In this guide · 14 sections
A hostess gift arrives with you, gets opened at the door or saved for later, and should still be useful after the last plate is washed. We picked these MacKenzie-Childs hostess gifts with that in mind, first for Thanksgiving dinners in November and then for the holiday parties that fill December.
For each pick we say which kind of host it suits, give the measurements we could verify, and note where it falls short. Everything below was in stock at Dekado when we wrote this.
Quick picks
| # | Pick | Suits which host |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Supper Club Cheese Knife Set, Courtly Check | The host who puts out a cheese board |
| 2 | Cheese Course in Courtly, Mocha, Rosy, Sky or Violet Check | The host who serves cheese as its own course |
| 3 | Party Spreaders, Set of 4 | The appetizer and dip host |
| 4 | Courtly Check Enamel Candlesticks | The host who sets a candlelit table |
| 5 | Courtly Check Butterfly Candle Holders | The host who already owns everything |
| 6 | Holiday figural salt and pepper sets | The host who decorates by season |
| 7 | 3260 Cocktail Shaker | The host who mixes drinks to order |
| 8 | Cocktail Napkin Holder | The drinks-party host |
| 9 | Glass Coasters, Set of 4 | A new host, or one you don’t know well |
| 10 | Enamel Mug | The host with house guests and a coffee pot |
How we chose these MacKenzie-Childs hostess gifts
Every piece here was in stock at Dekado, our MacKenzie-Childs shop in Brentwood, Los Angeles, when we checked on 28 October 2026. We compared sizes and materials against MacKenzie-Childs’ own product pages, and we note where a detail comes only from our listing. Beyond that we looked for pieces that are easy to wrap and carry, useful on the night or for years afterwards, and spread across several patterns so the gift can sit beside whatever the host already owns.
1. Supper Club Cheese Knife Set, for the cheese-board host
If your host has a board out before anyone has taken off a coat, start here. The Supper Club Cheese Knife Set in Courtly Check is three utensils for hard cheese, 7″ to 7.75″ long, made of 18/8 stainless steel with a clear enamel coating and black-and-white check handles.
Care is the catch: hand-wash with mild soap and dry straight away. It is also only three pieces, so add the cheese course below if you want to give more. For a host who prefers gold, the Queen Bee Cheese Knives, Set of 3 are 5.75″ to 6.5″ long in matte gold, with checks and a bee embossed on the handles; those details come from our own listing, as MacKenzie-Childs no longer shows a page for the set.
2. Cheese Course, for the host who serves a proper cheese course
MacKenzie-Childs suggests it for charcuterie or pastries. It is a round serving piece of heavy-gauge hand-glazed steel with a bronzed stainless rim, topped with a clear glass knob for easy handling. At 14.5″ across and 4.5″ tall, it can anchor a sideboard after dinner. The Courtly Check Cheese Course is the classic, and the same form comes in Mocha Check, Rosy Check, Sky Check and Violet Check. Mocha suits warm neutrals; Sky and Violet suit a cooler palette.
It needs cupboard space between parties, it wipes clean with a soft damp cloth, it shouldn’t go in the microwave, and MacKenzie-Childs advises stopping food use if the enamel chips. If your host needs a larger serving piece instead, our guide to serving platter sizes covers the bigger options.
3. Party Spreaders, Set of 4, for the appetizer and dip host
Light, small and quick to wrap, a set of spreaders is right for a host whose table runs to dips, pâtés and soft cheeses. Each spreader measures 1.5″ by 5.5″ and has a ceramic handle in one of several designs from the pattern, so the four go together without matching exactly. The Courtly Check Party Spreaders are the safe choice. The Mocha Check Party Spreaders carry the browns and creams MacKenzie-Childs is featuring in its holiday collections this year, and they look at home on a Thanksgiving table.
They spread; they won’t cut a firm cheese. Wash them by hand. If you are already giving the Supper Club knives, the Supper Club Spreaders Set (four stainless steel spreaders, 6.25″ long, with Courtly Check decoration, also hand-wash) keeps the whole gift in one line.
4. Courtly Check Enamel Candlesticks, for the host who sets a candlelit table
We stock these MacKenzie-Childs candlesticks in three Courtly Check heights, and two different sizes make a more useful gift than a matched pair, because mixed heights look deliberate down a long table. The Small is 8″ tall on a 5.5″ base, the Medium 11.5″ tall on a 4.5″ base, and the Large 14″ tall on a 5.5″ base. All three are hand-glazed steel with brass accents and wipe clean with a soft damp cloth.
Candles aren’t included, so tuck a pair of tapers into the bag, and think about the host’s dining room. The Large is 14″ tall before you add a taper, which is a lot of height across a narrow table, so for a smaller space the Small and Medium make the better pair.
5. Courtly Check Butterfly Candle Holders, for the host who has everything
Some hosts own every platter and bowl already. For them, a pair of butterflies is a better idea than one more serving piece. Each ceramic Courtly Check Butterfly Candle Holder has checked wings with gold lustre accents, measures 4.25″ wide and 2.25″ tall, and holds one dinner taper. The set of two comes in a gift box, which saves you the wrapping.
They add almost no height, so they work best scattered along a table or on a mantel beside taller candlesticks, not as the only candlelight in the room. MacKenzie-Childs recommends hand-washing them with care.
6. A holiday figural salt and pepper set, for the host who decorates by season
Match a seasonal figural to the party. For Thanksgiving, the Mocha Check Squirrel Salt and Pepper Set stands 3.25″ tall and suits a brown-and-cream table. For December there are three: the black-and-white Courtly Santa Bear set (3″ tall), the Emerald Check Holiday Bear set (3″ tall, green check with gold detailing and a red bow), and the Confetti Nutcracker set (4″ tall), which mixes checks, stripes and polka dots.
All four are ceramic; the squirrels, emerald bears and nutcrackers are hand-wash only. The drawback is that a figural only comes out for a few weeks a year. If your host collects them, our Christmas cookie jar guide has larger pieces in the same spirit. For a year-round option, the Courtly Check Enamel Salt and Pepper Shakers are 3″ tall; wipe them clean, or hand-wash if needed.
7. 3260 Cocktail Shaker, for the host who mixes drinks to order
A host with a bar cart may already own a shaker, though probably not a checkered one. The 3260 Cocktail Shaker in Courtly Check is stainless steel with a clear enamel coating over the pattern, 9″ tall and 3″ across, with a 20 oz capacity. The Rosy Check 3260 Cocktail Shaker is the same size in gold-toned steel, a better fit for a bar that leans toward brass and pink.
Twenty ounces is a home-bar size: comfortable for a couple of drinks a round, too small for batching punch. Both versions should be hand-washed with mild soap and dried immediately, which rules them out for the host who loads the dishwasher at midnight and goes to bed.
8. Cocktail Napkin Holder, for the drinks-party host
Few things on this list are easier to carry to a party. The Courtly Check Cocktail Napkin Holder is a ceramic tray 5.5″ square and 1.5″ tall that keeps a stack of cocktail napkins tidy beside the drinks. MacKenzie-Childs calls the Mocha Check Cocktail Napkin Holder “the perfect host gift”; choose that one for a warm-toned kitchen and the Courtly Check for black and white.
It has two limits. It is sized for cocktail napkins only, so it won’t replace a holder for everyday dinner napkins, and it is hand-wash only. Slip a pack of cocktail napkins inside the wrapping and the host can put it out the same evening.
9. Glass Coasters, Set of 4, for a host you don’t know well
When the invitation comes from a new neighbour or a colleague and you can’t read their taste, MacKenzie-Childs coasters are a safe bet. Each glass coaster is 4.6″ square and a quarter inch thick with a gold perimeter, and the set of four comes with a holding case: black lacquered for the Courtly Check Glass Coasters, gold-toned for the Mocha Check Glass Coasters.
They are 50% glass, 40% MDF and 5% EVA, which is why they should be cleaned with a damp cloth and never submerged in water. If your host would rather have round coasters, the Courtly Check Coasters, Set of 4 are 3.75″ across, with a hand-painted enamel plate set into an acacia wood base; they wipe clean too.
10. Enamel Mug, for the host with house guests
A weekend host with a full guest room will use a mug the next morning, especially with a bag of good coffee or loose tea beside it. The Courtly Check Enamel Mug and the Mocha Check Mug are 4.25″ across and 3.5″ tall and hold 16 oz. They are enamel on steel with a bronzed rim, and MacKenzie-Childs describes the Courtly Check mug as oven-safe, even suggesting it for French onion soup.
They are dishwasher safe, though hand-washing is recommended. They can’t go in the microwave, which matters for anyone who reheats a forgotten cup, and hot liquids call for some care. For a host who loves Christmas, the Cozy Christmas Lidded Santa Mug (ceramic, 6.75″ tall, 12 oz, hand-wash) is the seasonal alternative. To give something bigger for the kitchen, our tea kettle sizes guide compares the kettles.
Pairing a keepsake with something to burn
A keepsake goes well with something the host can use up. The Courtly Check Enamel Pillar Candlestick, Medium is 9″ tall on a 5.25″ base, and the Large is 11″ tall on a 5.75″ base. Add the Check Pillar Candle in black and ivory, hand-rolled beeswax, 5″ across and 5″ tall, with up to 24 hours of burn time. The candle details come from our own listing, as we couldn’t find a current MacKenzie-Childs page for it.
