Do you ever wonder why we give housewarming gifts? Finding the right gift can be a struggle. Whether greeting a new neighbour, congratulating your friend or thanking a real estate client, you probably like to be thoughtful. But you don’t want to be boring and give the same thing as everyone else. Right? Putting your own unique twist on the housewarming gifts would become way easier when you understand the symbolic meanings behind them.
Around the world, people give housewarming gifts to congratulate the new homeowners best wishes in their new homes. The culture of gift giving to new homeowners has been around for quite a while and dates back to the 16th century. Different cultures have celebrated housewarmings in their own unique ways throughout history, however, one thing remains the same: involving blessings and certain rituals and prayers to help settle into new homes.
What Are Traditional Housewarming Gifts?
In the past, housewarming gifts were functional and practical, like some inexpensive groceries and firewood. But these gifts weren’t just useful for the new homeowners, they symbolised different meanings according to the different products they were gifted. The main symbolism was to clear the negative vibes and ward off the evil spirits.
The 15 housewarming gifts and their symbolic meanings are:
- Bread, which was meant for the home to never know hunger.
- Wine, which was meant for the home to always have joy and never go thirsty.
- Wood, which was meant for the home to always have stability, harmony and peace.
- Broom, which was meant for the home to always be clean and free of evil spirits.
- Coal, which was meant for the home to always be warm.
- Honey, which was meant for the home to always enjoy the sweetness of life.
- Bluebird, which was meant for the home to have happiness and good luck.
- Knives, which was meant for the home to always be protected from intruders.
- Sugar, which was meant for the home to be filled with sweetness.
- Rice, which was meant for the home to multiply the love.
- Olive Oil, which was meant for the home to be blessed with health and well-being.
- Plants, which was meant for the home to always be filled with life.
- Salt & Herbs, which was meant for the home to always be flavourful and full of spice.
- Candle, which was meant for the home to always have light through the darkest times.
- Coin, which was meant for the home to dwell in good fortune.
What Do You Give A New Homeowner?
There are many creative housewarming gift options these days, but we think it would be fun to take inspiration from the historical housewarming gift traditions and reinterpret them for the present day.
Here’s a few traditional housewarming gifts with a twist and what they mean:
1. Traditional: Plants
Meaning “May your home always be filled with life”
Twist: Aesthetic ceiling hanging planter with succulents and sea shells decor. Why stick with generic nursery bought plants, which maybe high in maintenance, make life easy for the new homeowners by gifting low maintenance mini garden.
2. Traditional: Salt & Herbs
Meaning “May your home always be flavourful and full of spice”
Twist: Jasmine scented salts bath soak. A calming jasmine bath soak is perfect for relaxation. It is a wonderful way to de-stress after the big move.
3. Traditional: Candle
Meaning “May your home always have light through the darkest times”
Twist: Scented terrarium candle. A candle still, but with a twist of succulent shaped candle, which would look perfect as a table decor in every home.
4. Traditional: Wine
Meaning “May your home always have joy and never go thirsty”
Twist: Wooden Dog wine bottle holder. While it may not quench your thirst, the wine bottle holder is the perfect gift for wine connoisseurs.
How to choose a perfect housewarming gift?
It all varies according to the person you’re shopping for! However, there are a few tips to keep in mind. The most important tip would be to consider what type of space they’re moving into, for example, if it is a rented apartment, keep the gift small, relatively portable and affordable. This would help them keep the space clutter free and would not be a hassle during the next move. On the other hand, if the person just bought their first home, that warrants a move expensive and personalised gift. Another tip to keep in mind would be to stick to neutral colours and design type if it would be the first time visit to their house to avoid conflicting with a particular interior design style.
