Christmas Gifts for Someone Who Moved House This Year

Somebody who moved this year is spending their first Christmas in a house that does not yet feel like theirs. That is the occasion you are buying for, not simply "they have a new home".

They already have too much homeware

Anyone who moved in the last twelve months has been given candles, coasters, cushions and a great deal of it during the move itself. The category is saturated before you arrive.

Worse, they do not yet know what the house needs. Buying a decorative object for a room whose colour scheme has not been decided is a coin flip.

What a new house is actually missing

Not objects. Continuity. Everything in a new house is new, which is exactly what makes it feel unfamiliar, and the thing most people miss during that first year is anything that carries their history in it.

This is why a gift referencing the family rather than the building lands better than homeware. Their surname, the year they moved, a photograph of the people rather than the property. Browse personalized home keepsakes.

The two gifts that work at the threshold

Practically, the front door is where a new house first feels owned. A doormat carrying the family name is the first thing arriving guests read, and it converts a house number into somebody's home in one step. See personalized doormats.

Similarly, a wall sign marking the family and the year they arrived does the job that a housewarming card does, but permanently. See wooden signs.

One caution we would rather state than hide: if the item is displayed outside, use the surname rather than children's first names. A doormat is read by everyone who walks up the path.

If the move was not a happy one

Not every move is an upgrade. Divorce, a job loss, a death in the family, and downsizing all produce moves too, and a gift celebrating the exciting new home lands badly on any of them.

If you are not certain which kind of move it was, choose something that marks the family rather than the house. It works in both cases and risks nothing.

The practical option people forget

Their first Christmas in the house may be the first Christmas with no decorations, because the box got lost, sold, or belonged to somebody else. Ornaments are unglamorous and genuinely needed, and a dated one from this year becomes the start of their new tree. See Christmas ornaments.

Frequently asked questions

Is a new home gift the same as a housewarming gift?

Not quite. A housewarming gift arrives while boxes are still packed. A Christmas gift arrives once they know what the house is like, so it can be more specific.

What if I have not seen the house?

Then avoid anything decorative and colour dependent. A name based or dated item works regardless of what the walls look like.

Should I put the address on it?

Only for something displayed indoors, and only if they own rather than rent. A street address on a keepsake stops being true if they move again.

Is a plant a good gift?

Common, and fine, though it becomes another thing to keep alive during a stressful year. A durable object asks less of them.

What about a gift for renters?

Anything not requiring drilling or permanence. A doormat, a framed print, or an ornament all move with them.

The family, not the building

Browse personalized home keepsakes or doormats.