Etiquette Expert Lizzie Post Advises Against Alcohol as Housewarming Gift

Lizzie Post, co‑president of the Emily Post Institute, told Parade in a Feb 12, 2026 interview that housewarming presents are optional and that the standard fallback—a bottle of wine or other alcohol—is riskier than most guests realize. “It's about warming your house—whether it's a new apartment or it's the house you finally built—with the presence of people you know. It makes the house feel more familiar,” Post said, and she added plainly, “It's a bad idea to give alcohol as a housewarming gift because it's a risky gift in general. You don't always know where someone's at with alcohol in their life.”

The Emily Post Institute guidance, summarized in an AOL excerpt of the Parade interview, notes that hosts may still feel pressured to accept gifts even though a housewarming “should really be gift-optional.” Post amplified that uncertainty with a personal example: “I have friends who, while I might know them to drink a bottle of wine out at a dinner or to serve one at their house, I don't really know what flavors they like. I don't speak the language of wine well, so I don't know whether that bottle I'm grabbing from the grocery store or the corner store is really a good bottle or not.”

Post's caution extends beyond alcohol. In the Parade/AOL excerpts she urged guests to avoid artwork, houseplants, and other highly personal items, noting that plates and utensils “can be ‘a bit more personal to the person and their style.’” She also drew a firm line on living gifts: “Pets are a responsibility. They are a living, breathing being, and they deserve that kind of respect and consideration when someone's thinking about bringing one into their home.” Walnut Gifts, a consumer blog, echoes that last point by including “house pets” on its list of items to avoid.

Not every etiquette voice agrees with Post on alcohol. In an August 10, 2018 Daily Mail Australia article by Billie Schwab Dunn, Anna Musson of Good Manners advised that “a housewarming gift should 'add to the home'… consider gifting flowers, candles, a photo frame or wine.” Musson recommended boxed flowers “if they're having a party so they don't have to try and find a vase,” and said “if the budget allows people should choose the best quality candle that they can afford.” Musson also labeled “handing over cash as a gift” a “social faux pas at a housewarming,” offering a contrasting view to the Emily Post Institute’s warning about bottles.

Consumer blogs add further color and caveats. TheEpicureanTrader advises to “avoid those things that may be considered impersonal, like home accessories or scented candles; these may not be appreciated unless we are sure about the recipient's tastes,” and warns that “spending too much is daunting, and spending too little may appear thoughtless.” Walnut Gifts supplies a blunt avoid list—“furniture, prints with quotes, toilet paper, exercise gear, air freshener, second‑hand appliances, teddy bears, socks, underwear, house pets, a calendar, and novelty mugs or cups”—and notes a typical British housewarming gift amount is £10 to £20 while endorsing baked goods as thoughtful.

The practical takeaway across these sources is straightforward and specific: the Emily Post Institute's Feb 12, 2026 advice places alcohol in the risky column; Anna Musson's 2018 guidance still lists wine among acceptable options if paired with items that “add to the home”; and consumer blogs counsel attention to relationship, budget, and taste. If you cannot confirm a host's preferences, choose boxed flowers for a party, a high‑quality candle, a photo frame, homemade baked goods, or a small personalized item such as the Tasmanian wood cheese platter or a team barbecue apron that Musson mentions—options that add to the home without assuming intimate knowledge of someone’s relationship with alcohol.