Gift These Oscars Swag Bag-Inspired Goodies At Your Next Party
VALUED AT give or take $125,000 per bag, each year’s Academy Awards nominees get a goodie hamper of sorts that’s dubbed the “swag bag”. It’s not exactly affiliated with the Oscars but can be traced back to a Los Angeles-based marketing firm that reaches out to these nominees to deliver their bags. If you are doing an exclusive Oscars viewing party, naturally you would want to give something to your guests to take home. Why not give them their own swag bags?
It may be unrealistic to give them vouchers for an expensive holiday or the latest gadget (like Hollywood celebrities do), but you can fill up the bag with something they would love and treasure as much. Here are some ideas that will make your guests appreciate their swag bag — that, unlike the original, doesn't come with the burden of taxes!
1. Liquor
Some liquor shops, especially in select malls, sell miniature sampling bottles; hunt for crowd favourites like Smirnoff vodka, Black Dog whisky, and buy enough to pop one or two bottles into the guests’ gift bags. If that is too much of a hassle, buy the smallest size available in liquor stores — 180 ml. You could also pick wine or champagne that are often available in miniature sizes.
2. DIY Craft Project
Turn this into a craft project and cut out moustaches and lips for your liquor bottles and attach them to the bottle with a paper straw. If you want to make it more elaborate, pick a matching coloured gown for the lips and a boxy tuxedo shape for the moustache. All you need are sharpies or coloured pencils to fill in the hues. You can add golden or silver glitter to the straw for a glamorous, star-studded look.
3. Vote Ballot
This swag bag is not just a “return gift” to be handed out at the end of the party, it should encompass the whole experience of the Oscar watch party. So slip in decorative, sturdy papers into the bags for your guests to predict the winners before the party begins. Seal their entry into envelopes and for fun’s sake pop all of them into a makeshift ballot box. Once the party is over, reveal the predictions of each guest in the envelopes they surrendered earlier. The one with the most right guesses gets extra gifts that are not a part of the others’ swag bags.
4. Tote Bag
Some e-commerce sites provide services to customise tote bags; you could make it extra personal by including caricatures surrounding the Oscars and the guests that attend the party. Think of the statuette floating on the canvas with gold stars, film reels and your friend’s face among them. They might have a good laugh (or cry) over them!
5. Chocolates
Pick up only silver and gold foil-wrapped chocolates and put a handful of them in the bags; if they are filled with liquor, even better (given how freely booze flows at the Oscars parties). However, ditch the chocolate if you have guests with dietary restrictions.
6. Gift Vouchers
Thoughtful gift vouchers are always a good idea; this could range from anything that can be availed at a beauty salon or an e-commerce site, bookstore, cafe, or exchanged for an experience.
7. Journals and Pens
Some of us really miss the feel of paper and pen as more and more things continue to go digital. So a leather-bound notebook, with pages that smell like heaven is another good addition to the bag. To match the book, grab one of those stylish, classy pens with a metal body that are made of stainless steel.
8. Drinkware
This one can be a bit risky to gift, but if packaged well it’s worth adding to the goodie bag. Engrave your guests’ initials or names onto a glass tumbler or any drinkware of your choice. Match it with the liquor you are putting in their bags. If it’s whisky then a tumbler, if wine then a wineglass. For couples or families, you could club their gifts to make it more economical for you. Couples can get his and her glasses with their initials on them. This will ensure all of them leave with a smile on their faces, especially if their favourite actor does not win this year.
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