Visiting Australians for X-mas - what to get them? Help please.....

[alison222]

We are in the lucky position of a house swap - none simultaneous and are in Oz for X-mas. We will be spending x-mas day with the family whose house this is at their daughters house. There will be 5 GC to buy for but what can we take as a thank you to the hosts? Is there a usual sort of "thank you" in Australia?

[MumblingAndBloodyRagDoll]

They're pretty much like us...except of course it's Summer over there at Christmas!

Christmas in Oz is weird because seasonal fruits are thought of as Christmassy...such as cherries! My DH always associates cherries with Christmas....not that you want to give those! But just trying to give you a picture...so it's all about hot weather, going on hols, beach trips and bbqs at Christmas there....what about taking them something typically English in the shape of some really nice christmas baubles for their tree?

THey have pretty bad Christmas deco's over there! I bet they'd like that...a of really nice hand painted glass baubles?

[MumblingAndBloodyRagDoll]

<a class="break-all" href="http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=www.ecou.com/Product-Images/Fullsize/5cb209b5-faa1-4256-ac45-749e568adc3e-1.jpg&imgrefurl=www.ecou.com/Recycled-Product/Twelve-Days-of-Christmas-Baubles.aspx&usg=__X44YhQ3P3gbU76lNCEBsSnGvHQc=&h=600&w=786&sz=253&hl=en&start=6&sig2=blXVm-lPZVoyO649JTQptQ&zoom=1&tbnid=shsEQNLDwZ-kBM:&tbnh=109&tbnw=143&ei=IGXATuqjIc2s8QPgk8H_Aw&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dhand%2Bpainted%2Bchristmas%2Bbaubles%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26rlz%3D1T4ACAW_enGB356GB357%26tbm%3Disch&um=1&itbs=1" rel="nofollow noindex" target="_blank">these are nice

[alison222]

The baubles are lovely and being paper mache should be reasonably sturdy. Made me laugh though when you said something typically English and the link says made in Kashmir.
Cherries wouldn't be my first thought at X-mas unless they were suitably boozy in a cake or as part of a dessert.

[Binfullofmaggotsonthe45]

Something traditional and seasonal from the UK - nice box of shortbread, beeswax candles, marmalade set???

[ninedragons]

I am not 100% sure you can bring beeswax candles into Australia. They are pretty full-on about any sort of animal or agricultural product being brought in. When we moved our boxes marked Christmas decorations were searched by customs, apparently for pinecones.

[ninedragons]

The customary thank-you gift is booze.

NSW is, IIRC, the only economy in the world in which alcohol has been legal currency.

Good whisky would probably be well-received.

[alison222]

Ok so def not candles then. Like the baubles also maybe the food and booze is always a good standby. Wasn't sure whether to go the route of the wine or spirits though.

[MmeLindor.]

Don't get whisky unless you know they like it.

We always get whisky and still have a bottle that we were given on our wedding day in 1997.

I would go for stuff that they cannot get there. Are they Brits who have emigrated?

[alison222]

No they are Australians although they have spent a year over here working in the past.

[MumblingAndBloodyRagDoll]

Oh dont get boring old booze....get some baubles! Not ones made in Kashmir though! I agree about stuff they can't get there...which is NICE Christmas decs!