We are going to visit relatives in Ljubljana and would like to bring them some gifts from the United States. Any suggestions would be appreciated - thank you.

Where are you? New Orleans? Hawaii? Maine?

We live in West Virginia, close to Pittsburgh, PA.

The reason I asked is that the best gifts are often "local". You might consider local folk art or crafts from a local art or craft fair in your area.

I have no idea what that means for West Virginia. What do tourists typically buy when they visit your part of the country?

We can't make a suggestion of any merit without knowing more about your relatives...such as:

1. Are they Slovenian/European or expats living in Slovenia?
2. Who are they? Middle aged, elderly, young kids, teen-agers, young adults under 30?
3. What are their tastes? Do they like stylish modern or traditional? Are they foodies? Wine aficionados? Movie buffs? Artists? Any hobbies?
4. Have they been to the U.S. before? Anything they really liked there? Or something they wanted to see but didn't get the time to?
5. How well do you know them?
6. How much (roughly) do you want to spend?

Something Amish?

Hi,

We are from Northeastern PA, and have visited relatives in eastern Slovakia.

One trip we brought "practical" souvenirs made from anthracite (hard) coal, which is mined in our area of PA.

Our relatives were absolutely fascinated that something so lustrous and beautiful was burned to produce heat. ( We brought bracelet and earring sets, crucifix on silver necklaces, desk pen sets, toothpick holders, and some wall mounted thermometers----they enjoyed doing the conversion from Fahrenheit to Celsius.)

We also brought along some small pieces of coal in its natural state. ( The children were absolutely fascinated by the "raw" mineral.)

Although Ljubljana is more sophisticated than eastern Slovakia, the "coal" products should still be appreciated for their beauty.

Just an idea to consider!!

They have lived in Slovenia their whole life and I think that they are of all ages - baby to grandmother. I was hoping that there would be something specific that would be useful to them.

I will wait until you answer BTilke's post before answering.
Cheers,
Jan in Lubljana

A quilt is uniquely American and practical (in winter anyway). Some people display them like artwork in warmer weather.

Hello obrienwv, I always think a gift that represents the area you are from is a very good idea.

Another thought..usually the Europeans I know are very interested in their relatives who immigrated to the United States. Do you have photo of older relatives of yours (that were living in the US) that are also relatives of theirs? Photos of the younger generation in the US that are relatives (probably distant relatives) of theirs? If so getting copies of some of these photos to bring to your relatives in Ljubljana would probably be very appreciated. Have a beautiful time with your family..a very special visit for all of you I am sure!

LoveItaly, what a great idea! Perhaps put together a photo album with stories of the family and their start and subsequent adventures in America.

The family photo album does sound good, include photos of the areas where they settled and photocopies of any older documents (church records, etc.).
Re the coal theme, mentioned above, can you still get "coal candy" with those little silver hammers? This site carries it (although it's temporarily out of stock) but it's not packaged the same as I remember it:
http://www.hometownfavorites.com/sho...p?search=coal#