Thanksgiving Hostess Gifts in Metro Detroit: What to Bring
Thanksgiving falls on Thursday, Nov. 26 this year. In Detroit the day is crowded before anyone sits down. America's Thanksgiving Parade is set for that day, and Detroit's NFL team hosts Chicago at Ford Field at 1 p.m., according to the team's schedule announcement. Somewhere between the parade and the second half, the person hosting your dinner is trying to get a turkey out of the oven.
That's the frame for a good hostess gift. It shouldn't need the oven, a vase, a serving plate or a decision. It should be something the host can set on the counter and enjoy on Saturday, when the house is quiet and the leftovers are in the fridge.
The etiquette is short
Ask what to bring, then bring exactly that. If the host says a pie, bring a pie. If the host says nothing, don't show up with a casserole that needs 40 minutes at 350 degrees. Thanksgiving ovens are booked solid by noon.
If you bring a dish, bring it ready to serve. Put it in a container you don't need back. Nobody wants to wash and return your good dish in December.
Wine is a gift, not a contribution to the menu. The Emily Post Institute's advice on gifting wine is clear on this point: "Don't expect your host to serve your wine that night." The host may have planned the pours already. Hand it over with a line like "this is for you, for later," and mean it.
Skip loose flowers. Cut flowers on Thanksgiving mean someone has to stop basting, find a vase, trim stems and clear counter space. If you want to bring flowers, bring them already arranged in something.
The gift is for after. The best hostess gifts are things the host gets to keep for themselves: a bag of good nuts, a jar of hot fudge, a bottle of something for the long weekend. It doesn't go on the table. It goes in the pantry.
And write the thank-you note yourself, a day or two later. Name one dish you liked.
Picking something up on the way
If you live in the area, a few Detroit stops make the hostess gift easy. Holiday-week hours can change, so call ahead before you plan your route around any of them.
Eastern Market, Saturday, Nov. 21. The Saturday Market runs from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. year-round, according to the market's website, at 2934 Russell St. The Saturday before Thanksgiving is the obvious day to shop for the meal and the host at the same time.
Germack, 2509 Russell St. The nut store sits across from Shed 2 in Eastern Market. Its website lists hours of 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Saturday, for both the café and the nut store. The Germack family, now in its fourth generation running the company, traces its start to 1912, when John and Frank Germack Sr. came through Ellis Island and began importing traditional foods. A bag of pistachios or a mixed tin is the kind of gift a host can open on Friday and finish by Sunday.
Avalon, 1049 Woodward Ave. The bakery, which dates to 1997, lists daily hours of 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at its Woodward café. A good loaf is an underrated hostess gift. Leftover turkey sandwiches need bread, and almost nobody remembers to buy it.
Better Made, 10148 Gratiot Ave. The chip company has been in Detroit since 1930, when Sicilian immigrants Cross Moceri and Peter Cipriano started it, according to the Detroit Historical Society. The store at the plant is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays and closed weekends, per the company's contact page. That makes Wednesday, Nov. 25 the last day to stop before Thanksgiving.
Pewabic Pottery, 10125 E. Jefferson Ave. For a host who puts up a tree the day after Thanksgiving, a ceramic ornament is a gift that comes out every year. Pewabic's ornaments start at $29 on its online store. The shop is closed Mondays and lists hours of 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.
Gifts that ship to the host
Some years you're the guest who can't make it. The host is your sister in Phoenix, or your college roommate's family is cooking in Grand Rapids, or you're working the holiday. A box that arrives the week of Thanksgiving says thank you for the invitation without anyone having to set a place for it.
A few that fit the day:
For the house that has the game on. The Game Day Box, $75, has a Honolulu blue mug, a deck of playing cards, an ornament, Better Made chips, Pop Daddy, Kar's Sweet 'N Salty and Faygo Rock & Rye. It's built for a long afternoon on the couch, which is what Thanksgiving in Detroit tends to turn into after 1 p.m.
For the host who will be sick of cooking by Friday. The Care Package, $59, is a no-effort dinner for the week after: canned Detroit coney sauce with our recipe card, Jiffy corn muffin mix, Sanders hot fudge, Vernors, Faygo Rock & Rye and Better Made chips. Because the coney sauce contains meat, it ships to US addresses only.
For a host who left Michigan. The 313 Box, $79, carries the things people from here ask about when they move away: Better Made chips, Faygo Rock & Rye, Vernors for a Boston Cooler, Sanders hot fudge, Germack cherry and praline nuts from Eastern Market and a skyline magnet. If you're not sure what they miss most, our guide to famous Detroit foods runs through the usual suspects.
Every box goes out with a handwritten card, so the note can say what you'd say at the door. If you're ordering close to the holiday, check the shipping section for current timing before you pick a delivery week.
If the host is also on your Christmas list, there's a second option. When you pick a box on its product page, you can choose "Hold for the holidays," and we ship it in mid-December with a Don't Open Till Christmas sticker.
What to leave at the store
Anything that needs cooking, chilling or assembly on the day. Scented candles, which compete with the food. Decorative serving pieces in a style you've guessed at. And a dessert when the host already told you dessert is handled.
If you're stuck, go back to the first rule and ask. Most hosts will tell you exactly what they need, and on a Thursday with a 1 p.m. kickoff, the answer might be a bag of ice.