House Warming-Do You Have to Bring a Gift?

[Alesia]

The traditional gift for a housewarming is bread and salt. They symbolize always having the necessities of life.

 

[Alesia]

I don't agree with that statement. The reason most housewarming parties are thrown are for people to show off their new digs! Nobody registers for them so why would you think that they are for the owners to get gifts? You should take a gift, like a bottle of wine, home depot gift certificate or something like that, but housewarming parties are not done for the gifts. We waited till 10 months after we moved in to throw ours, I wanted our kitchen remodel to be done so we could show off dh's handiwork. We got an ugly vase, some ugly candle holders, a candle, a banana hammock, and I don't remember what else. I really could have done without those ugly gifts but it's the thought that counts!

To the op, I would get your coworker a gift. Nothing big, but a token gift would be nice.

Actually, people register for housewarmings all the time.

 

[disykat]

Actually, people register for housewarmings all the time.

Maybe where you live, but on another recent thread there were several pages of responses but only a few people that had heard of such a thing.

 

[pearlieq]

Actually, people register for housewarmings all the time.

I've never seen that either, and honestly I would think it quite tacky.

I agree that the point of a housewarming is to show off the house, not collect gifts. But also that a gift is necessary. This is the reason why the gifts are "token" gifts like a houseplant or a bottle of wine, and not a toaster or set of china like at a shower.

 

[imsayin]

we have had functions where we have not received gifts, our wedding for example, and believe me, I remember, and there WAS a discussion!! LOL

I had 2 no-gifters attend my wedding. I was just discussing them the other day (16 years later). I don't think I'd have the same memory of not getting a gift at a house warming party, but I never had one.

 

[gottaluvdis]

I would bring in a small plant to work for your co-worker.

We were invited to an impromtu barbeque today - with 1.5 hours notice. The friends that invited us just moved into their first home a couple of weeks ago, and we hadn't seen it yet. There was no way we were going to go empty handed, so we scrambled and picked up a nice pepper plant to bring with us. We also brought a bunch of desserts. I always keep notecards at home, so I filled one out and attached it to the plant. It turns out they have a very nice large sunroom with room for lots of plants, so the pepper plant fit right in. They were thrilled - they clearly weren't expecting anything with such late notice, but we were glad to get the invite and to see their home. We always bring food to any gathering we're invited to, and if it's somewhat formal (a nice dinner party, for example), we usually bring some sort of hostess gift as well. I've never heard of registering for house warming gifts, and consider it tacky. I would be hard pressed to attend a house warming with a registration attached to the invitation. I'm glad we've never run into that before.

 

[Alesia]

I've never seen that either, and honestly I would think it quite tacky.

I agree that the point of a housewarming is to show off the house, not collect gifts. But also that a gift is necessary. This is the reason why the gifts are "token" gifts like a houseplant or a bottle of wine, and not a toaster or set of china like at a shower.

I think it's tacky, too, but it's becoming more and more common.

 

[EMom]

If they're into wine, give them some wine charms. You know, the things you attach to the stems of glasses so that everyone can tell theirs apart from everyone else's? (Maybe some Disney ones.... They would probably always remember YOU gave them to them.)

 

[Aimeedyan]

IMO

Housewarming = bring me gifts
Open House = come check out my new pad

 

[Cheshire Figment]

People got sort of nervous when they would invite Judy and I to a housewarming party because usually we would bring a pair of lawn flamingos.

(And this was in the Washington DC area.)

 

[Belle5]

People got sort of nervous when they would invite Judy and I to a housewarming party because usually we would bring a pair of lawn flamingos.

(And this was in the Washington DC area.)