Need Gift Ideas!

swampwitch

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What gifts should I bring when we visit my husband's extended family in Ireland? I've never met any of them! There are four girls our daughter's age, so those are easy, but what about teen boys and the adults?

There's lots of gift-packaged maple syrup and smoked salmon here in BC but not everyone likes those. Anybody have ideas? Thanks in advance!
 

theimp98

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you know, the one thing that i have always found a big hit from up your way,
maple favor popcorn(what why we put in a popcorn place in indo) made a ton of money. hehe
 

carolpetunia

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Y'know, I always enjoy seeing newspapers and magazines from faraway places.

And something else that's really unique to a particular region -- all the local food and music! Maybe you could put together a box of goodies from your area's bakeries and candy shops and such... plus maybe a CD or two of local musicians you think they'd like.

Or maybe you could cheat and get a Lennie Gallant CD! He's from the opposite end of Canada, but he's wonderful. And his style is rooted in the folk tradition that arose largely from Ireland, so it might be very appealing to them.

http://www.lenniegallant.com/

Or you could make up some Tshirts:


My friends flew 5000 miles
and all they brought me
was this shirt.


 

natalie_ca

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Take things that aren't available there.

I used to ship care packages to a friend in Denmark. He loved Mountain Dew and Beef Jerky, neither of which were available there. I would also send real Maple Syrup which his Mom LOVED!!!

And I used to ship chocolate from here to a friend in the USA. At one time you couldn't buy Smarties there so I always sent those.
 

sarahp

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Originally Posted by Natalie_ca

Take things that aren't available there.

I used to ship care packages to a friend in Denmark. He loved Mountain Dew and Beef Jerky, neither of which were available there. I would also send real Maple Syrup which his Mom LOVED!!!

And I used to ship chocolate from here to a friend in the USA. At one time you couldn't buy Smarties there so I always sent those.
Just be careful with Beef Jerky - I know it's not allowed to be taken into Australia.

Anything local is always appreciated. What about some Ice Wine?
 

natalie_ca

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Originally Posted by sarahp

Just be careful with Beef Jerky - I know it's not allowed to be taken into Australia.
Really? I always listed the items on the parcel and never had a problem sending to Denmark.

The only thing I had a problem sending was some cologne! The post office claimed it was "hazardous material" and refused to ship it
 

theimp98

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Originally Posted by Natalie_ca

Really? I always listed the items on the parcel and never had a problem sending to Denmark.

The only thing I had a problem sending was some cologne! The post office claimed it was "hazardous material" and refused to ship it
what type of cologne wher eyou sending
 

fwan

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yep, make sure the maple is also ok to bring into the EU, I had problems bringing cat treats to Australia as well. Even though you might be able to bring the stuff to the EU you might not be able to bring certain things back to the US.
 

mrblanche

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Originally Posted by SwampWitch

What gifts should I bring when we visit my husband's extended family in Ireland? I've never met any of them! There are four girls our daughter's age, so those are easy, but what about teen boys and the adults?

There's lots of gift-packaged maple syrup and smoked salmon here in BC but not everyone likes those. Anybody have ideas? Thanks in advance!
You know what my Irish friend takes home to his family when he goes home? Lots of those plastic store bags! I know it's funny, but he says they have lots of uses for them, and they can't get them over there any more.
 

jcat

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How about some hockey jerseys? Baseball caps? I think any kind of First Nations' mythology, handicraft or music might interest them.
 
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