Added: 01/13/2006 |
Housewarming giftsYour friends or relatives are moving into a new house, and you're invited on the housewarming. Of course, guests aren't supposed to come with empty hands, and the case is rather special. So you face a problem of a housewarming gift.
A lot of different traditions are connected with moving into a new house. Some of them are very ancient, about most we don't know, and even less we follow. The times have changed a lot and so have done some of those traditions.
Nowadays housewarming gifts aren't supposed to be massive and expensive, as they were used to be before. But they should be useful. As well as in case of celebrating marriage, you are welcome to ask the hosts if they need anything on their new place. Nowadays it's normal to present money, though it could be taken as offence in the previous centuries.
Still you can present some symbolic housewarming gifts. It can be a figure of a household ghost, who is supposed to conjure evil away. There existed a tradition to let a cat or a cock into a new house first. So cats, cocks, hens and dogs are considered to be the keepers of a new home. Nobody expects that you will bring the whole zoo with you on the housewarming, but you may present some statues, figures and toys, shaped like these animals, or nicely decorated pictures with their images.
Another ancient tradition is to hang a horseshoe, found on the road, over the door. So anything, that reminds of a horseshoe or has its shape, presented as a housewarming gift, will show the hosts that you wish they felt comfortable on the new place..
The prosaic, but useful gifts, like kitchen towels, set of glasses, frying pens, set of utensils, a small carpet in the corridor, bad-clothes won't excite a hostess too much. But you can be sure that already next day she might remember you in the warmest words. If you wan to give something both nice and useful, you may choose some original vases or wall clocks. Always keep in mind that humble but long-lasting gifts are much better, than a bunch of roses which will be thrown away by the end by the week.
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