The traditional way to celebrate getting your own home is to have a housewarming party, when guests bring gifts and everyone celebrates with food and drink. Although it might seem to be a modern tradition, there’s actually a long history attached to the house warming party. The English term "housewarming" literally comes from the act of warming a new house, in the days before central heating. Each guest would bring firewood as a gift and build fires in all available fireplaces. Some guests would also bring wine, bread, or even candles to ensure that the home would be full of light and joy. Today, housewarming parties are no longer needed to gather wood to stay warm. Instead, they’re more about showing off the new home to friends and family, getting to know new neighbors, and furnishing the new home with gifts brought by guests. The parties are typically informal and include food and beverages. Many people even choose to have a theme party. While it’s not essential to have a housewarming party, it can be a fun way to celebrate your new home and get off to a good start with new neighbors.
