What is the proper etiquette for throwing a housewarming party?
Congratulations on that first house! You want to be careful not to be throwing a blatently obvious “gift snagging event,” but at the same time…it’s ok to look forward to some gifts. HOW TO THEME THE THING: Use all the same rules you would when throwing a holiday party. Whether you structure it more formally (like a Christmas Party) or more casually (like a 4th of July cookout), is up to you and your style of entertaining. The easiest thing in the world is to put out a variety of wines, do a huge container of canned sodas sitting in an ice bath, and then bring out the food a bit at a time, so that the stuff doesn’t get tired looking and picked through as later guests arrive. Having the thing Open House style allows people to come whenever their schedule permits (3-10 works well), and no one feels guilty about leaving when they need/want to. INVITATIONS: I love the online variety for an event like this, so that all of your friends can see who else has been invited/accepted/declined, bu
