Getting house warming presents was not always about getting gifts, and loads of food. It actually started out as different symbolic gestures, to wish the newcomers well.
There are many different kinds of symbolic gifts, and none of them were toaster ovens from what I can recall. No one really knows when it started, just that as the years went on, and the times became more modern, the gifts reached a new level, and lost most of their truth symbolic meaning.
There are 5 main symbolic house warming presents:
- a gift of candles; which means that you will always have a light in your house.
- a coin, or gift of money meant they were wishing you good fortune, and a long and prosperous life.
- wine would mean that you will never have to go without drink of any kind, never to go thirsty.
- bread, or good of some kind, was a subtle way of hoping you never have to go hungry.
- olive oil was a gift of marital bliss; wishing you a long and happy together. Usually, this was reserved for couples, as I am sure it would have been pretty awkward to give to a single man, living alone now don’t you think?
These gifts had meaning at one point in time, however, I think it is lost on most people, and there has been plenty of times where I am sure people would get the same gift over and over again, with no real thought behind it at all.
You do not have to give a gift of any symbolic meaning, however, I would really put some good thought into what you want to get your new neighbor. Get something unique, something that will be remembered, and they might actually want to use.
There is nothing worse than giving a gift that has no feeling behind it. Sure, it’s easy to just go and quickly grab something off the shelve and thrust it into their hands, but I gather, this is not the kind of person you are, is it? So, put more thought into your gift, make it as unique as possible, you will be remembered if you do.