Gift Ideas for summer host family

Great question. In my experience the host families "adopt" you for the summer and in a sense, treat you as if you're their own son. In return, I've gathered that the majority would just be extremely happy if you were to keep in touch with them. However, a gift would be great as well. My best suggestion would be instead of just a one-time gift, to make it constant small things. That way they feel as though they impacted your lives in a way that you appreciate enough to keep them up to date with what you're doing (because after all, they did). I've done school gear, pictures, copies of yearbooks, etc. I plan on taking my host family brother (10 years old) from the past to a Nationals game when time constraints allow, being that he lives about 80 miles west of DC and I live in DC. Often times it is the thought behind the gift that is more important than the actual tangible item.

If it were me on the receiving in, I would like to get a handwritten note. That would mean more than any gift.

University gear sounds fine, but a little impersonal for someone you've lived with.

Maybe a package of event stuff the host family could use from their area, like museum or game passes... if your son goes to a big football school a fall weekend with tickets and a B&B would be an awesome gift.... the note and staying in touch is always great too

As usual, JH hits the nail on the head. I would so much rather a hand written note and contact through out the year. It's not the stuff, but the fact that you let them know their kindness was not forgotten.

The best gift is sincere appreciation. Each person does it a little bit different and I don't think most host families are expecting much if anything other then a sincere thanks. Take them out to dinner the last night and/or give a framed photo with the family at the stadium. The photo is pretty easy to do in this day and age of digital camera's and one hour processing in every walmart/costco etc.

My son had one host family father visit him several times during the college season and my son let him stay in his house! Works both ways sometimes.

Just finished visiting our son last week and met his host family. His host family is a single mom with two high school age sons. I picked up iTunes gift cards for the high school boys and I gave personalized stationery and a VISA gift card to the host mom. We also took them to dinner one night after a game. It was great to meet them and we are extremely grateful that they have opened their home to our son for the summer.

"Candlesticks always make a nice gift. ... can find out where she's registered, maybe a place setting, or maybe a silverware pattern is good".

Our son's host family has 4 large (ranging from the smallest - a Golden Retriever to the largest - a St. Bernard) housedogs! We gave them a substantial gift card to a pet store in the area. After a summer feeding 3 ballplayers we figured they could use the help for their "babies"!

Our player last summer gave us a nice (and accurate) wall hanging:"A Spoiled Rotten Dog Lives in This House".

JH hit it on the head-do little things and stay in touch.

One player's dad this summer is a jeweler and made me a nice lapel pin of a baseball player in our team uni.

A picture, or baseball or bat signed by the entire summer team.

One of my most prized pocessions is a custom wood bat with my travel teams names engraved and signed by them. Priceless.

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"I'll gladly do the same for anyone willing to take in the younger one who just graduated this year! Lol"

Well if it's still there we have a room in our basement that your youngest can use.



If he drives a Snap-on® tool truck we've got plenty of room around back for him to park. Does he know how to use a jackhammer? Our one-holer seized up again!



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