One question I was asked a number of times by my friends hosting holiday gatherings was, “what do I do with the gifts people bring me as they come in?”
This is a great question. I’m going to go over the rules of edicate on this, but first, lets set up a situation to use as an example.
You are hosting a party. There is food and drink. In the middle of the room, the food is laid out beautifully. Against one wall one finds water, soda pop, and wine or beer.
Knowing that guests will be bringing wine, beer or soda pop – why did the host bother?
It is the host’s responsibility that the proper food and/or drinks are provided – even if it is pot-luck. In this situation, the guests are bringing wine or soda pop not for that night’s consumption, but to say thank you for the invitation. Thus, a table, likely by the coats or in the kitchen if guests are not greeted at the door, may be set up for such gifts.
What happens if one runs low and needs to dig into the wine guests brought?
This should be avoided, but if there is no choice then it should be done in a way that does not draw attention, nor looks as though one is not trying to not draw attention, to what is being done. Some guests may be offended that their wine was not used. Others may be offended that there wasn’t enough in the first place. In a gathering of close family and friends, this may not be a big deal. However, in any situation it would be better send for more than to open gifts.
One way to look at this would be to pretend one is at a wedding. If the bride and groom started opening and using wedding gifts, would this be appropriate? Of course the answer is, no. Thus, a good host should save the gifted items brought by guests at any occasion for later. The only exception are gatherings for things such as birthdays or Christmas where the point of the gathering is to open gifts.
Final thought:
If one is still unsure, just be sure to bring something. A gentleman never comes empty handed.