For a friend settling into a new home, start with the Ring Doorbell 2K camera; the Rubbermaid food storage set suits a cook organizing a fresh kitchen.
*Paid link
Electronics
A doorbell camera that mounts beside the front door, letting someone keep an eye on visitors and deliveries arriving at the step.
Why we like it
A first-time buyer who got the keys to a house gets a camera by the entry that shows who has come calling.
Moving in brings couriers, contractors and unfamiliar neighbors, and a look first lets them pick which knocks to answer.
Home
A scented candle themed around Florida, lit at home to fill a room with a fragrance meant to recall that place.
Why we like it
Homesick's Florida candle fits a new homeowner who grew up in the Sunshine State or still talks about vacations there.
Lit on the mantel, it links an unfamiliar address to somewhere they used to call home.
Games and puzzles
A Herd Mentality party game edition built around movies and music, played in a group gathered around a table or sofa.
Why we like it
A host who loves Herd Mentality and just moved can open a film-and-song version at the housewarming.
It refreshes a familiar crowd game with new themes for friends who quote movie lines and hum soundtracks.
Building setsAges 9+
A LEGO Technic building kit for assembling a Bugatti Chiron model car piece by piece, then setting the finished car out for display.
771 pieces · set 42222
Why we like it
Technic's Bugatti model is the right housewarming gift for a motorsport fan who just moved in and still faces a bare bookshelf.
Building the Chiron themselves turns a love of speed into a centerpiece for that empty shelf.
*Paid link
A home player for Blu-ray discs that connects to a TV, so movies and shows from a personal disc collection can be watched.
Why we like it
Sony's BDP-S1700U Blu-ray player lets a new household watch the disc movies they packed for the move.
Their collection comes out of the moving boxes and gets played again, instead of sitting in storage. On the first night in, they can pull a favorite case from the pile and press play.
A stereo receiver that sits at the center of a home hi-fi setup, linking music sources with speakers so a room fills with sound.
Why we like it
The Sony STRDH190 stereo receiver suits a new homeowner setting up a living room around their music collection.
Once the boxes are unpacked, they can wire in the speakers they brought from the old place. You supply the piece in the middle, and they choose everything around it.
A power strip that gathers the plugs from a desk or entertainment setup and runs them all from a single wall outlet.
Why we like it
This Anker power strip is a housewarming gift for someone moving into rooms with too few outlets.
Unpacked lamps and chargers usually need more wall sockets than new rooms offer. Set behind the couch, the strip lets them plug everything in while the furniture still finds its spot.
*Paid link
A decorative sign placed on a porch or beside an entrance to greet visitors as they arrive at a house or apartment.
Why we like it
A renter settling into a new duplex wants guests to find the right door without texting for directions.
Hung beside the entry, it marks the place as theirs, and you need no clue about the furniture inside. The sign shows friends carrying wine to the housewarming which unit to knock at.
A countertop coffee brewer that makes a single mug at a time from a pod, so nobody has to brew a full pot.
Why we like it
The Keurig K-Express pod brewer lets a coffee drinker in a new home start mornings simply.
They pick a K-Cup pod of their favorite roast and have a mug without hunting for filters. You can tuck a box of pods in beside it, so the brewer is ready the morning after the move.
An electric slow cooker for simmering stews, roasts and soups over long hours, letting dinner cook unattended on the countertop.
Why we like it
A Crock-Pot slow cooker lets a new homeowner put hearty dinners together in a kitchen still half unpacked.
They add chili or pot roast, leave it simmering, and come back to supper ready. Unlike another set of dishes, it cooks whole meals for them, with leftovers for the week ahead.
A set of lidded kitchen containers for storing leftovers, portioning make-ahead meals and packing lunches, keeping the fridge and pantry neatly organized.
Why we like it
Brilliance containers from Rubbermaid give a homeowner unpacking into bare cupboards a tidy spot for every pot of soup they cook.
Settling in means making more food than a single dinner needs, and a full set spares them a drawer of odd takeout lids. Each lidded tub holds the extra soup on the top shelf of the new fridge.
A set of cast-iron frying pans for everyday home cooking, from frying eggs and searing meat to browning vegetables on the stovetop.
Why we like it
Lodge cast-iron pans hand a new homeowner a matched set of skillets for an empty kitchen.
Moving in means a bare cupboard, and these pans spare them shopping for cookware pan by pan. Dinner on moving night can be eggs and sizzling peppers, each in its own skillet.
A countertop burr grinder that turns whole coffee beans into fresh grounds at home, ready for the morning pot or a favorite brewer.
Why we like it
OXO's Brew grinder waits beside the coffee maker in a new kitchen for a homeowner who grinds beans to order.
Starting a kitchen from scratch lets them pair a roast they chose with the brewing gear that survived the move. Its burrs leave a fragrant heap of grounds ready for the kettle.
A tea infuser basket that holds loose leaves in a mug while they steep, then lifts out so the brewed cup is ready to enjoy.
Why we like it
Should your friend brew loose tea each morning, this OXO Brew infuser keeps that ritual going in the new kitchen.
Their favorite blend steeps right in whatever cup comes out of the boxes, with no teapot to hunt down mid-move.
A set of barbecue tools from Weber for handling food over a hot grill, kept together for backyard cooking sessions.
Why we like it
Weber's Precision barbecue tool set suits a new homeowner who finally has a yard for grilling.
Moving in often leaves kitchen drawers half packed, so proper grill tools spare them hunting for utensils. The set can wait beside the grill for a cookout with the new neighbors.
A heated mug that keeps coffee, tea or another hot drink warm while it sits on a desk for slow sipping.
Why we like it
Ember's heated mug keeps pace with moving week, when morning coffee sits forgotten between half-unpacked boxes.
They can set it down while assembling shelves and come back to a drink that is still hot.
A countertop crock that stands beside the stove and keeps wooden spoons, whisks and spatulas upright and within reach while cooking.
Why we like it
Le Creuset's utensil crock gives a cook stocking a new kitchen a proper home for every spoon.
Moving tends to scatter utensils across several drawers, and this gathers them back together. You can tuck a favorite wooden spoon inside before wrapping it.
A stacking kitchen prep set whose pieces nest inside each other, storing as a neat tower in a cupboard between baking and cooking jobs.
Why we like it
The Joseph Joseph Nest set suits a home cook moving into a kitchen short on cupboard room.
Everything for prepping a meal stays together instead of spreading across drawers. On baking day, they lift it out and pick only the pieces the recipe calls for.
*Paid link
An amber-scented perfume oil, applied to wrists or neck and worn on its own or layered under other fragrances.
Why we like it
For a friend whose new place is still all taped boxes, tuck amber perfume oil beside the bigger housewarming present.
Kitchen gear and decor serve the house, while a scent belongs to the person who wears it. Their bottle ends up standing on the new bathroom shelf before the towels are unpacked.
Games and puzzles
A tabletop block puzzle game in which players race each other to copy a pattern by arranging their blocks before anyone else finishes.
Why we like it
A new homeowner who wants friends lingering in a furnished living room can bring this shape contest out on the coffee table.
Settling in means meeting neighbors, and racing to match shapes gives near strangers an easy shared focus. The box then stays on a shelf beside the sofa, ready for whoever drops by next.
Building setsAges 18+
A LEGO building set of brick succulent plants, put together piece by piece and then displayed as greenery that never needs watering.
771 pieces · set 10309
Why we like it
LEGO's Botanicals succulents make a housewarming build for new rooms that still look bare.
Its 771 bricks give an unhurried evening project once the moving boxes are flattened, and the finished plants then stay out on display.
*Paid link
A recipe book of dishes to cook at home: browse its pages for a meal idea, then follow along in the kitchen.
Why we like it
Ottolenghi Simple Too is a cookbook for a new homeowner eager to cook in an unfamiliar kitchen.
Picking a dish gives them a reason to stock the bare pantry shelves. On the first free evening, the book lies open on the counter beside the freshly unpacked pans.
A cookbook by Samin Nosrat, published as a single volume to read from start to finish.
Why we like it
Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat makes a housewarming gift for a host settling into a new kitchen.
They can cook from it once the boxes are unpacked. It then earns a place on the new kitchen shelf.
A cookbook by J. Kenji López-Alt, published as a single volume to read from start to finish.
Why we like it
The Food Lab makes a housewarming gift for a curious cook with a brand-new kitchen.
They can try a recipe on their opening weekend in the new place. It then lives on the counter for everyday cooking.
A cookbook by Ina Garten, published as a single volume to read from start to finish.
Why we like it
Modern Comfort Food by Ina Garten makes a housewarming gift for a host fond of cooking for friends.
They can plan the opening dinner party in the new home from it. It then stays out on the kitchen shelf.
A self-help book by KC Davis, published as a single volume to read from start to finish.
Why we like it
How to Keep House While Drowning makes a kind housewarming gift for a busy new homeowner.
They can read a short chapter on a slow evening in the new place. It then sits by the couch for a quick reread.
Yes. The Lodge frying pans stock a bare kitchen with matched skillets, and the Crock-Pot slow cooker lets someone still unpacking leave chili or pot roast simmering until supper.
The Sony stereo receiver links the speakers they carried over from the old place, while the Sony Blu-ray player brings their disc collection out of the moving boxes for a night in.
A host whose friends quote film lines and hum soundtracks can open Big Potato Herd Mentality, a movie-and-music edition of the crowd game for a group around the table or sofa.
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Chosen by our team from store data and what readers pick, not hands-on tests. Nothing is paid to be on this list. Recall notices checked . How we pick
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.com at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
