If you know me at all or have been reading my blog for awhile, you probably know that I am very sentimental and cheesy. People have called me an old soul and I do love and appreciate things from before our time. I love historical fiction, black and white movies, art history, and classical and early jazz music. During my holiday series, I dedicated an entire post on my favorite Christmas movies, and one of them is It’s A Wonderful Life. When I was a kid, I thought of it as just an old black and white Christmas movie but as an adult, I’ve come to appreciate the timelessness of the story and how relate-able George Bailey is.
The story has some ups and downs, but one of the things I love about it is how George and his wife Mary, want the best for those in their lives. George takes over the Building and Loan company and wants to help people get into their own homes. There is one scene where everyone is celebrating because Mr Martini is finally able to move into his new home. At the end of the scene, George and Mary present them with 3 small gifts as a house warming present and I’ve wanted to give that gift to someone for years.
The first thing was a loaf of bread and as Mary hands it to Mrs Martini, she says, “Bread, that this house may never know hunger.”
The second was a jar of salt and she says “Salt, that life may always have flavor.”
And then George hands them a bottle of wine and says “And wine, that joy and prosperity may reign forever.”
I have always thought that those symbolic gifts and the blessings over their home and life were so special. So when my best friend told me that her and her husband just bought a house, I knew exactly what I wanted to do!! So I thought today I would share how to make this simple yet meaningful housewarming gift! Inspired by one of my favorite Christmas movies, It’s A Wonderful Life! Stream it on Amazon Prime Video.
I started off with a fresh baked loaf of bread, a jar of Himalayan Pink Salt, and a bottle of Cabernet from Napa Valley that the kind employee at Whole Foods helped me pick out because I don’t know anything about wine. (For shame… I know). I thought about the many other things I could add to the gift basket and all the clever sayings I could pair them with, but I decided to keep it simple with what George and Mary did all those years ago. I did, however, decided to add my favorite monogram mugs from Anthropologie (here’s a similar set) as well as a dish towel that said “Friends, Family, & A Fully Belly.” Find something similar here. I thought it was cute and fitting 😉 The finishing touches were to write out the sayings and tie them to the bread, salt and wine. Honestly, it was very easy to put together and I was so proud of how it turned out that of course I wanted to take photos and share it with all of you! I do know that I could have made the gift basket a little more fancy with calligraphy instead of my normal handwriting or a pretty ribbon on top but all in all I was very pleased with how it turned out!
Thanks for letting me share this how-to on a sweet, simple, and sentimental housewarming gift!! What was the best gift you’ve ever given or received?? I would love to know!
Are you getting married?? If so, here are some other posts you might enjoy:
- Make The Most Of Your Wedding Day
- How To Organize Family Formals On Your Wedding Day
- Why To Hire A Wedding Planner
- How To De-Stress Before Your Wedding
- How To Choose A Wedding Photographer
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Hi! I’m Sarah! Destination Wedding Photographer and Disney lover. Follow along for more tips about wedding photography and getting the photos you’ve always dreamed of. And click here to get my Free Engagement Session Guide to get the most out of your Engagement Session.
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thanks for the idea here! I have some friends moving into a new home soon and the movie idea like this came to my mind and wanted to do something for them. Since I could n’t remember what the 3 gifts were I googled it and saw your post! thanks
[…] know hunger) and Salt (that life may always may always have flavor) like in this adorable basket on Sarah Schweyer Photography is an amazing idea, but what if you already know they will be receiving that or wine isn’t a good […]
Thank you for sharing, as I feel a bit like good ol’ George. A friend of mine has been in a spot of bad luck for years, and just needs a helping hand. We’re building her a tiny home to stay on our farm, and when it’s complete, I wanted to “bless” the home, really. What better way than this! Thank you for sharing so prettily how you put it together, so I have an idea how to present it. Now, just to find the right basket!