Housewarming Gifts, Traditions, and Ideas - Tips for the Holidays
Housewarming gifts from the heart: "Bread - So you never go hungry.
Wine - So your life is always sweet.
Salt - So there is always spice in your life.
And a Candle - So you always have light.
" The above poem is rumored to be of European or Russian origin, enduring the passage of time, and still widely referred to today.
Recently, I went to a housewarming party, bringing with me a loaf of raisin bran bread, granulate sea salt, and a bottle of Riesling.
I had forgotten the candle, but luckily there were more than enough candles as someone was also celebrating a birthday.
Although my housewarming gifts were a hit (no doubt due in part to the fact that I was one of the only people who brought anything), I couldn't help but think there could be more depth to the gifts.
After all, most new homeowners already have bread, wine, salt and candles, in the traditional sense.
It occurred to me that the way to uphold this great tradition, while spicing it up with some creativity, is to find other things that could be considered bread, wine, salt, or candles.
This is what I came up with: Bread Being such a simple food, it really pays to get creative when deciding what kind of bread to bring.
Forego a boring loaf of sourdough or baguette and go for something with flavor, like cinnamon raisin bread, banana bread, or one of my personal favorites, pumpernickel.
Other ideas that can be a creative stretch include biscuits, cornbreads, or even bread pudding.
Wine I am no wine connoisseur, but my suggestion for this is to bring something that can be consumed at the very party you're attending.
At the housewarming I went to, my bottle of Riesling perfectly replaced the empty bottle on the dining table.
It helps if you know what types of wine the hosts enjoy.
If you want to take it a step further, you could even bring a wine rack or cooler to help furnish the new house.
Salt This one is as simple or as interesting as you want it to be.
Go with iodized salt, sea salt, garlic salt, etc.
, if you want to be traditional.
If you want to be the life of the party, bring soy sauce or bath salt.
Also, if you know they have a small pet like a hamster, you could bring a salt lick / salt block for it.
While you're at it, you might as well bring a fish tank for saltwater fish.
It's normally frowned upon to bring a pet as a housewarming gift, but hey, there's always eBay if they don't want it.
Candle Pass on the requisite aromatherapy candle from Bath and Body, and bring a ceramic table lamp (1,2) that your new homeowner friends could actually use.
After all, this is the 21st century.
So remember, the next time you have to buy a housewarming gift, bring a 21st century twist to a 16th century tradition.
Wine - So your life is always sweet.
Salt - So there is always spice in your life.
And a Candle - So you always have light.
" The above poem is rumored to be of European or Russian origin, enduring the passage of time, and still widely referred to today.
Recently, I went to a housewarming party, bringing with me a loaf of raisin bran bread, granulate sea salt, and a bottle of Riesling.
I had forgotten the candle, but luckily there were more than enough candles as someone was also celebrating a birthday.
Although my housewarming gifts were a hit (no doubt due in part to the fact that I was one of the only people who brought anything), I couldn't help but think there could be more depth to the gifts.
After all, most new homeowners already have bread, wine, salt and candles, in the traditional sense.
It occurred to me that the way to uphold this great tradition, while spicing it up with some creativity, is to find other things that could be considered bread, wine, salt, or candles.
This is what I came up with: Bread Being such a simple food, it really pays to get creative when deciding what kind of bread to bring.
Forego a boring loaf of sourdough or baguette and go for something with flavor, like cinnamon raisin bread, banana bread, or one of my personal favorites, pumpernickel.
Other ideas that can be a creative stretch include biscuits, cornbreads, or even bread pudding.
Wine I am no wine connoisseur, but my suggestion for this is to bring something that can be consumed at the very party you're attending.
At the housewarming I went to, my bottle of Riesling perfectly replaced the empty bottle on the dining table.
It helps if you know what types of wine the hosts enjoy.
If you want to take it a step further, you could even bring a wine rack or cooler to help furnish the new house.
Salt This one is as simple or as interesting as you want it to be.
Go with iodized salt, sea salt, garlic salt, etc.
, if you want to be traditional.
If you want to be the life of the party, bring soy sauce or bath salt.
Also, if you know they have a small pet like a hamster, you could bring a salt lick / salt block for it.
While you're at it, you might as well bring a fish tank for saltwater fish.
It's normally frowned upon to bring a pet as a housewarming gift, but hey, there's always eBay if they don't want it.
Candle Pass on the requisite aromatherapy candle from Bath and Body, and bring a ceramic table lamp (1,2) that your new homeowner friends could actually use.
After all, this is the 21st century.
So remember, the next time you have to buy a housewarming gift, bring a 21st century twist to a 16th century tradition.
