Murphy Rises Again

Otherwise known as:  Next Time, Follow My Hostess Gift Rules.

As a rule, I don't give alcohol as a hostess gift.

I don't have any great prohibitionist reason.  In fact, if you want to come to my house and bring a hostess gift, I'm into red wines at the moment, especially Shiraz and Malbec.

No, part of the reason comes from my cheapness, it just doesn't look good to give a cheap bottle of alcohol as a gift. 

Another reason would be my complete lack of knowledge when it comes to alcohol ... sorry Dad, apparently I learned nothing from all those years with a liquor cabinet in the house. 

Then, there are my office working days, where I, a lowly administrative assistant, had no use to compete with the brokers for the boss' attention by handing over an expensive bottle of liquor.  Plus, how many bottles of wine/liquor does one person need ... that was rhetorical, don't answer that. 

No, I usually stick with a nice ornament.  Something they could hang on their tree, if they so desire, and completely forget that it came from us, or use it as a hostess gift of their own.

I am not above re-gifting. 

So, all this to say that, as a rule, we don't give alcohol as a hostess gift, until last week when we did give a bottle of wine.

I had run out of  "hostess gift quality" ornaments (i.e. unique).   I wasn't making a trip out into the craziness we call Christmas shopping, to find some "hostess gift quality" ornaments.  I do that after Christmas.

I mean, there comes a point when you just have to shut yourself inside your house and announce you are never leaving again until mid-January.

I have reached that point.

Since I had just been to the store (not the one with unique ornaments), and since I had just stocked up on wine, (we are looking at 2 weeks of Christmas vacation, with EVERYONE home.  Mom is trying to make it merry) I was moving out of my comfort zone and giving a bottle of wine. 

Plus, I could pass along the wine bottle bag sitting in a drawer (re-gifting people).

We arrived, Hubby hands over the wine to our host, who places it on the entry table, and leaves it there.  I'm not even sure if he opened the bag to look at the bottle.  Hmmm, that was strange.

We enter the party, it is Friday and I'm looking for something good to drink.  Ah wine, but the bottles were not opened, and there is no cork screw in sight.  Strange.

I see people drinking beer, so I begin my search.

I should note that I had already said hello to several people, and filled my plate with food.  No, I have not ignored everyone in search for the alcohol.

I find a mish mash of coolers, with a mish mash of beer inside of them.  Nothing to make me WANT a bottle of beer (not my first drink of choice anyway, unless it is summer).  In fact, it looks like all this beer was carried in by the party attenders.  Which, is not unusual, but little clues were beginning to add up.

1. The gift bagged bottle of wine was still sitting on the entry table, all alone.  There are no other bottles, or hostess looking gifts in the vicinity.
2. The bottles of wine are not open.  There is no corkscrew in sight.  There are no wine glasses in sight.  This is a swanky house.  The host and hostess are past the frat house reunion stage, I can't imagine them expecting people to drink wine out of Solo cups.  Not that I'm above such things, I'll take my wine from the bottle if necessary.
3. A BYOB assortment of beers (meaning all the cheap stuff was left for those of us out of the know.)

Ummmm, our host and hostess don't drink.  Oh my goodness.  The one time we give a bottle of wine as a hostess gift, it was to a dry couple.