Attending a housewarming party is a fun way to check out a friend's new home. It's a time to celebrate that they've moved in and are settling into their new space. It's also a time to think about housewarming party gifts.
“A housewarming gift is a fantastic way to say congratulations to the people you care about. It may take a little forethought to choose the right one, but it is well worth it," according to Mova. If you're struggling with what to bring to a housewarming party, here are a variety of suggestions that will satisfy just about anyone.
Wine is the most common host or hostess gift for a reason — it's hard to find someone who won't enjoy the bottle you bring. Pairing that with a nice,traditional corkscrew or even a new electronic one creates a thoughtful gift your housewarming host can enjoy on the spot.
Selecting a wine for someone is sometimes a bit of a challenge. Beth Cash, wine club directress of ACME Fine Wines, shares her tips for purchasing wine as a gift:
If you're unsure of what wine to bring, combine the corkscrew with a few cocktail glasses to complete the set.
Everyone needs a simple toolset for those everyday jobs around a new home. A hammer, screwdriver, measuring tape, nails and picture hanging kit create a do-it-yourself basket. This is perfect for mounting shelves, hanging pictures and making small repairs. It's a perfect apartment warming gift.
Even if you're headed to an apartment where they can't put holes in the walls, you can alter this handy basket to include duct tape, Command hooks, plastic bags, antibacterial wipes and any other household necessities.
While candles have been a traditional new home gift idea, a diffuser, air freshener or essential oil kit offers a twist on this classic.
Find a scent that fits with the season like apples or pumpkins in the fall, green tea in the winter, floral scents for the spring and clean linen for the summer.
Plants are not only pretty to look at, but they bring life into a new home. Placed in a decorative pot, your gift adds ambiance to a new home and freshens things up.
If you're worried about giving an apartment warming gift that requires too much care, there are many household plants that require minimal watering and can survive in a variety of light conditions.
If you're close enough with this friend to know their style, consider a housewarming gift they can appreciate the entire time they live in their new home. With a piece of art for the wall, you can add beauty or humor to your friend's home.
Another gift basket that people love is one full of the fuel needed to get moving in the morning. Customize for coffee or tea drinkers, but fill the basket with a few varieties of coffee beans or tea bags, sweeteners and creamers. You can also add a coffee grinder and a couple of mugs.
Monogrammed gifts allow you to give something that's personal. There's also almost no limit to what you can get monogrammed, keeping the possibilities for just the right gift pretty open.
You can opt for something functional like a doormat, cutting board or salt and pepper shakers, or take a more decorative route creating a personalized sign or plaque.
Dogs and cats have to adjust to a new home just like people, so don't leave them off your new home gift ideas list. Bring them a special treat or a small, new toy to enjoy during the housewarming party.
Anyone who's a game night fanatic will appreciate an apartment warming gift they can play with friends. Bring along a new board or card game like Pictionary or Cards Against Humanity to help your friend start a game night tradition in their new home.
Delightful bath and body products can end up being one of the best housewarming gifts because they serve double duty. They're practical yet luxurious because they can help you relax. And that makes this gift very thoughtful. Consider pulling together yet another basket-style gift with a combination of:
Focus on your friend's favorite scents to create a theme for the gift, and mix up products based on what they most often use.
Indulge your friend's sweet tooth with a housewarming gift you can bake at home. Cookies, a cake or pie can serve as dessert for the party and provide a considerate gift.
If your host doesn't have a large sweet tooth, combine sweet and salty with a homemade trail mix in a decorative tin.
Gifts in this category always get “wow's" at parties because of how cute they look. Assemble all the ingredients for a special treat into a jar to make preparation super easy and on-demand.
You can make a simple recipe, like hot chocolate in a jar by layering cocoa powder, mini marshmallows and even little pieces of peppermint to melt in for extra decadence. Or you can choose from other recipes for cookies, soup and even make jam or syrup yourself to gift. Consider adding a decorative kitchen towel for a little extra flair.
There's so much to buy when moving into a new place, and your apartment warming gift can help finish the job. Stick a gift card into a sweet card and provide your friends with the ability to buy any accessories they made need to finish off a room or even finish stocking their pantry
Moving is hard work. There's a lot of stress and a lot of sore muscles. Especially if you're attending a housewarming party for a couple, you know they need to get out and relax.
Help them with movie tickets, a dinner gift card to a restaurant in their new neighborhood or even go in with other party guests and get them a couple's massage.
If you're attending a housewarming party for a family, it's always considerate to bring a little gift for the kids.
A DIY craft kit, coloring book and new crayons, block set or activity book not only keep kids occupied during the party but gives them something creative to do in their new home. Stay away from things that are messy or aren't age-appropriate so the child can do the activity on their own.
If appropriate for your housewarming host, consider a small religious item. In Jewish and Islamic tradition, a Hamsa is a protective symbol that signifies happiness, health and luck, which many people hang in their homes.
For a Christian home, a lovely cross, which is a symbol of protection that wards off evil, fire and hunger, is often a welcomed gift. For non-religious people still interested in adding a bit of decorative luck or protection, a dream catcher or horseshoe will do the trick.
Localize your gift with a map of your friend's new neighborhood or of the city. If they've recently moved from somewhere else, get them a map from where they came from to help ease nostalgia. These pieces make great artwork and come in all kinds of styles.
While most of us don't send a lot of mail, when we do have postal needs, the most tedious part is writing your home address on the envelope. Eliminate the task for your friends and provide them with a new home gift idea at the same time with a return address stamp. This is a thoughtful gift they'll use the entire time they're in their new home.
Get their kitchen off to a fresh start with a small herb garden gift. Select herbs commonly used such as basil, cilantro, rosemary or oregano.
A cute kit of fresh herbs provides a housewarming gift that not only brightens up the kitchen but infuses it with delicious smells and ingredients for flavorful dishes.
If the housewarming party is close to Christmas, consider customizing a gift that can double as a special holiday decoration. A new home ornament that features the move-in date (or year) and address can help commemorate this special occasion and add a little something special to this year's Christmas tree.
It's not the most exciting thing, but a fire extinguisher is an important safety item that often gets overlooked when moving into a new place. You hope your friends never have to use it, but it can come in handy if something goes wrong — safety first!
If wine isn't your speed, you can go a little further by grabbing a bar set so your friends can make cocktails at home. Even a basic set with a muddler, bar spoon and cocktail shaker will do the trick, but there are larger sets out there if you're wanting to take it the extra mile. Think about adding a few cocktail recipes along with the set so there's a good reason to use it.
Many people keep olive oil on hand, but it's typically the generic stuff you can find at any grocery store. When giving olive oil as a housewarming gift, get a high-quality bottle, even if it's a small one. Or get a flavored oil that can add a little something extra for cooking or dipping bread in. There's every flavor imaginable — anything from lemon olive oil to cranberry pear.
There are a few items you can never have enough of — like chapstick, socks and, yes, kitchen towels. It's annoying when you need to dry your hands or wipe up a quick spill, but you've already gone through all of your kitchen towels, so getting your friends a few more will be a welcomed gift.
Although smart home devices aren't a necessity, they can make living a little more convenient for your friends. There's a range of devices to choose from, so you can go with smart locks, a security camera or a smart hub — whatever will fit in best with your friend's lifestyle and preferences.
No one has ever been upset about receiving a blanket. They're both useful and easily used as decor. If you're worried about matching your friend's decor, stick with a neutral color of a throw blanket like white or gray. But if you've got the scoop on what their interior looks like, you can also choose a color that will fit in with the rest of the decor.
When you've first moved into a new place, it can take some time to really get settled and organize. Finding even the bare essentials is a little difficult. Put together a "home essentials" kit with a few basics to make it easier on your friends. You can include things like dish soap, toilet paper, coffee, flour and other items that you know your friend will use.
Cooking is very exciting in a new place, so why not make it even more fun with new spices? You can give a new set of spices and seasonings that has everything anyone could need for whipping up some food in their new kitchen.
Coffee table books make great gifts. These books typically are image-heavy and entertaining to flip through. You can find them on any topic, so they'll fit any personality and help make a new apartment really feel like home.
Many cities don't have great-tasting tap water and buying only bottled water can get expensive really fast (plus, all those bottles are not great for the environment). A filtered water pitcher gives your friend the best of everything—better tasting water without the high price tag of bottled water or negative effects on the planet.
When in doubt, a housewarming gift should fit the personality of the host or hostess. If you don't know them well, focus on functional pieces most everyone will love.
Stick to items for the kitchen or bar if you're in a pinch, and you usually can't go wrong. The important thing to remember is it ultimately isn't about the housewarming gift. You're there to celebrate the new home and the people living in it.