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If you’re planning to move to a new home soon, one of the best ways to celebrate this new journey is with a housewarming party when you finish moving into your new place. Housewarming parties are an interesting tradition believed to have originated in France. Typically, a housewarming party takes place within the first six months of moving to a new home and is an opportunity to welcome friends and relatives to your new home with an enjoyable celebration.

Housewarming Traditions

If you’re planning a housewarming party or have plans to attend a housewarming party for a friend or family member soon, consider these traditional gifts and the stories behind them:

1. Pineapples. This seemingly odd tradition dates to the time of Christopher Columbus, who discovered this fruit during his trip to Guadalupe in the Caribbean. During the following years, sailors would bring this fruit home and place it on their gates as a symbol of their safe return and an invitation to friends and neighbors to visit and celebrate a successful voyage. Today, pineapples are traditional housewarming party gifts.
2. Bread, salt, and wine. These traditional gifts represent the wish of guests that the new home never knows hunger, that the family’s life always has flavor, and that they may experience joy and prosperity in their new home.
3. Acorns. This traditional German housewarming gift represents protection from evil spirits. Acorn-themed housewarming gifts are a great way to wish a host safety and comfort in their new home.

These traditional housewarming gifts may inspire you to provide a housewarming party host with something memorable to commemorate this new step in life, but, if you’re planning a housewarming party yourself, you should know a few tips for making your party as enjoyable and memorable as possible.

Hosting a Great Housewarming Party

A housewarming party may not exactly qualify as a formal occasion, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t provide your guests with an entertaining and memorable experience.

1. Start by preparing common areas like your dining room, bathrooms, and kitchen. Make sure you have plenty of space for everyone to gather and sit comfortably, and make sure your restroom facilities are stocked with essentials and ready for use.
2. Showcase your home with strategic food and drink placement. If you want your guests to enjoy the view from your dining room window, arrange your food spread on a table in front of it. This is just one example of how you can show off your new home’s assets by placing food in strategic locations.
3. Set the mood for a comfortable atmosphere. Scented candles, incense, and appropriate lighting will help your guests feel comfortable. Choose scents that fit with the season, and create a playlist of calm, enjoyable music for your guests.
4. Offer tours. Your guests are going to want to see every bit of your new home, so be sure to take time to offer tours during your party.
5. Take lots of pictures with everyone. A housewarming party is a celebration of a new step in your life, so why not commemorate the occasion by taking photos with all your guests?

These tips can help you have a more enjoyable housewarming party, so start planning yours and get creative with activities, games, good food, and icebreakers to enjoy with your guests.