This thread has had me thinking all day, so I hit the old journals and found my gift lists from past years. Here are the people and what they got:

Mom: small water colors from cities around Spain, handmade mantón de manila, leather purse (Segovia)

Dad: plastic flan on a plate (from El corte inglés. . . proudly displayed in our kitchen), leather wine bota and a bottle of 91 Rioja, luxury edition of Don Quijote (just for show. . . I don't recommend this one as it is insanely heavy), assorted la Toja products, white hat with black band (typical of Málaga festivals),

Brother: assorted la toja products, large dagger from Toledo, Spanish Playboy (he wanted it "for comparison&quot, Cuban cigars

Friends: Crema Catalana, demi-tasse cups, plastic jewelry (you can get great stuff at dollar stores), assorted fans, nightlight covers (found at a small boutique in Valencia. . . went over huge!), sweaters

Me: all manner of jewelry, handbags, hosiery (they have the best stockings at Calzedonia), antique bookends, lots of books, blank journals (they are everywhere!), music (CDs)

Food over the years: full out paella makings (La Fallera rice, saffron, colorante, paellero seasoning (it is cheating but so much better), dried ñora), Marina Alta white wine (from Alicante), chocolate valor, Mantecados, turrones, polvorones (all christmas candies), trident gum (my cousins love to try the "foreign flavors&quot, La Granja jams (albaricoque is out of this world!), Havana Club añejo 8 años rum (you will never want any other kind again)

So, there you have it.

Hi Cova. So glad to hear it is sunny. I was thinking to wear t shirt, jeans & wool coat during the day time - do you think I will be too hot ? Should I bring a thin raincoat instead of the wool coat ?

The weather here is different every day at present ! In the past week it's varied between -4C and =16C, with everything thrown in - sun, rain, snow, ice, fog, wind, you name it.

I think I will have to try this black soap at least.

Hi Caroline (ekscrunchy, sorry for taking over the thread ...).

Weather forecast (and it is usually accurate) for the week :
http://www.inm.es/cgi-bin/locali.cgi?ig=28001

I wouldn´t go for a wool coat, but maybe a jacket or so ... It´s a great time for leather jackets, and if you get a bit cold, Zara and Mango had some great lightweight sweaters, with plenty of stripes alla Franz Ferdinand ...

Bye, Cova

Thanks again, Claire. I did not know La Toja made men's products so will check those out, and also the jams from La Granja since I will be close to there. And a few of the other ideas. For anyone else, I will add something I brought back a few years ago: I think they are called cazuelas, round glazed terra cotta dishes that you can use on top of or in the stove. I luggged back about 6 of these in different sizes from Sevilla and am embarassed to say that I have not used them. This thread reminds me to drag them out! I do love shopping in cooking supply shops.

Thanks Cova. Looking forward to it even more now I know it will likely be hot ! (Well, hotter than it ever is here ) Cheers.

We brought back some very good, 5 Euros a bottle Rioja which you can get at almost any food market in Spain. Also love the manzanilla, an intensely flavored green apple liquor - kind of Spain's answer to Italy's lemoncello. These are also quite inexpensive and found everywhere.

Well I am confused, as I thought manzanilla was a sherry. Or chamomile tea! Thanks for the tips!

On a not-so-related subject, how do you make that sign for euro on the keyboard..I can't find one on mine!

I also know manzanilla as a type of sherry.

Alt + 0128 using the numbers on the right.

Caroline I am really poor at computer stuff. I have a Mac. I pressed down on the "alt" key on the lower left and held it down while typing 0128 on the right-hand numbers. All I got was 0128 on the screen!! Cannot understand why I cannot get this but thank you.

My friends/family have ALWAYS loved the traditional ceramica....different patterns/colors in different cities. Many cities carry a couple other's. I usually go for vases, candle holders, pitchers, serving plates or small plates to hang on the wall. For my girlfriends a spoon rest has been most popular!

Other things I love to buy in Spain are salad bowls and cutting/serving boards hand-made from olive wood. The grain is amazing! They are too pretty to hide in a cupboard. Also olive wood spoons for cooking. I am just adding to my own list or answering my own question here for someone else with the same question about what to bring back.

There's a Spanish designer called Agatha Ruiz de la Prada. Her designs are colorful and whimsical. She does things for the house, but she has a line of notebooks, papers, and pens that are perfect gifts at about 5 euros a pop. The rare occasions I've seen her things here in the US, they have been at least twice as expensive.

Manzanilla is a type of very dry sherry. That green apple liqueur might have been called manzanilla because "manzana" means "apple" and the "illa" ending means "ish" or "little." You can use it to make appletinis. It probably also helps if you need to induce vomiting. Worked for me once when I was 18.

Euro sign: I have a Spanish keyboard on my laptop, so when I use that, it is no problem. I don't know from a regular keyboard.

Thanks, Claire. In Mexico chamomile tea is also called manzanilla..or at least I think it is. I guess that word has several meanings! I think I will stick to the sherry!

love this list, thanks claire and everyone else!

Manzanilla is also a chamomile tea. It is all about context. My host dad teases me because when we were in Granada he took me out and I got slightly bombed on manzanilla and the next day when we all went to breakfast what did I order but. . . manzanilla (only that time it was tea).

ekscrunchy : sorry, maybe the alt + 0128 only works with Microsoft operating systems ?

Claire - where is this seamstress? I just bought a second hand flamenco dress for feria(20€!!) but wanted to bring it somewhere to make some changes. Not sure what city you´re speaking of though.

I love this thread My time in Spain is coming to a close and this is definitely helping me figure out what to bring home with me.

Is Havana Club better than Legendario Rum?

Manzanilla (the very dry sherry) comes from Sanlucar de Barrameda. It's often not available in 'Duty Free' shops at the airport.

Another Spanish wine you won't find at the 'Duty Free' shops is Rosal, from la Guardia, (Pontevedra, Galicia). It is the 'Top of the Line' of Albariños and it comes from a very small area in the Minho valley.

Like Kalikiana I bought a Vestido Rociero (Gypsy dress) at a Thrift shop in Huelva for one of my granddaughters. A few years later, a relative visited us in Phila. and brought matching Peineta, Castanets and shoes.

All these ideas are great! I am curious about Havana Club..is this a Cuban white rum? The Spanish wine I have read a lot about that is supposed to be one of the greats is from Vega Sicilia Unico from Ribera del Duero. A long time ago I read a story by a well-known food writer (can't remember who but it was an American) who described what her last meal on earth should be like. The two items on that menu were Iberian jam from Joselito and a bottle of a Vega Sicilia Unico Reserva. I understand this wine is very difficult to find and very expensive, though!