I loved this post by my friend Laura at A Cup of Tea with Me. She is living in London (after several years in Cyprus) and shares some observations about greeting-the-new-neighbors customs around the world.

Over the summer, FOR SALE signs pop up
in front of two houses directly across from yours. New families move
into both houses within a few days of one another. Do you:

A) Peer at them from behind your net curtains, trying to figure out who they are but making no direct contact;

B) Wave politely when you both happen to be outside at the same time;

C) Knock on their doors, introduce yourself, give them a plate of muffins and welcome them to the neighborhood?

The neighborhood we left behind a year ago was a plate-of-muffins kind of place, and it was marvelous, and very hard to leave behind. Here in San Diego, we’ve had almost no contact with the neighbors on our street, but when the kids and I rolled into town one year ago today, my online friend Erica (now a beloved real-life pal!) surprised us with a welcome of pumpkins and mums adorning our front steps for my first sight of the rental house, and two huge bagsful of Trader Joe’s goodies to fill our empty pantry! Talk about love at first sight.

And on day two of our California life, one of Erica’s friends (now also my cherished friend too!) arrived bearing not one but two meals—one she’d cooked herself, and a Honey-Baked Ham feast from the wonderful family who had given Scott their spare room for several weeks over the summer. I’m still blown away by their hospitality, a year later.