Bringing back presents from holidays

[Polly345]

Apart from a couple of days away in the UK, I haven't really been on a 'real' holiday for 11 years.
This year we are going to Paris for a 'big' birthday. I hadn't really thought about this before but a friend announced that as she collects salt and pepper sets - this is the present I WILL bring her back from holiday.
To be honest - the only person I had thought of buying for is MIL. She is bedbound and in very poor health and I think a small souvenir would be appropriate.
If I see things on holiday - I probably will buy some bits and bobs for gifts but I don't intend spending a lot of time gift shopping.
I didn't really think about it before - but my friend made me feel unreasonable when I pointed out a search for a salt and pepper set would not be a priority. If she had said something like 'I hope you bring me back a present' or even something more generic like a fridge magnet - I would probably have felt differently.

I bring the odd thing back for people, it's really not a hardship. I don't do bringing back fags etc, just presents if I see something they might like.

Oh, and a bag of chocolates from duty free for my staffroom, too!

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Novelty-Cruet-Set-Paris-Salt-Cow-Pepper-Milk-Brand-New-Boxed/183086462715?hash=item2aa0cdb6fb:g:3XwAAOSwdx1aL~u1
Email her this link!

I always get DM and DMIL a horrible tacky fridge magnet from all our holidays (preferably one in the shape of a flip flop or something equally hideous ) it makes me laugh to see them all neatly and dutifully attached to their nice fridges in their tasteful John Lewis decorated houses but for friends or in general? Never!

I will pick up a magnet for my friend who’s a collector if I see one. Plus me and DP usually grab a little something for each other, but otherwise I don’t see the point zzz they didn’t go so why would they want a souvenir of it?

MIL gets the tackiest, most horrific tea towel we can find. By request, though. She loves them.

I bought back gifts from my last trip, but they were things I saw and thought 'ooh, that will be nice for my parents' or 'dh would love that' but if anyone had ordered a present they'd be going to the bottom of my list...

I thought since the luggage allowance is so restrictive that nobody did gifts anymore. Last I heard of it was the 80s when you'd get a plastic flamenco dancer if your mate went to Benidorm or a 'My friend went to Gibraltar and all I got was this lousy t-shirt'.

Order these off eBay before you go and tell her they're from France www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2Pcs-Wedding-Gift-Cute-Bird-Pepper-Salt-Caster-Shaker-Pot-Cruet-Ceramic-Chic/371712344515?epid=605698655&hash=item568bc841c3:g:VSMAAOSwrklVeWXr

I don't even buy souvenirs for myself never mind gifts for anyone else.

What's the point of having a souvenir of a place you've never been? Such a weird concept

You don't ask to be bought a present. Ignore. No loss .

I bought my mum back some giant clothes pegs I spotted in the equivalent of a pound shop on my last holiday. She thinks they're ace!

But I would have bought them for her whether I saw them in Paris or Putney!

(We were in said pound shop looking for some specific kitchen items that are cheap as chips there and £££ here. Our luggage home looked like we were door to door sellers!)

I would not be getting anything from ebay!

I would tell her when I got back, that I was to busy to even THINK about buying gifts for people.

Cheeky mare.

MIL expected us (well, me, it was me she complained to) to bring her something back from holiday. And SIL, and SIL's kids. I had never heard of such a thing.

I had an uncle who travelled the world when I was a child and he used to send interesting things to us from the places he'd been (desert rose rock formation, stamps, coins, fly in amber) but that was an educational thing really.

When MIL told me she was disappointed we hadn't brought back anything for her I honestly thought she wanted something educational like stamps or rocks lol!

No, as DH explained later, she just wanted to be compensated for not going on holiday. Odd.

She brought me a hotel shower cap back from a trip she had once.