New Home Celebrations

VintageLady

Hi there Folks.


My husband and I are in the process of buying our first ever home and I was just wondering if anyone has any ideas of nice ways to celebrate when we get our keys. Just looking for little things that we can do which are special or fun.


Apologies if this has already been discussed before or if there is a more appropriate thread elsewhere on the forum.

Nargleblast

Whether you have any religious beliefs or not, you can still devise your own little rituals to bless your new home and welcome in happiness, good health and abundance. A celebratory meal afterwards with candles and music and drinking a toast to your future would also be nice.

Farway

Not a celebration, but as it's your first home and I assume newbie to this, take photos of the gas & electricity & water if you have one, meter readings when you move in. A few minutes that could save heck of a lot of bother later on

PasturesNew

I've never done anything. I think most people are completely overwhelmed by the time they've opened the door and just want to curl up in a ball for a month

DigForVictory

Traditional methods of warding off evil included hiding a shoe & possibly a coin or two (region & century vary) in the structure of the house - behind the skirting board is pleasantly easy.

Gargoyles & ph*lluses are considered a bit extreme as well as somewhat not-contemporary but if you come across something moving in that feels right (a horseshoe is now rare but still a popular lucky symbol) or can make your own St Brigits cross (a handful of rushes, a bit of fibre & some strongmindedness is usually all you need) you can mark your door frame.

Planting anything near your front door may annoy insurance folk who disapprove of things growing too close to the house - and in the case of oak you can rather see their point, but there are so many varieties of rowan you can find something decorative & not overwhelming.

If you then have a small herb patch nearby, you can enjoy home grown herbs as well as the good luck and other virtues linked to rosemary, mint (just confine its roots, possibly in a length of drainpipe - it does "escape" otherwise), oregano & sage. Just don't plant elder. [Said to be home to witches & anyway there's enough about already if you look!]

Or you can keep it much simpler & ensure your first step over the threshold includes a coin, bread & salt, a lump of coal & a drink. (My Highland relatives still have "first footing" bundles which get taken around various households by agreement!) Surely not beyond the wit of man or woman to include a kettle, milk, biscuits, mugs etc or whatever you need to brew up as well. Excellent test the water & power is on (and reward for learning if not).

Enjoy your new home!

MandM90

We never usually order takeaways, but every time we move house we have a celebratory takeaway meal which usually includes using boxes as a table, filling mugs with wine, lighting some candles or using a random lamp for 'mood lighting' and music streamed from someone's phone as no wifi yet!

buildersdaughter

I'm with PasturesNew - we've usually been too tired. But the last time, unusual for different reasons, we decided to have a bonfire to get rid of various bits of rubbish. Our new neighbour brought round a casserole, another called with a card & cake, so we fished out a bottle of my dad's whisky & some old boxes & chairs (I said it was an unusual move) and sat round the fire toasting our new home and new neighbours.I thought it was lovely - but am unlikely ever to be in a position to do it again!