the need for a colander and saves space. She also swears by the rice peel exfoliator that lets you gently rub off those tiny blackheads and dead skin.

Leah – Charcuterie Travel Tray & Cheese Knives & Avaline Organic Wine

Very cool gift here with the bamboo portable charcuterie tray and lid. She gifted cool wooden cheese knives to go with it along with her favorite wine- the one that Cameron Diaz’ started. She said it “pairs well with doing homework.”

Leslie – Indian Quilt Throw

Leslie found these gorgeous reversible indian quilted throw blankets at Round Top. They were all unique in the design and color and very lightweight.

Megan – Elemis Pro Collagen Marine Cream with SPF

I gifted the Elemis day cream with SPF. It’s highly moisturizing for dry winter skin.

Mama Jamie – Personal 8 Qt Rtic Cooler & Donne de Domani Marinara Sauce

I loved this gift and want one for myself – the small Rtic cooler. They are so pretty in the various colors and the perfect size for keeping small things cold. I’m thinking of hot days at the ballfields or even in the car, when you don’t need a huge cooler, just something to keep things cold for awhile. She also gifted her favorite marinara sauce and proceeds of this go to charity.

Manuela – Kerastase Nutritive Split End Serum

Manuela said the Kerastase split end serum has helped her hair grow and keeps it looking healthy and shiny.

Marianna – Donama Memory Foam Pillow

Marianna’s chiropractor recommended this memory foam pillow and she said that it has helped ease her back pain tremendously. It’s worked so well for her that she’s gifted it to several member of her family and they all love it too. You can sleep in any position with it and use a standard sized pillowcase with it. I’m kinda bummed I didn’t end up with it. But I use a memory foam pillow too.

Rhonda – Biodance Sheet Mask & Sunshine Tienda Earrings & Lawry’s Garlic Salt

Rhonda always has the coolest earrings and these are from a small shop with unique designs. She also loves the Biodance sheet mask and says it leaves your skin feeling like a glazed donut when you unpeel it. And, the seasoning that I also use multiple times a day – Lawry’s Garlic Salt. She’s not wrong on that one.

Tarah – Saturday Silks Scarf

Saturday Silks is a boutique that makes accessories to help you celebrate every sport and season. She has silk scarves for all of her kids’ colleges and also our Houston sports teams. You can tie them on your wrist, bag or even put in your hair.

GIFT EXCHANGE HOW- TO

If you want more detail about how we do our gift exchange, here are the details:

Upon arrival, each guest dropped off their wrapped bags and then wrote their name on 3 slips of paper and dropped them in a bowl. (This year Jamie pre-printed everyone’s name so they didn’t have to write it.)

When it was time to exchange gifts, we all drew numbers. These numbers determine the order we present our gifts.

Once we all have a number, Person Number 1 goes up and explains her gift, where she got it and WHY it’s her favorite thing.

She then picks THREE names out of the bowl. Those three people get Person Number 1’s gift. If you draw your own name or if you draw the same person twice – you put that name back and draw again.

So, everyone comes with 3 gifts and leaves with 3 gifts.

MAKE IT POTLUCK

One of the ways this party is so easy to host is because it’s potluck.  Everyone brings a dish (appetizer, main or dessert) and a drink (usually wine or champagne).

This means that no one person is left with all the heavy lifting when it comes to food and drinks.

Sulfite Wine Filter

Rhonda brought her famous chocolate chip cookies!

Pasta Salad
Campanelle Pasta (so pretty!)
Pesto
Artichoke hearts (jar, not can)
Baby spinach
Cherry tomatoes
Shredded mozzarella
And a couple of tablespoons of Girard’s Greek Feta Vinaigrette

I had to ask Erin for the recipe because I ate all the leftovers and wanted to be able to make it again!

Danielle brought her delicious Pecan Pie Bars again and they are my favorite treat!

Hostess Gifts

The ladies were very sweet to bring thoughtful hostess gifts! I included the gifts below in case you need ideas for your party.

PediPop Foot Treatment Kit • Kerastase Perfume • Gourmet Popcorn Kernels • Local Marinara Sauce • Nutcracker Tapered Candles • Dish Towels • Christmas Tree Sponges • Frasier Fir Counter Spray • Sparkling Rose

I’m so thankful for these friends in my life. This party is such a treat, not just for the favorite things, but for the relationships that make life so much richer.

If you’ve been considering hosting a Favorite Things Party, do it! It’s really fun and much easier when you make it potluck. Also, you can poll your friends to find out what gift price limit they prefer. We had eight years of $30 price limit and then everyone wanted to up our limit to $50, so that’s what we’ve done the last two years.

It’s really about getting together and enjoying this season of the year and life with each other.

I can’t wait until next year!

Have a fantastic day friend!