Barbara 'Babs' Costello Shares Her Go-To Hostess Gift, and It's Actually Perfect

It's holiday party season, which means that, in addition to buying gifts for your regular roster of family and friends, there's also the hostess to think about.

While there are certainly default gifts like flowers and wine, TikTok superstar Barbara 'Babs' Costello has a couple of unique, go-to gift ideas that are as easy as they are appreciated.

"I know wine is so standard this time of year, but I have a friend who owns an olive oil company, and I think giving a bottle of really good olive is a great hostess gift," Costello shared with Parade Home & Garden. "And then you can wrap it in a lovely tea towel and put a little bow on it, and you get two gifts in one." 

If you can't get your hands on a bottle of EVOO, Costello's other favorite hostess gift idea requires only some pantry staples to pull together. "When people host a party, the next day they're pretty wiped. So I like to bring something homemade like muffins or a nut cake and have it in a pretty basket with a cloth napkin, and that's breakfast for them the next morning," she says. 

While Costello's got her hostess gifts down-pat, she says purchasing holiday gifts for loved ones can be more of a hurdle.

"Gift-giving, for me, can be very challenging because I want that gift to be meaningful. I can't wait for it to be opened. I want their eyes to light up and I want it to be the perfect gift. So that's where I really needed a lot of suggestions," she explains.

Her secret weapon for finding the perfect present? AI. Costello, who's partnered with Meta AI this season to share all the ways the tech can make the holidays more joyful, says that gift-giving might just be her favorite use-case for AI.

"Meta AI is like my assistant who has a lot of ideas to share with me," she explains, "It's great because the more particular the information is that you give it, the more specific the ideas are that you’re going to get. So for instance, I told Meta AI that my husband loves Hallmark movies and he likes his cushy recliner and he's a big Bears fan. And oh my God, I got so many great ideas for gifts for Bill. I think that is just invaluable, you know?"

Costello says she uses Meta AI because it's already built in to the social media platforms she uses so often. 

"I've been pretty amazed [with Meta AI] because, you know, I'm older and I was kind of wondering how the whole thing would work. Then I gave it a try. And you know, it's so accessible because you can get it on Instagram or Facebook, so I have used it now many times in the past couple of weeks. It's amazing." 

Up Next:

Lacey Chabert Shares The DIY Hot Chocolate Bar She Made With Her Daughter And It's Adorable

Read More

Lacey Chabert Shares The DIY Hot Chocolate Bar She Made With Her Daughter And It's Adorable

Read More