I also had a giant bag to carry the papers in if I needed to go on foot. (Which I am now realizing could come in handy for groceries…)

Thanks to mom storing it with my other childhood momentos, I still have my Naples Daily News delivery bag

The bag was helpful, but it wasn’t nearly as adorable as this Swiss Post duffel which, I must confess, I am totally coveting. The bag is made from recycled mail totes and is so popular it is on backorder.

Swiss Post Duffel from European Market

The duffel is from online retailer European Market which specializes in, you guessed it, European goods. They have fabulous things, including lots of household items and are worth checking out.

Should you opt for bringing wine (a perfectly lovely hostess gift) to one or more of the holiday parties you attend this year, there are a few things you should keep in mind:

1) Don’t expect them to serve it.

A host is not required to open a bottle that a guest brings as a gift to a party — especially if they have already gone to great lengths to pair wine to their menu. A guest should never be upset if the wine is not served right away.

I did get a chuckle out of  Lettie Teague’s column in the December issue of Food & Wine (her columns are always so fun to read), in which she says she is generally disappointed when hosts don’t open the bottles she brings. (Note: If Lettie Teague ever brought a bottle of wine to my house, you can be darn sure I’d open it on the spot!)

Ms. Teague came up a with a few clever wine-giving strategies, some of which she specifically designed to help ensure the hosts opens the bottle:

• Bring champagne — it’s such a celebratory beverage and its easy for a host to re-gift (not a horrible thing!)
• Select a wine with broad appeal — like Pinot Noir from California, Oregon, France or Argentina
• Tell them in advance – let your guests know if you plan to bring a very special bottle and always ask what they are serving to make sure the wine will complement the menu
• Present the wine ready to serve — chill the champagne or a white in advance if that is what you are bringing
• Bring a magnum — a large bottle “demands to be shared,” says Lettie. And what host would be so greedy as to not open such a generous bottle!

2) Transport it carefully

Keep the wine at the proper temperature and protect it from breaking when you transport it by carrying it in an insulated wine tote. I like this one:

Built NY Double Wine Bottle Carrier, available from WineStuff.com

3) Presentation is key

It’s a gift right? So why not make it pretty?!

There are so many fabulous wine gift bags out there these days, you may just want to stock up on a few and keep them on hand for gift giving.

"Cheers" wine gift bag, available from The Craft Pantry on Etsy

Solo Felt Wine Bag, available at www.bambeco.com

organza wine bags from Gumps

Built NY Fishnet One-Bottle Wine Tote available from Ecobags

Modern Red Dot Wine Bag from Etsy's Space Moderne

The ultimate out-of-town gift bags will help your guests…

1. …stay hydrated.

Water is a critical element to any welcome gift. Voss (sparkling is my fave, but it is also available in still) is not only great H20, but it’s packaging is also very sleek.

Voss water

2. …fight back a snack attack!

To satiate those late night snack attacks, be sure to include some treats — both salty and sweet — for your guests. To reflect your wedding location, consider including snacks with local flair (e.g. Virginia peanuts, Maine blueberries, etc.).

Kettle Chips are a great option for a salty snack.

Lightly salted Kettle Chips

For a sweet snack, consider these options from two of the best artisan chocolatiers.

Knipschildt's chocolate-dipped pear slices

Recchiuti's Black Box

3. …keep their breath fresh.

Jila gum and Choward’s mints are not only a refreshing treat for guests, but the smart packaging will be visually appealing, as well.

Jila Sugar Free Gum available through CandyDirect.com

Choward's Spearmint Mints

4. …know where they are going.

One of the most important things to include in a welcome gift is information about the timing and locations of the weekend’s events. Three great options for wedding maps include:

• Beautiful hand-drawn maps by Laura Hooper Calligraphy
• Custom wedding map designs by Snappymap or Weddingmaps

5. …feel even more comfortable during their stay.

Help guests make their hotel room feel more like home with thoughtful touches like travel diffusers or monogrammed slippers. For beach weddings, consider adding flip flops or a beach towel. For cooler climes, a cashmere throw, ski hats, or monogrammed scarves would be a nice treat. Guests will also appreciate other small items like asparin and a mending kit.

Travel Diffuser from Archipelago

Hermes printed beach towel

Williams-Sonoma Home Cashmere Throw

6. …capture the moment.

Yes, your professional photographer will be there to capture the key moments of your wedding. But don’t miss those behind-the-scenes moments that only your guests can capture. Single use cameras can be fun for guests; those cameras with black-and-white film are particularly cool. A luxurious option for capturing moments on film would be to provide guests (or even just your wedding party) with Flip cameras. You can even personalize the camera with a picture of the bride and groom or the bride/groom with that particular guest.

Kodak's Black & White Single Use Camera available through Amazon.com

The Flip MinoHD camcorder

7. …feel welcomed and honored.

A welcome back is not complete without a personalized note from the bride and groom thanking the guest for coming and for sharing their wedding with them. While personalized notes do take time to write, they will make each guest feel even more honored and welcomed and know how much you appreciate their presence and friendship.

8. …pack it all up.

Once you’ve assembled all of the special welcome treats for your guests, you’ll need to present the items to them in lovely packaging. This is a wonderful chance to incorporate your theme (e.g. gifts at a beach wedding could be packaged in canvas beach bags). Keep in mind that your guests will have to pack up these items and to take them home with them, so try not to make the packaging too bulky or awkward.  Fun tote bags like the ones below or beautiful Kolo boxes can be good options.

City Out-of-Town Totes available at Blissweddingsmarket.com

One practice I’ve taken up is being conscious of how many shopping bags I use.

At stores, I try to not have my merchandise bagged unless I really need one. The shopping bags I do get I store at home and reuse for other purposes.

When at the grocery store, I never bag my produce separately in the produce department (it seems such a waste when I will just get home, take the produce out of the bags to store it, and throw the bags away).

Also, I make it a practice to bring reusable shopping bags to the grocery store. I try to leave some in my car so I never arrive at the store without one.

Reusable bags are easy to find these days and almost all of the grocery stores sell their own branded styles.

But why not be chic when shopping? I love the shopper bags by See by Chloe. There are several styles available at Bloomingdale’s and other department stores, but I love this particular one.

See by Chloe Best Ever Big Shopping Bag - available at Bloomingdale's

So celebrate this Earth Day by going shopping in style — eco-chic style!