How To Host A Favorite Things Party

This post is all about how to host a favorite things party.

If you’re looking for a fun excuse to get your friends together, hosting a favorite things party is such a great idea! It’s a little bit of a girls’ night, a little bit of a gift exchange, and a fun way to find out about new products that your friends already love.

One of the best parts about hosting a favorite things party is that you don’t need to spend a fortune or plan an elaborate event to make it special.

Whether you’re planning a favorite things Christmas party, a birthday celebration, or just a girls’ night at home, here we will walk you through everything you need to know.

What Is a Favorite Things Party?

If you’ve not heard of a favorite things party, you are in for a treat! A favorite things party is a gift exchange party where everyone brings a few of their favorite “things” to share with other guests.

Instead of shopping for a specific person, each guest chooses something they personally love and wants to introduce to their friends.

These “things” could be a favorite beauty product, a delicious snack, a kitchen gadget, a cute accessory, or something they use all the time.

During the party, guests take turns sharing why they love their chosen item before exchanging gifts.

By the end of the night, everyone goes home with a few new things to try, along with recommendations from their friends.

Think of a favorite things party as a gift exchange mixed with a real-life version of everyone’s favorite product recommendations.

One of the reasons these parties are so much fun is that the gifts feel more personal than a traditional gift exchange. Instead of guessing what someone might like, you’re sharing something you already know is worth buying.

how to host a favorite things party christmas party

How Does a Favorite Things Party Work?

There are several ways to organize a favorite things gift exchange. And depending on your party size, how many gifts someone brings will be different. We’ve found that one of the easiest options is to have each guest bring three identical gifts.

For example, if the spending limit is $15 per gift, each person would bring three of their favorite items, spending approximately $45 total. You can set your budget for these items for whatever best suits your group.

During the exchange, each guest introduces their favorite thing and explains why they chose it.

Then three different guests receive that item.

The process continues until everyone has shared their favorite things and received three gifts.

Here’s a simple example of what we did at our last favorite things party:

Invite 10 friends to your favorite things party.
Ask everyone to bring three identical gifts.
Set a budget of $10–$15 per gift.
Have each person share why they love their chosen item.
Draw names to determine who receives each gift.
Everyone leaves with three new favorite things to try.

It is easy to adjust the number of gifts each person brings and the spending limit based on your group. The above is simply an example that has worked well for us.

Some hosts prefer having everyone bring one larger gift, while others choose two gifts instead of three.

There’s no single correct way to organize the exchange. The most important thing is making sure everyone understands the rules before shopping.

How to Host a Favorite Things Party in 7 Easy Steps

Ready to host a favorite things party? Here’s everything you need to do to make your favorite things party a success. Whether you’re hosting a favorite things Christmas party or a fun just because party with friends…the steps are the same.

1. Choose a Date and Invite Your Friends

Start by choosing a date that works for your group.

Favorite things parties are especially popular during the holidays, but they’re also perfect for birthdays, girls’ nights, Galentine’s Day, or simply getting together with friends.

You can host your party with a small group of five or six friends or invite a larger group of 15 to 20 people.

For a more relaxed gathering, eight to twelve guests is a nice number. It’s enough people to make the gift exchange interesting without having it take up the entire evening.

Send invitations about two to three weeks in advance so everyone has time to shop for their gifts.

Your invitations should include the date, time, location, spending limit, number of gifts to bring, and a brief explanation of how the exchange works.

You can send digital invitations like these, create a group text, or use printed invitations if you want something a little more special.

2. Set a Favorite Things Party Budget

One of the most important parts of planning a favorite things party is choosing a spending limit. Be sure to set a spending limit before sending the invitations so you can include this detail on the invite.

You want the gifts to be fun and exciting without making the party unnecessarily expensive.

A budget of $10 to $20 per gift works well for most. For a casual girls’ night, three gifts at $10 each can be plenty.

If your group enjoys shopping and exchanging slightly more expensive products, you could increase the budget to $20 or $25 per gift.

Just remember that the goal isn’t to bring the most expensive gift. It’s to share something you genuinely love.

A $7 lip balm that you swear by can be just as exciting as a $25 beauty product.

Make sure everyone knows whether the budget applies to each individual gift or the total amount spent.

3. Explain the Favorite Things Party Rules

Since not everyone will have attended a favorite things party before, it’s helpful to explain the rules ahead of time.

I suggest keeping everything super simple so your guests can focus on having fun.

Here is an example of how to share the favorite things party rules (adjust the rules to fit your group).

Favorite Things Party Rules:

Each guest brings three identical gifts featuring one of their favorite things.
Every gift should stay within the agreed-upon budget.
Gifts should be wrapped or placed in gift bags.
Each person will briefly introduce their favorite item and explain why they love it.
Names will be drawn to determine who receives each gift.
Each guest should receive gifts from three different people.

You can include these rules in your invitation or send them in a group message before the party.

It’s also helpful to remind everyone that their gifts should be something they personally use and recommend.

Remember the fun of this exchange is discovering what your friends actually love, not just picking up random gifts.

4. Decorate for Your Favorite Things Party

One of the best things about hosting a favorite things party is that you can keep the decorations as simple or elaborate as you’d like.

Since the gift exchange is the main event, you really don’t need much.

This cute favorite things banner is a simple way to add to the decor!

If you want to create a coordinated party theme, choose two or three colors and use them throughout your decorations.

Pink, red, and white are cute for a Galentine’s Day party, while gold, cream, red, and green work really well for a Christmas favorite things party.

Simple Favorite Things Party Decoration Ideas:

A welcome sign that says “These Are a Few of My Favorite Things”
Fresh flower arrangements
Coordinating napkins and plates
A decorated gift exchange table
Small bows or ribbons
A balloon garland
Candles or string lights
A cute photo backdrop

Set aside a designated table where your guests can place their wrapped gifts when they arrive.

This keeps everything organized and creates a fun display as everyone starts bringing in their favorite things.

5. Set Up the Favorite Things Gift Exchange

Before your guests arrive, prepare everything you’ll need for the gift exchange.

The easiest method we’ve found is to use a name-drawing system.

Before the party, write each guest’s name on three separate slips of paper and place them in a bowl.

When it’s someone’s turn to present their favorite thing, they’ll draw three names to determine who receives their gifts.

If they draw their own name or a duplicate, they simply draw again.

For a group that wants to avoid keeping track during the party, you can also assign recipients ahead of time.

All you need to do is create a list showing which three people will receive gifts from each guest, making sure everyone gives three gifts and receives three gifts from different people.

If you are hosting a larger party, having this done ahead of time can be really helpful.

6. Let Everyone Share Their Favorite Things

This is always the best part of the party! Right before everyone begins to share their favorite things I like to hand out cute-themed tote bags for a fun party favor and place for guests to keep their gifts.

Once everyone has arrived and had a chance to enjoy some food and drinks, have everyone gather together for the exchange.

Choose someone to go first and have them show everyone the favorite item they brought.

They can explain what it is, how they found out about it, and why they love it.

Maybe it’s a hand cream they keep in every purse, a kitchen tool they use daily, or a snack they always have stocked in their pantry.

I always love that with this gift exchange you’re not just receiving a random item. You’re getting a personal recommendation from someone you know (which in my opinion are always the best).

After the guest shares their item, draw the three recipients’ names and hand out the gifts.

Continue around the room until everyone has shared details about their favorite thing.

Give each person a few minutes to talk, but keep things moving so the exchange doesn’t take too long.

For a group of ten people, you can usually complete the entire exchange in about 30 to 45 minutes.

7. Send Everyone Home With Their New Favorite Things

Once the exchange is finished, give everyone time to look through their gifts and chat about what they received. I always love this part because that’s when you can compare products, ask questions, and share even more recommendations.

You might even discover a few new things you want to buy for yourself!

Another cute idea is to create a shared list of everyone’s favorite things after the party.

Include the product names and where to purchase them so your guests can find items they didn’t receive during the exchange.

It’s a simple way to keep the fun going after everyone heads home.

Best Favorite Things Party Gift Ideas

One of the biggest questions I get about favorite things parties is what to bring.

The good news is that almost anything can work, as long as it’s something you personally enjoy using.

Try to choose products that are easy to gift and appeal to a variety of people.

So, I wanted to put together this list with several ideas to help you decide what to bring.

Beauty and Self-Care Favorites

Beauty and self-care products are always popular choices, especially for a girls’ night gift exchange.

Some fun ideas include:

Lip balm or lip gloss
Hand cream
Sleep masks
Under-eye patches
Nail polish
Cuticle oil
Hair masks
Dry shampoo
Shower steamers
Body scrubs

Just remember, choose products that you’ve actually tried and loved. If you have a favorite lip balm that you buy over and over again, it’s probably a great option for the party.

Cozy and Relaxing Gifts

Fuzzy socks
A small candle
A cute coffee mug
Herbal tea
A mini blanket
A pretty journal
A favorite book
A reusable heating pad
A relaxing bath soak

These types of gifts are especially fun for fall and winter favorite things parties.

Kitchen and Food Favorites

Food-related and kitchen gadget gifts can be really popular. Everyone loves discovering a delicious new snack or a useful kitchen product!

Gourmet chocolate
Specialty coffee
Flavored honey
Hot sauce
Favorite seasoning blends
Mini olive oil bottles
A favorite snack mix
Reusable food storage bags
A milk frother
Cute measuring spoons

If you have a favorite treat that you always recommend to friends, this is the perfect chance to share it.

Fashion and Everyday Accessories

Accessories are another easy gift because you can find plenty of useful options at almost any price point.

Claw clips
Scrunchies
Simple earrings
Cosmetic bags
Keychains
Compact mirrors
Card holders
Reusable shopping bags
Sunglasses cases

For a favorite things party, practical gifts that people will actually use are often the biggest hits.

Tips for Hosting a Successful Favorite Things Party

Here are a few helpful tips for making your favorite things party enjoyable for everyone.

Keep the rules simple.

Don’t overcomplicate the exchange with too many instructions. Make sure everyone understands the budget and number of gifts to bring.

Encourage your guests to choose something they truly love.

The best gifts are personal recommendations, not necessarily the most expensive or trendy products.

Be mindful of the guest list.

If your group has a wide range of ages or interests, encourage guests to choose items with broad appeal.

Have a few extra gifts available.

Keeping one or two inexpensive backup gifts on hand can be helpful just incase someone forgets theirs or an unexpected guest joins the party.

Give everyone time to share.

Hearing why someone loves their chosen product is a lot of the fun, so don’t rush through the details of sharing.

Final Thoughts | How to Host a Favorite Things Party

A favorite things party is one of those parties that’s easy to plan and feels a little more special than just an ordinary get-together.

You get to spend time with your friends, share products you genuinely love, and head home with a few fun surprises.

I love that when you host a favorite things party, you can make it a casual girls’ night with $10 gifts or a big Christmas exchange with your favorite holiday treats. The whole idea is to bring people together and share a few things that make life a little more enjoyable.

I hope that this guide was helpful and you can now enjoy hosting a favorite things party!

How To Host A Favorite Things Party

What Is a Favorite Things Party?

How Does a Favorite Things Party Work?

Here’s a simple example of what we did at our last favorite things party: