Moving home is a stressful event for most of us, but it’s also a pretty big deal, and something that demands appropriate celebration. Unfortunately, after you’ve spent weeks packing and shifting furniture, you probably don’t feel much like planning a party.

The good news is that you don’t have to skip the event and regret it later. There are plenty of ways that you can keep your party experience as simple as possible and cut down on stress. Here are some of our top tips to get you started.

1.    Don’t Over-complicate Things!

Often, the key to hosting a successful housewarming party is keeping things as simple as possible. Remember, most of your loved ones won’t expect your house to be pristine at this point. You don’t need to panic if there are still some pieces of furniture wrapped in cellophane, or boxes everywhere.

Another thing to keep in mind is that you don’t necessarily need to invite everyone. This could be a good opportunity to show your close family members around, and perhaps build a relationship with your neighbors by inviting them over for a cup of tea. If you’re feeling nervous that your house is still in a tip, you could avoid inviting the neighbors over until you’re a bit more confident.

2.    Advise on Gifts

If your loved ones insist on bringing gifts to your housewarming party, let them know what kind of things you’re looking for. It’s important to offer a variety of suggestions to suit different budgets here. This will ensure that everyone who comes to your event can bring something that they know you’re going to appreciate and use.

If you’ve found some items that you want online, you could consider sending a list to anyone who asks for ideas on what they might be able to bring. Just ask them to tick off what they’re getting in advance so you can avoid getting doubles. If they want to keep it a secret, they can organize who is going to buy what on the list between themselves.

3.    Keep Snacks Simple

While it’s common to have food and drinks at a housewarming party, you shouldn’t try to do more than necessary. There’s a good chance that you won’t have full action to your kitchen and appliances. That means that you need to ensure the items you make don’t require any extensive prep.

Additionally, since you’re likely to be exhausted after your house party, try to avoid anything that’s going to demand a lot of washing up and cleaning. You might even decide to spend some cash on paper plates so that you can throw everything into the trash at the end of the day, with no need to clean anything. Buying pre-made food from the store instead of baking your treats and making your own sandwiches can help too.

4.    Encourage Contributions

For the most part, you’re probably going to be supplying most of the supplies for your party, including food and refreshments. However, you don’t need to avoid asking for contributions if you need some extra help. If you’ve spent so much time unpacking that you haven’t had chance to go to the shop and buy booze for your adult guests, ask them to bring their own.

If you’re hosting an outdoor party, it might be helpful to ask people to bring blankets so that they can sit on the grass or lawn chairs if they have them. Another way to cut down on the amount of work that you have to do is to ask people to bring some snacks of their own. Gifts like cookies and cakes from your friends will stop you from worrying about not having enough food.

5.    Stay Relaxed

Remember, your housewarming party isn’t just a chance for people to get a look at your new home. This is your opportunity to celebrate an important new step in your life. With that in mind, you don’t want to get yourself too stressed out about making everything look and feel perfect. The unfortunate truth is that usually, no matter how much time you spend prepping a party, something is likely to go wrong.

If you’ve invited the right people – such as the nearest and dearest in your life, then it’s unlikely that anyone is going to pick on you because you didn’t have a chance to paint the living room walls before they arrived, or move some piles of bubble wrap. Your friends could even help you with these things when they arrive.