Fash Food Home: Hostess gifts are always well-received

Instead of arriving empty-handed at one of the holiday season's soirees, considerate partygoers will arrive bearing a hostess gift.

Your gift doesn't need to be anything extravagant, just a little something to say happy holidays.

Here are some ideas.

A natural choice for a hostess gift is one of the hand-carved Lucuma gourd ornaments at Lucia's World Friendly Boutique, 523 East High Street. These unique little works of art featuring wildlife and fauna would look wonderful on a Christmas tree or as a home accent year around. Prices range from $8 to about $12.

Donate $20 for a sponsor-a-pet ornament at the Lexington Humane Society and receive a silver ornament frame for your hostess that includes a photo of one of the dogs and cats waiting to be pets. Frames are available at the Humane Society, 1600 Old Frankfort Pike; Good Foods Market and Cafe, 455 Southland Drive; Lexington Incredipet locations; and the Lexington Hospital for Cats, 271 Southland Drive. Order online at Adoptlove.net.

High-end meets affordable chic with the Target + Neiman Marcus Holiday Collection at Target stores, featuring loads of gifts, many of them for $30 and less.

For the hipster home, how about Band of Outsiders cookie cutters in shapes that are the hallmarks of the cool life — geeky eyeglasses, a bow-tie and sock hat. It's $29.99 for the set.

Stylish hosts and racing fans alike would adore the new coffee-table book Peter Williams Retrospective, $39.95, with 150 works by the artist, who is a familiar sight at Keeneland painting the horses and riders.

Williams will appear at several local stores to sign his book, including Thoroughbred Antiques, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday; The Morris Book Shop, 2 to 3:30 p.m. Sunday; and L.V. Harkness, 4 to 6 p.m. Tuesday. Go to Peterwilliamsart.net for more information.

One-of-a-kind shell Christmas ornaments and holiday accessories by Lexington artist Ron Meece can be found at Belle Maison Antiques in Greentree Close, 525 West Short Street. All ornaments are $39.99. They include pretty stars adorned with tiny seashells.

This story was originally published December 7, 2012 at 4:03 PM with the headline "Fash Food Home: Hostess gifts are always well-received."