Whimsical September

A Family + Lifestyle Blog

Military Life 18 Comments

How Do You Welcome Your New Neighbors?

This article will give you all kinds of food AND non-food related ideas for making those new neighbors feel warmly welcomed to the street!

A couple weeks ago our neighbors across the street left to head to their next duty station, and the very next day a different moving truck arrived ready to move in another family. We scoped them out for a couple of days when they were in and out with boxes, and around day four I quickly whipped up some homemade s’mores cookies and a welcome note and the three of us (plus Teddy, of course) headed over to welcome them to the neighborhood.  We’d never formally welcomed new neighbors before, so we were a little giggly walking over there and ringing the doorbell. Thankfully they were incredibly nice and actually have children close to Hadley’s age. I’m glad we broke the ice with them because I know we’re going to really enjoy having them on the street.
 
When we moved in to our current home last September, we were so happy when three different families came over to casually say hello. This was a first for us because we didn’t experience this when we moved to Tennessee or Arizona.  One family came with wine and some fresh vegetables from their garden, while the other two just came to shake hands, introduce themselves, and say “welcome”. All three of their efforts meant a lot to Jamie and me and truly did make us feel welcomed to our new street.
 
I recently reached out to four women and asked them to weigh in on welcoming new neighbors. I also asked them to share stories, if they had any, of kindness that they received when they were the new kids in town. Here’s what they had to say.
 
Casual conversation + a small gift
“My favorite way to welcome a new neighbor is to start by just saying ‘Hi!’.  I like to wait until I see them out and about and will go over and introduce myself and get to know a little about them.  A few days later, I’ll stop by with a gift.  A new houseplant, flowers, or a small giftcard to Home Depot or Target are always good options for new homeowners.  If they are from out of town, I’ll give them a small sheet of great local restaurants or free kids activities in the area if they have small ones.  Feeling welcome in a new area is the best feeling!” – Meagan | All The Joys 
 

A big community welcome

 

“When we moved into our current house five years ago, we were so excited about our house because it had everything we were looking for…5 bedrooms, on a court & a pool in the backyard. I was hoping we would have nice neighbors. There are 10 houses on our court and within 1 week of moving in EVERY SINGLE FAMILY on our court stopped by our house to introduce themselves and welcome us to the neighborhood. One family brought us a bottle of wine the night we moved in. Another family invited us over to dinner so that we could get to know each other and 2 weeks after we moved in the court had a block party so that all the kids & adults could get to know us. We felt so welcomed and feel so blessed to live on a court that is all about community and spending time together!” – Mel | The Larson Lingo

A plate of goodies + building on experience
“We’ve only ever been welcomed to our current duty station. It felt so nice to be welcomed, so I started doing it for the new neighbors. With the last neighbors we got, I stopped by with a plate of cookies and a little welcome note that included my phone number. Our next door neighbors just left, so this time I’ll be welcoming the new neighbors with a little basket of store-bought treats, along with some small trinkets and chalk for the kids to play with while they wait on their toys.” – Alex | Munchkins and the Military

 
Gift basket from a hallway neighbor goes a long way
“Apartment living is always so tricky when it comes to getting to know your neighbors. You would think since your front doors are extremely close that you would see each other all the time, right? Wrong. It’s always just a quick and forced “Hello, how are you” as we walked by each other but that was until I moved into my current place. I was settled into my building for just shy of two weeks when I heard a knock on the door. Thinking it was just my landlord, I went to open it and to my surprise, standing there was an elderly lady who I remember seeing in the lobby a few times. In her arms she held the most adorable basket filled with store bought brownies (yes please! I totally freak out when it comes to eating food made by someone I don’t personally know very well), chapstick, cute fuzzy socks and other small items. She introduced herself as living across the hall and wanted to welcome me to the building! Getting that package and more importantly, having someone reach out to ensure I felt welcome was such a sweet surprise and definitely made my day!” – Kerri | Hey Kerri Blog

When new neighbors are rare
“We live on a pretty amazing court. We moved in 5 years ago and since then, there has only been 1 new family that has moved in. When people move onto our court, they stay. 🙂 When our neighbors got a job transfer, another family moved in and I knew I wanted the new family to feel as welcomed as we did when we first moved in. The week they moved in, I made them chocolate chip cookies and also brought them a bottle of wine and a note saying ‘Welcome to the Neighborhood’.” – Mel | The Larson Lingo

Thanks so much ladies for sharing your stories! So what about you? Have you been the recipient of a welcomed act of kindness when you were the new kid on the block? Do you have a go-to method for welcome new neighbors? I’d love to hear!

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