Housewarming Gifts – Traditional Gifts and Their Meanings

Gift giving is rooted in tradition and goes back centuries. People have been expressing their sentiments for best wishes in a new home with gifts throughout history. There are several traditional housewarming gifts that symbolize a unique expression of well wishes that you may find interesting.

Olive Oil

We love high quality olive oil as a gift or accompaniment to a gift. A high quality olive oil can be more on the expensive side but that’s what makes it such a luxurious gift – the price point is often beyond what a recipient would invest themselves. A gift of olive oil traditionally conveyed wishes for health and well being.

Salt

Salt is one of our absolute favourite gifts because of the versatility, practicality (and luxuriousness when it comes to Amola’s Black Truffle Salt) but also because of it’s message ‘may life always have flavour’.

We feature this high quality salt in our Housewarming Traditions Gift Box

Bread

The gifting of bread has recently seen a resurgence since the mastery of the art of sour dough bread baking has become a hobby for so many. We sure hope this trend continues because, who doesn’t love bread? The gift of bread pairs so well with preserves, our most popular choice being Salt Spring Kitchen's Raspberry & Rose. And the message behind the gift of bread as a housewarming gift is beautiful, ‘may your house never know hunger’ or ‘may your cupboards always be full’.

Imagine a fresh baguette paired with our Charcuterie themed gift box – a win for sure!

Wine

A gift that has stood the test of time, wine is a popular choice accepted and appreciated by its recipients. Wine can symbolize ‘may joy and prosperity reign forever’ or ‘so you will always be of good cheer’. Either way, prosperity or good cheer, those are both things we all hope to have fill our homes and lives.

Candles

Candles are another traditional item that has continued to trend and have become even more popular over the last couple of years as artisanal makers across the globe blend scents and try their hand at crafting candles. The message behind a candle as a housewarming gift is light, ‘may your house always have light’ or ‘may your house always dwell in light and happiness’.

Broom

This traditional gift has taken a back seat and we wouldn’t recommend gifting a red broom from a box store but we can definitely see this item becoming a trending gift, especially with the artisanal handcrafted beauties made by the likes of Canadian company, Granville Island Broom Co. The practicality of the gift of a broom stands on its own but the message is also beautiful, ‘to help sweep away evil and bad luck’.

Wood

While we had been versed in the symbolism of many housewarming gifts for a long time, the gift of wood and symbolism actually surprised us a little. It’s no secret that we love to include wooden items in our gifts; cutting boards, spoons, spice grinders, spoon rests. The addition of wood to a gift has such a rich grounding affect but also conveys the message ‘may your home always have stability and peace’.

Kitchen Comforts Gift Box

Houseplants

A classic favourite that has stood the test of time. A houseplant is a welcomed gift with a plethora of options both exotic and hardy for those that don’t have a green thumb. A pop of green adds so much to a space but also conveys the powerful message ‘may your home always have life’.

Make Gifting Easy

There are several more traditional housewarming gifts with symbolism but we've shared a few of the most notable. It is easy to include many of these items in our modern gift boxes or gift baskets and their symbolisms and meanings are quite beautiful.

Create your own thoughtful housewarming gift Gift Box Canada.