nichols74

I will be visiting Finland next month, meeting a number of relatives for the first time. Does anyone have a suggestion as to what type of gifts would be appropriate? I am from California.

Nikki

I like to bring handmade local crafts as gifts whether at home or abroad.

tarquin

Nuts and dried fruit are good, any California food thing like that. Consumable is best.

Rubicund

This question pops up from time to time and the answers are available with a quick search. There is very little produce from California that won't be available in the shops in Europe, ie fruit, wine etc. You may well not be able to take foodstuffs of any description through customs in any case. Local crafts tend to get put in a draw and forgotten about.

It depends on who you're buying for, kids into sport will appreciate some sort of related items from the US (although I can buy 49'ers stuff here in the UK without any hassle, as well as all the other NFL,NBA etc items. Adults into wine might appreciate something from a small local vineyard that doesn't export. Otherwise, if a coffee table type book on your local area is around, take that, or just take them out for a meal.

MissPrism

It's a cross between local crafts and consumables, but I'd like something like a calendar with local scenes , or stationery with Californian flora and fauna. I still use a linen shopping bag with New England birds on it, given by a guest a few years ago.

We still laugh about a time when I cried out with delight, "California poppies". I was reminded that I was in California

Nikki

Now that I'm thinking about California, I've been going there more recently because my daughter lives there, and the things I like to bring home with me are dried fruits I get at a farmers' market, types I haven't seen elsewhere, and artisanal California cheese.