When someone close to you is moving home, you may be asked to give them a hand to load their belonging on the van. Hopefully, however, your beloved friends or relatives have decided to hire trained helpers in London and leave you off the hook and you can simply go straight to the housewarming party once they wrap up their relocation. If you have been invited to such an event, make sure you do not show up empty-handed. Some of the best housewarming presents you can bring them include:
- A freshly cooked meal or baked biscuits because we all get hungry
- A nice toolkit because emergencies happen
- A new coffee machine or a coffee grinder for some extra energy
- A personalised gift like an engraved cutting board or a unique “Welcome” doormat
But then there are housewarming gifts that are frankly said bad. What presents qualify as “bad”? Well, anything that is unpractical, odd, unwanted or sends a wrong message. To make sure you pick a nice present for your newly-moved friend, we will give several examples of terrible housewarming gift ideas.
A new pet
If the person you want to surprise is obsessed with cute kitten videos or keeps saying that they would love to get a dog one day, do not view this as a green light to get them a domestic animal. Nope, not even a tiny pet such as a hamster or a small aquarium makes a good housewarming present because it comes with a lot of responsibilities. Not to mention that adding a pet to your household usually means additional expenses too. If you really want to get someone a domestic animal, ask them first even if you risk spoiling the surprise in that way because this may not be a surprise they would like to get.
Cleaning supplies or air-fresheners
A clean home is a happy and healthy home, right? So, maybe you should get your newly-relocated mate a mop for the floor, some cleaning supplies or an air-freshener. It is true that any homeowner needs such things and they are all practical in one way or another. The problem, however, is that you may send a bad message through them. The gift receiver may assume that you found their old home dirty, messy or smelly.
Novelty mugs, lamps…
Unless you are about to attend the housewarming party of a young bachelor who has just moved out of his parents’ house, novelty presents such as a minion-shaped lamp or a coffee mug that has a handle that looks like a gaming controller, should be avoided. It would be better if you aim for something more stylish.
Bizarre “artwork”
One of the fastest ways to make a house feel like a home is by hanging some paintings here and there. But choosing a work of art for someone else is tricky, especially if you are yet to see their new home and the way in which they have decided to decorate it. That being said, no house or flat needs a taxidermied squirrel or your DIY painting.
Prank gifts
Gag gifts, no matter how funny or creative they are, are a terrible housewarming present idea. No one needs a wine bottle glass or underwear gloves and if they do, you may consider turning that party into an intervention.