Happy Holidays! International Gifting Ideas/Stories

[SunflowerSweet 1,321]

Hello everyone!

The holiday season is just about upon us!

If you are anything like me, this time of year means scrambling to try and find the perfect gifts to show the people in your life how much you care!

I've noticed that this year, with international (future!) in-laws to think about, the pressure seems even higher. Shopping for a significant other's parents can be daunting, but throw some cultural difference in the mix and it becomes even more so!

I know that some of us here probably have not been able to get to know our in-laws as much as we may have liked, so finding a good gift can be even harder in that regard too.

The point of this thread is to discuss gifting friends and family abroad, and just holiday traditions in general!

Have any of you experienced the need to buy gifts for an international family member or friend before, or are you going through it right now?

What are some gift ideas you have thought of?

Does the country you are from, or have family/friends from have significantly different holiday traditions than the US? (If any at all!?)

Everyone should feel welcome to share their ideas and experiences! I realize that some of these questions will relate more to Family-based visa situations, but I hope anyone who has something to contribute feels they are able to!

I will discuss my specific scenario in the following post!

Thank you, and...

Edited December 1, 2015 by MorganandMichael

[SunflowerSweet 1,321]

I will be visiting my fiance's family in Liverpool for the first time in a few weeks. I will be staying at their house for the majority of the holiday season so naturally, I am going to bring gifts!

The main people I will be bringing gifts for are my future mother in law as well as her mother.

For starters I am planning on packing some of the Christmas candy my family makes every year, enough for everyone at his house!

Both his grandmother and mother are very fond of candles so I will be getting each of them a nice candle as well.

For his mother I am thinking about a digital photo frame that I can update while abroad, I think she will appreciate seeing pictures of her son and I together once he moves her permanently!

That's what I have so far! Let me know what you guys think!

[TBoneTX 45,288]

Mrs. T-B.'s family always appreciated "everyday" things that are cheaper and of higher quality in the U.S. than their beastly Ecuadorian counterparts. These included tablespoons, bath & hand towels, can-openers, and similar.

It used to be easier to bring cameras, computers, and other things. Ecu's near-dictator keeps cracking down...

[Russ&Caro 1,549]

I will be visiting my fiance's family in Liverpool for the first time in a few weeks. I will be staying at their house for the majority of the holiday season so naturally, I am going to bring gifts!

Word of advice, after eating a full meal with your in-laws and having them ask you if you'd like more of any particular dish, don't respond with "No, I'm stuffed." That phrase means something a little different in Merry Ol' England, than it does here in the former colonies. Had a friend learn that one the hard way, with a healthy dose of embarrassment all around.

As for gifts, I would think international in-laws would probably appreciate something from American culture, or from regional American culture if you're from say, New England, Deep South, Far West, etc. Even if it's kitschy, they'll probably appreciate the humor if the gift is not exactly useful. Visiting my own mother in law in Cartagena in January. I'm going to try to pick up something Southwest-ish as a gift.

[SunflowerSweet 1,321]

Word of advice, after eating a full meal with your in-laws and having them ask you if you'd like more of any particular dish, don't respond with "No, I'm stuffed." That phrase means something a little different in Merry Ol' England, than it does here in the former colonies. Had a friend learn that one the hard way, with a healthy dose of embarrassment all around.

As for gifts, I would think international in-laws would probably appreciate something from American culture, or from regional American culture if you're from say, New England, Deep South, Far West, etc. Even if it's kitschy, they'll probably appreciate the humor if the gift is not exactly useful. Visiting my own mother in law in Cartagena in January. I'm going to try to pick up something Southwest-ish as a gift.

Thank you for the fair warning! I have heard "stuff" used in a different context in British films and TV, and thankfully it's not part of my usual vocabulary so I should be safe!

An idea I found online that I may go with is the gift of cook books that have recipes specific to the state/region of America you are from. The also mention to get measuring cups and spoons along with since that's not the standard way of measuring out ingredients everywhere, but are obviously necessary to have with American recipes.

I would love to bring some classic Wisconsin cheese but unfortunately there is a ban on any and all dairy products from non-EU countries.

[DJ6372 111]

Huh?

I'm stuffed means I'm full.........................I'm a brit!

[SunflowerSweet 1,321]

Huh?

I'm stuffed means I'm full.........................I'm a brit!

The context I have heard it used in a negative was was something like "Oh stuff off".

But I am sure it can be different by region.

For example I see online that putting two finger in the air in a v shape (or a peace sign) is similar to the middle finger. When someone does it in Top Gear I notice they cover it up.

But my fiance does the peace sign all the time, and it's clearly not an offensive gesture for him, as he is not a vulgar person and absolutely hates cursing.

[Statikk 0]

While it is a little pricy (especially if your foreign fiance has a large family) I would highly recommend one of these for their most important relatives (parents/siblings):

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0045RMEPI?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s01

Obi makes many different models at different price ranges. The one feature they all include is the ability to add a free US Google Voice account to them as a VoIP provider. Essentially you order this thing, create a free Google Voice account while here in the US and add the account to the Obihai. Then you ship the device overseas (you will need to purchase and ship it with an outlet adapter) and they plug it in to their internet router and a standard telephone. They now have a fully featured US telephone line (voicemail, caller id, etc.) for absolutely free. $0/month They can call anywhere in the US and Canada for free. No minute usage counters or anything. Unlimited. You can choose them a phone number in your local area code for easier dialing and avoiding long distance fees if you are calling them from your landline. If this is all you need it can be done with the Obi 100. I recommend one of these to people living in the US without a landline. You can always have a back up phone around for whatever reason then. It's nice to forward your mobile to it when you have phone problems.

The device above is the Obi110. That is the device I sent to my fiance. It has all the features above, but will also plug in to a land line as well. This doesn't sound that amazing at first until you think of the use. I dial the Obi110 (in Germany) from my phone in the US by dialing it's US Google Voice number. The Obi answers silently without ringing the connected phone and gives me the option to press 1 and have it ring the phone to talk to your fiance on the land line OR allows you to now dial out the land line you have plugged in. So I can either talk to my fiance at home or call the obi and use her land line to call her on her mobile. All for free. This device also gives you the advantage of only having one phone hooked up for both US and local calls. Using the Obi100 you would have a dedicated phone for US and another for local. When she wants to call me she just picks up the phone and dials a little code to send the call over the Google Voice instead of the land line and she dials my home/mobile just like anyone else in the US would.

So why would you use this when you have Skype? Well there are those times when Skype doesn't want to ring for whatever reason. Those times when you are in spotty mobile data coverage but your phone works fine. Those times when your cell has gone dead and you are unaware and your fiance has no other way to contact you easily. Those times when the foreign mobile service provider blocks VoIP traffic so Skype and other VoIP apps won't work and your fiance is not near wifi. And then there are the reasons why this is great for their family.... Older people who don't like technology will get frustrated just thinking about having to sit at the computer and figure out Skype. You're taking their loved one away to a far away land. The least you can do is give them an easy way to contact them for free. The world feels a whole lot smaller when you know that you can easily pick up any phone anywhere and always be able to reach your loved ones.

There is also one final feature to this. All Obihai devices also connect to the Obitalk network. So imagine that your phone line is dead or there is a Google Voice outage or any number of scenarios...as long as the Obi is still connected to a working internet connection you can dial any other Obihai box in the world directly with its Obitalk number. Completely bypassing any telephone networks and ringing the phone just like normal.

Well this went on a little longer than I had planned! I hope it's easy enough to understand. If anyone has a question feel free to ask. Also, I don't work for this company lol I just think this is one of the coolest devices I've ever come across and it has made a huge difference to my fiance and I.

Edited December 2, 2015 by Statikk

[SunflowerSweet 1,321]

While it is a little pricy (especially if your foreign fiance has a large family) I would highly recommend one of these for their most important relatives (parents/siblings):

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0045RMEPI?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s01

Obi makes many different models at different price ranges. The one feature they all include is the ability to add a free US Google Voice account to them as a VoIP provider. Essentially you order this thing, create a free Google Voice account while here in the US and add the account to the Obihai. Then you ship the device overseas (you will need to purchase and ship it with an outlet adapter) and they plug it in to their internet router and a standard telephone. They now have a fully featured US telephone line (voicemail, caller id, etc.) for absolutely free. $0/month They can call anywhere in the US and Canada for free. No minute usage counters or anything. Unlimited. You can choose them a phone number in your local area code for easier dialing and avoiding long distance fees if you are calling them from your landline. If this is all you need it can be done with the Obi 100. I recommend one of these to people living in the US without a landline. You can always have a back up phone around for whatever reason then. It's nice to forward your mobile to it when you have phone problems.

The device above is the Obi110. That is the device I sent to my fiance. It has all the features above, but will also plug in to a land line as well. This doesn't sound that amazing at first until you think of the use. I dial the Obi110 (in Germany) from my phone in the US by dialing it's US Google Voice number. The Obi answers silently without ringing the connected phone and gives me the option to press 1 and have it ring the phone to talk to your fiance on the land line OR allows you to now dial out the land line you have plugged in. So I can either talk to my fiance at home or call the obi and use her land line to call her on her mobile. All for free. This device also gives you the advantage of only having one phone hooked up for both US and local calls. Using the Obi100 you would have a dedicated phone for US and another for local. When she wants to call me she just picks up the phone and dials a little code to send the call over the Google Voice instead of the land line and she dials my home/mobile just like anyone else in the US would.

So why would you use this when you have Skype? Well there are those times when Skype doesn't want to ring for whatever reason. Those times when you are in spotty mobile data coverage but your phone works fine. Those times when your cell has gone dead and you are unaware and your fiance has no other way to contact you easily. Those times when the foreign mobile service provider blocks VoIP traffic so Skype and other VoIP apps won't work and your fiance is not near wifi. And then there are the reasons why this is great for their family.... Older people who don't like technology will get frustrated just thinking about having to sit at the computer and figure out Skype. You're taking their loved one away to a far away land. The least you can do is give them an easy way to contact them for free. The world feels a whole lot smaller when you know that you can easily pick up any phone anywhere and always be able to reach your loved ones.

There is also one final feature to this. All Obihai devices also connect to the Obitalk network. So imagine that your phone line is dead or there is a Google Voice outage or any number of scenarios...as long as the Obi is still connected to a working internet connection you can dial any other Obihai box in the world directly with its Obitalk number. Completely bypassing any telephone networks and ringing the phone just like normal.

Well this went on a little longer than I had planned! I hope it's easy enough to understand. If anyone has a question feel free to ask. Also, I don't work for this company lol I just think this is one of the coolest devices I've ever come across and it has made a huge difference to my fiance and I.

I highlighted the bit that really did it for me because dealing with skype not ringing/connecting when both me and my fiance have perfectly fine connection drives me nuts.

His mother isn't the greatest with technology and also doesn't have any sort of data plan so this is actually a really interesting idea for her. I will definitely pass it on to him and see what he thinks! I will make sure to include your description as you did a great job explaining it!

Thank you! This is super practical and I like it a lot!

[DJ6372 111]

The context I have heard it used in a negative was was something like "Oh stuff off".

But I am sure it can be different by region.

For example I see online that putting two finger in the air in a v shape (or a peace sign) is similar to the middle finger. When someone does it in Top Gear I notice they cover it up.

But my fiance does the peace sign all the time, and it's clearly not an offensive gesture for him, as he is not a vulgar person and absolutely hates cursing.

Yeah kinda, 2 fingers with knuckles facing outwards is rude, 2 fingers knuckles facing inwards is the peace sign

The middle finger is universal lol

[SunflowerSweet 1,321]

Yeah kinda, 2 fingers with knuckles facing outwards is rude, 2 fingers knuckles facing inwards is the peace sign

The middle finger is universal lol

I think a good rule of thumb (ayyy pun) it to probably just keep all of your fingers to yourself when around strangers with different cultures aha

[Stinkerpotsam 6]

My gifting dilemma over the years has not been so much WHAT to give but the cost of shipping. I'm constantly on the lookout for some place online that I can use to buy and ship in the UK (like we do here with Amazon, etc.) to save the cost. There have been a few times that the shipping cost is more than the gift, so now I try to find nice things for Mum and family that are lighter in weight.

[Statikk 0]

Just login to amazon.co.uk with your usual amazon account, buy, and ship. That works, right? Pretty sure I've done that on amazon.de.

[Stinkerpotsam 6]

I'm sure I tried it and and it didn't work. Maybe I did something wrong. I'll have to check it out.

Just login to amazon.co.uk with your usual amazon account, buy, and ship. That works, right? Pretty sure I've done that on amazon.de.

[NikLR 13,227]

I try to find things that my MIL and FIL will like. I make sure to double check with my hubs first though. I don't know them very well so it's hard.