Etiquette for Hostess Gifts

In visiting friends for several days, should one upon one’s return, send a gift to the hostess? 

Filed Under “Standard Rules of Etiquette” 

Question: In visiting friends for several days, should one upon one’s return, send a gift to the hostess? 

Answer: While it is not necessary to send a gift to one's hostess, it is a gracious thing to do and is always appreciated. If one is a close friend of hostess, a gift may be taken when one goes on the visit, otherwise it is sent upon one's return. 

In any event, the house guest should send a “bread and butter” letter of gratitude and appreciation for his visit immediately upon his return from a house party. The letter itself may be very short but it must never be ignored nor must it be put off. Prompt acknowledgement of a visit is one of the essentials of etiquette. – Imperial Valley Press, 1931

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