8 Gift Ideas for Welcoming a New Family to the Neighborhood

Welcoming a new family to the neighborhood is always a nice thing to do and, when you’re ready to say hello, it’s a good idea to arrive with a small gift.

Here are eight gift ideas that you can use to make your new neighbors feel right at home. Read them over to get a better sense of which idea might be the best fit for your situation.

1. Some sweet treats

Few people can resist the allure of fresh baked goods (or store-bought versions, for that matter.) Your welcome gift doesn’t have to be fancy, often a plate of cookies or a pie will be gobbled up and be much appreciated.

Just be sure to include an ingredient list with your gift. Since you likely won’t be aware of your new neighbors’ food allergies, you’ll want to make sure that they have all the information they need in order to determine if your treats are safe to eat.

2. A ready-made dinner

If you’re more of a cook than a baker, consider bringing your new neighbors a ready-made meal instead of dessert. Anyone who’s ever moved knows that moving is tough work and it’s easy to feel like you’re starving at the end of the day.

While ordering takeout might be moving day tradition, you can do them one better by bringing them a homemade meal. Whip up something hardy and bring it over while it’s still warm in order to cut down on the amount of work that your neighbors have to do. Bring some disposable plates or utensils to go with the meal.

3. A gift basket

If you don’t want to bring your neighbors food, consider creating a gift basket instead. You can make up any type of gift basket that you’d like, but remember, gift baskets usually revolve around a unifying theme, which ties all of the items together.

A spa day gift basket, for example, might include a bath bomb, some lotion, and a loofah. While a movie night gift basket might include two movie tickets, a bag of popcorn, and some of your favorite movie theater candy.

4. Some moving day must-have items

Moving day can get hectic and, when you’re in the middle of it, there’s nothing worse than having to root through several boxes in order to find an item that you need. With that in mind, it may be a good idea to bring a few moving day must-have items in order to make their experience a little easier.

As far as what to bring, think back to your last moving day. What do you wish you had remembered to bring? If you aren’t sure where to start, things like a flashlight or lantern, some batteries, and a pocket knife or scissors may be helpful.

5. A new welcome mat

If you really want to make your new neighbors feel welcome, consider bringing them a welcome mat to put out by their front door. Not only does this gift send a nice message, but odds are good that they didn’t bother to pack up their old one and take it with them.

In this case, your gift will help them get one step closer to making their new house feel like home.

6. Some change of address cards

Those who like giving practical gifts should consider bringing over a stack of change of address cards. Often, people don’t think about sending these cards out until well after they’ve settled in, but you can help them stay ahead of the game. Do some of the legwork for them and stamp the cards ahead of time for an even more generous gift.

7. An offer to help

Sometimes your neighbors don’t need any more stuff. What they really need most of the time is an offer to help. If you’ve got some extra muscle, go ahead and volunteer to do some of the heavy lifting for them.

Alternatively, if you think you might have kids around the same age, offer to bring your child over for an impromptu play date. Then, you can keep an eye on the little ones while mom and dad are busy unpacking.

8. An invitation

On the other hand, if you’re not comfortable getting that involved, sometimes an invitation is all that’s needed. Offer to round up some of the neighborhood for happy hour or dinner. That way, the newest addition to the neighborhood can get to know everyone at one time.

When you make this offer, make sure your newest neighbors know that there’s no pressure to accept the invitation right away and that you’re happy to let them get settled in first.