magialmemories

What about gifts from the States? Is there something special we can give that is unavailable or limited where you live?

traveller1959

It depends on the region of the USA from where you come.

E.g., we love Indian artifacts from New Mexico. From the South, handiworks are nice (like quilts). A bottle of rare American wine might impress your hostess. Some regional food specialties are very good.

From where do you come in the USA? I may give you more detailed tips.

magialmemories

Sacramento in Northern California. We are right between Lake Tahoe and San Fransisco.

janisj

(I'm a neighbor of yours - you might want to check out the thread about a Sacramento GTG next month, over on the United States forum)

OK - what are we talking about here? A gift for a friend you are staying w/ -- or something to give to the owner of a B&B or hotel? If you mean giving something to a hotelier - don't do it, really.

Christina

I gather you are asking Europeans what hostess gifts they like or something? As a hostess myself, I like just regular things like a good bottle of wine, a small pretty ceramic bowl, a scented candle, etc., but then I'm not European. When visitors from Europe visit, I don't like weird foodstuffs, myself and they've never brought any. One brought a German calendar that was nice (it was a wall-hanging type thing for all year with German words on it).

I'm not sure if traveller is listing things she's gotten, but a quilt as a hostess gift is kind of unusual. I mean, they can cost hundreds of dollars for handmade ones (which is the point, I gather, not machine-made ones). I never thought of it something related to the South, in particular, as we have some in our family and they are from Appalachia and others from New England.

hester

When we went to South Korea to visit our son last April I took a bunch of gifts to hand out. I live in Washington State, so I bought Washington State things. I took packages of Starbucks coffee, jars of locally made jams and jellies, gift boxes of Almond Roca, Applets and Cotlets (which I can’t stand, but they are from my area and everyone said I needed to take them) and different varieties of frangos. My son also had told us that everyone loved anything of Burt’s Beeswax and it’s not available in South Korea so I bought all kinds of Burt’s products.

VirginiaC

When I shop for serious hostess gifts, I usually hit the museum shops. There I can find all kinds of tasteful things in all price ranges. I also like to bring along as jokes examples of some of the tackier offerings of roadside souvenir stands like Jersey Girl T-shirts and Jersey devil fridge magnets.

Ann1

VirginiaC has a good idea. We visit family once or twice a year in Italy. We have brough Mickey and Minnie etched glass mugs with the person's names etched on them (they really loved them), calendars showing our area, CDs of American music (not loud rock n'roll), hand creams made in our area, pottery made here, pretty frames with our pictures in them. We don't bring things like maple syrup because Europeans don't really get that and it's a new taste. A friend from Eruope who lived here for a while told me it took her a long time to aquire a taste for it. So be careful on food.

Padraig

Don't bring ornaments!

I've just checked, and almost every ornament on display in our home was selected by us; almost every ornament stored away was a gift to us.

I don't care how much you love your local handcarving or pottery or beadware or stitchcraft; your hostess (or host) might not share your tastes.

Foood items or drinks can be consumed (or discreetly disposed of); books and music recordings can be shelved (and ignored at will).

My preferred gift to host and/or hostess is to take them out for a dinner.

Padraig

Don't bring ornaments!

I've just checked, and almost every ornament on display in our home was selected by us; almost every ornament stored away was a gift to us.

I don't care how much you love your local handcarving or pottery or beadware or stitchcraft; your hostess (or host) might not share your tastes.

Food items or drinks can be consumed (or discreetly disposed of); books and music recordings can be shelved (and ignored at will).

My preferred gift to host and/or hostess is to take them out for a dinner.

Padraig

Sorry about the double post: I tried to edit out a typo.

LoveItaly

Hello nmagialmemories. I have no idea where you will be travelling to as that could make a difference I think as to what would make a good hostess gift.

But I live in the southern end of Sacramento Valley in the city of Vacaville. There is a store that recently opened up in the new NutTree complex (if you are a native of N CA you probably remember the old NutTree complex).
This independant store evidently carries only "Made in California" items. Perhaps you could find something there that would make a good hostess gift.
http://www.thereporter.com/businessbio/ci_6786859
Best wishes.

MissPrism

My preferred gift to host and/or hostess is to take them out for a dinner.

Yes, that's by far the best.
Artefacts are all right if the person is never going to visit again.
"Where on earth did we put that beaded Navaho wine-cooler, Jolene and Egbert are coming next week!"

CarrieAnn40

Decent wine. Flowers - a tied bunch is great or they will be dealt with later. but are appreciated Dinner out / treated to a takeaway. A bit of help clearing up. The latter two would only be suitable if guests were staying for a couple of days.

I don't want ornaments, plants, chocolates (don't eat them), CDs, candles etc. And I would not appreciate that beaded Navaho wine-cooler from MissPrism's post.

BTilke

Over the years, the gifts we've brought to European friends and relatives (most of them German or Belgian) that were most favorably received:

Moravian spice cookies
Gourmet barbecue sauces (for a Belgian who loves to grill ribs)
A Tiffany sterling silver key ring with a model Checkers cab (for a German relative who loves NYC and Audrey Hepburn movies)
Mount St. Helens art glass (for a Swiss aunt and uncle who adore WA State)
Small well-made Shaker wood boxes
Small boxes made from Oregon myrtle wood
Key lime foodstuffs
Kiehls and Bumble+Bumble products (we already knew they loved these products)
Bethlehem Steel memorabilia (for a friend in Essen who works for Krupps)
A bottle of espresso beer (a joke gift for a German cousin who'd done a summer internship in Seattle)

Cowboy1968

I would never expect anyone visiting from overseas to bring along some big, heavy gift. Even a bottle of wine can add that weight and space that you may need for something more important for your trip.

Few things are really "unavailable" here - except for those with a local touch, like the "made in CA" stuff another poster mentioned.
As a host, I don't mind tongue-in-cheek gifts, but since tastes differ, the more neutral gifts, like a small sized calendar from your region or even a bookmark with some local motive may be easier to get.

Since my mom likes to garden, she loved the 2 or 3 bags of California poppy seed I got her last time -- and that gift was really easy to handle ;-)

caroline_edinburgh

Wine

"Where on earth did we put that beaded Navaho wine-cooler" - LOL !

Europeans generally think American chocolate is horrible.

Cowboy1968

Those who have tasted Ghirardelli do not second that opinion

Dukey

Some of these responses make me wonder if it is WORTH IT to bother showing up non-empty-handed.

Gee, I'm sorry you don't LIKE my gift..but SMILE AND LIE ANYWAY, OK????

It is the thought that counts although next we'll hear about how "Europeans" don't like those much either.

Give flowers...they cannot be stored and it is hard for even a hard-nosed person not to like them for at least a few minutes.

Padraig

Dukey wrote: "Give flowers...they cannot be stored and it is hard for even a hard-nosed person not to like them for at least a few minutes."

I'm not hard-nosed, and I hate flowers, especially the smelly ones.

Give me money.