Whether you’ve recently purchased your dream home and are planning a housewarming party—or you’ve been invited to one—you may be thinking about the proper etiquette. Fortunately, that’s exactly what this post will address.

Before we delve into details, though, we’ll answer this question: What’s a housewarming party, exactly? Although specifics can vary, this is a type of get-together for friends and family that’s typically held after you move into a new place and may also be a party where you start to get to know your new neighbors and coworkers. You can show your new home to people that you care about and offer them celebratory food and drink—and, in turn, they’ll usually give you gifts to use in your new home. Most housewarming parties are casual events, often structured like an open house, but that’s not universally true. 

According to The Gift Magazine, these events have been held since medieval times. In that era, homeowners invited people who helped them to build their home to a meal to conclude the construction process. 

An online site from the United Kingdom offers more details while admitting that its actual origins may be lost to time. This source believes that the housewarming party tradition originated in France. Within 180 days of a person moving into a new home, guests would bring wood and fireplaces would be lit—literally warming up the house. “Warming” can also refer to the warmth of friendship (while also chasing away any evil spirits that wanted to hang around). Traditional gifts included wine, bread to wish the homeowners a life without hunger, and candles to create a home filled with light and joy. 

Traditional recountings of housewarming parties can be fascinating—but, if you’re holding one, you’ll likely want to know how to plan yours and, if you’ll be attending one, you’ll want to know the appropriate etiquette. 

So, looking at the twenty-first century, what’s a housewarming party like nowadays?

Planning a Housewarming Party

When you’re the one who will host the party, you’ll want one that highlights your new home and perfectly represents your lifestyle. To help, we’ve gathered tips from around the web. 

Moving.com offers multiple suggestions, including these:

• You’ll typically want your furniture in place and most of your boxes unpacked before you hold a party. Maybe you’ll want to repaint and put in new flooring first. No matter the specifics of your situation, holding the party within 180 days of your relocation seems to be a rule of thumb that’s held steady since the early days of the tradition. 
• Use this time to plan how many people you want to invite and can comfortably accommodate. If you’re holding an open house-style party where people come and go according to their availability, then you can typically invite more people than if, say, you planned a sit down dinner.
• Pick a date and time and send invitations out early—at least three weeks before the big day; nowadays, both printed/mailed and digital/emailed invitations are considered to be acceptable, so think about your invitees and what would be better for them. Provide directions to your new home as well as parking options. 

Now, here are tips from MyDomaine.com:

• First, be you! When you think about what to do at a housewarming party, consider what you and your guests would enjoy. For some people, this could include cooking a meal for everyone in their fabulous new kitchen; for others, it would be a buffet or picnic style meal. You could hold a structured tour of your new home, garden, and so forth or keep it more casual. The focus could be on conversation among friends or games like outdoor ping pong, croquet, cornhole, and so forth.
• Food and drink is often a central aspect of what to do at a housewarming party—meaning that you eat, imbibe, and chat. If you don't want food and drink spilled on your new carpeting or furniture and can hold the event outdoors, do so. If you want to spend your time mingling with guests, consider hiring a caterer or having simple finger foods like cheese and fruit. If you’ll offer alcoholic drinks, be sure to offer non-alcohol choices. These could be mocktails, punch, or something simpler like sparkling juice. Again, do you!

TheSpruce.com, meanwhile, encourages housewarming party throwers to be festive without stressing too much about decorations. One unique idea of theirs: ask each guest from your new community to bring a takeout menu from their favorite eatery. Not only will these be great conversation starters, once the party is over, you’ll have plenty of new ideas about where to eat. If several people bring a menu from the same place, no problem! You can prioritize this eatery because it sure sounds like a great place. 

If you really enjoy decorating, go for it! If it’s stressful for you, especially if you haven’t yet unpacked your boxes containing decorations after your move, you could place candles and a few vases with fresh flowers around your space. Or, you could have fun with “cheeky cocktail napkins, whimsical plates, and patterned paper straws.”

HomeEdit.com includes tips on small touches that can make a big difference:

• Ensure that your bathrooms are well stocked with toilet paper, hand towels, and soap. 
• Cut the grass ahead of the party and otherwise make sure that your landscaping looks nice. 
• Place a guestbook where attendees can sign their names and perhaps offer a piece of advice about the neighborhood or on another topic: practical and humorous advice alike!
• Consider handing out party favors. 

Party.Pro.com points out the importance of signs. This starts with a prominent welcome sign. Then make it easy, for example, for guests to find the bathrooms, know where the food is located, where trash receptacles are, and so forth. If you’d like for them to take off their shoes at the door, make a polite request in sign form.

Finally, Chase.com offers recommendations:

• Consider using paper plates and disposable cutlery for streamlined cleanup after the party.
• Make sure there’s enough seating. 
• Create a plan for your pets. Although you may love your dogs, some guests may be afraid of them. 
• Keep track of who sent what gifts and, after the party, send them thank you notes. 

They also note how throwing this kind of party should be an occasion to enjoy time with friends and family and share your new home. So, as you’re deciding what to do at a housewarming party, keep this in mind through the planning. 

Attending a Housewarming Party

When you receive an invitation and RSVPs are requested, do so promptly so that the host can plan appropriately. As TodaysHomeowner.com points out, waiting until the last minute (or not responding) causes the host to need to play a guessing game. If something comes up in the interim, and you can’t make it, be sure to let the hosts know. 

Moving.com also offers great tips on what to do at a housewarming party when you’re a guest:

• First, don’t show up early unless you’re a very close friend or family member who is there to offer help with last minute party prep details. In fact, it’s probably better to show up at least fifteen minutes after the start time with an open house-style invitation because the hosts may be scrambling with last minute details. On the other hand, don’t show up too late!
• Warmly greet your hosts. If this is an open door party, they may not be immediately visible, so seek them out and share your greetings. 
• Compliment them about the new house; they may be nervous about sharing their space. Compliments can range from the landscaping to the decorating to the open airy rooms.

Then there’s the issue of gift giving. As LovetoKnow.com shares, some new home owners create a wish list of items they’d like to have—a practice that some people appreciate although others may feel a bit uncomfortable about the notion. 

Look closely at your housewarming party invitation; it may read “No Gifts.” If that’s the case, don’t bring a gift to the party but, if you’re especially close to the hosts, you may decide to drop one off at a more private time. Or, the invitation may include a link to the home owner’s gift registry that includes items that would be appreciated. If so, you can use this as guidance or, if there isn’t registry information listed, you could ask the hosts what items they would want along with insights into their color schemes and so forth.

In sum, as far as what to bring to a housewarming party, you may get told to just bring yourself without a gift. Without that explicit direction, though, it’s typically considered good practice to bring a gift. ApartmentGuide.com lists thirty of the best housewarming gifts, including the traditional practice of bringing a bottle of wine. You might decide to pair that with a corkscrew and, if you aren’t sure about what wines your hosts might appreciate, consider giving them a corkscrew along with attractive wine glasses. 

For a modern twist on the traditional gift of candles, consider providing your hosts with essential oils and appropriate diffusers. If you know what scents they like, that’s great. If not, you could go with the seasons: floral scents in the spring, for example, and apple ones in the fall. 

Plus, RaeElizabethDesign.com notes that you can’t go wrong with giving them a gift card if you think your hosts would prefer to make their own choices. 

Need more ideas about what to bring to a housewarming party? Delish.com recommends gifts ranging from linen napkins to extra virgin oil oil and the appropriate dispenser—and from martini shakers to bar carts, an outdoor pizza oven, French press coffee makers, and more. 

For a bit more guidance, MarthaStewart.com shares insights into what makes a good housewarming gift along with ones to avoid. What would literally be the best gift will depend upon the person, being ones that “cater to the person and time in life.” Good gifts can be “sentimental, needed, or add warmth to the home.”

Being too extravagant can be a no-no, the article states, and it’s best to avoid art or furniture unless you know it’s in the style that your host really wants. In those cases, it’s best to hold onto the receipt in case they want to exchange the gift for a different style. 

In this Amelia Island Real Estate post, we’ve provided answers to the question of “What’s a housewarming party?” and offered suggestions on what to do at a housewarming party, what to bring to a housewarming party, and more. But, what if you’re still looking for your dream home? We can help!

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To get started, reach out to the real estate professional of your choice, contact us online, or call 904-277-5980. Before you know it, it will be time to plan your own housewarming party!