Secret Santa to Canada; suggestions please

[EdgarAllansPo]

I'm sending a Secret Santa gift to a man in SW Canada who I don't know, have never met, will never meet and have about around £10 to spend. I know he likes the outdoors and is ex-army.

I am a bit stuck on ideas of what to send. I could make a blanket, but not sure if it would be wanted and I don't want to spend a whole lot of time making something if it won't be wanted.

Can anyone tell me what kinds of things Canadians like from England that are not easy to get in Canada?

Oh, and he seems to have a pretty good sense of humour, too.

Or does anyone have any suggestions of what I could send (not too heavy).

Hiya. I live in BC, which is where I assume he lives (ish). If he loves the outdoors he will probably have everything and anything outdoorsy because they have everything here. The things my US friends and Canadian friends crave tend to all be food items. Walkers crisps, proper chocolate (Fruit and Nut is a fave). If he has a sense of humour you could try UK DVD stuff (Mighty Boosh went down well with friends here). Is he East or West Coast Canadian to begin with because East Coasters are far less easy to offend and have a more British sense of humour?

Do you think MrsTerryPratchett? We've found that in general BCers seem to cope pretty well with dh and my sarcky sense of humour. I'd say at least half of our friends have English roots.

I would agree with you on food, but avoid DVDs unless you are ordering them from a Canadian site (bloody expensive so I wouldn't recommend) as unless you have hacked your DVD player they won't accept UK DVDs.

Our friends have quite enjoyed silly tourist gifts from the UK, sticks of rock, union jack bling etc. You can get Cadburys chocolate here, likewise personally I think Lays are petty much the same as Walkers crisps - both are not quite the same but not radically different. Treacle toffee might work, or Kendall mint cake maybe - I've not seen anything similar here, and they are quite English I think.

Personally I only really miss English bacon and sausages, neither of which you could send

Another one in BC (meet-up, anyone?) and agree that the sense of humour here is pretty Mumsnetty! :o

I'd say British chocolate.

Is anyone else wondering who the male MNer in BC is?

I am wondering who he is. Maybe the sense of humour thing is the Island... I find Newfoundlanders easier to have a laugh with.

They don't have the good Walkers flavours here.

I love talking to people from Newfoundland. Their accent cracks me up. I mean that in the nicest possible way :)

Yay, people replied! When I saw this thread sink last night, wasn't sure if that would be the last I'd see of it!

Thanks for the responses. It's someone on another forum, but if I asked on there, it would give the game away. I doubt very much if he's a MNetter (and I'm female, and married). I know nothing more about him, don't know if he is attached, or has a family, nothing.

So...Chocolate. Fruit & Nut. Can manage that, no trouble. There is also supposed to be a silly/fun element to this as well.

From what I've seen him post, he does seem to have a MN type of humour, though not sure how much he appreciates British humour. DVDs would be out because of the regions, but perhaps some music, or memorabilia would work, with a few silly union jack/rock/assorted daft stuff I find. I could send something related to the forum we're on as well, as there are a few in jokes (though not sure if he's been around there long enough to be in on them himself, but always nice to be included with that kind of thing.)

Sounds fab!
If he doesn't like it, you can post it on to me

:o

I resurrected it because I clicked on Unanswered Messages by mistake

Jacks!

Have another

The island might be a bit more refined I guess. It tends to be where people retire to in my neck of the woods.

If I was going to send silly stuff to my family back home (not sure why I've not thought about it really) I might be inclined to send them some of the weird Old Dutch flavoured chips like All Dressed. So powerful!

Deffo choc.

I bet I know him.

I think it is a little more snobby and posh refined that I am. I am originally from Croydon though so that may explain things.

HP sauce?

My dh is from Croydon too. We fit in well here (although I am from Greenwich so obviously much more refined ). Our town is very blue collar, and most of my neighbours are truckers. We all have big bashed pick up trucks, and our lovely neightbours fix mine for me, last weekend my neighbour showed me how to change the tires and so I now feel both red neck and emowered :) I really enjoy living here.

I had a request for onion Bisto granules last trip to the UK. I couldn't bring myself to buy them though!

We get sil to bring bisto gravy granules when she visits. our Canadian friends are strangely fascinated by them...

I need to move in with nooka. It is all yoga and Prius driving here.

Nothing wrong with either of those :o
I'd prefer a Nissan Leaf to the Prius, though. Prius is just kind of a stupid name. Sounds like a disease. "What do you drive?" "A Prius." "Oh, sorry to hear that."

Mmmmmmm... Galaxy chocolate with roasted caramelized hazelnuts... mmmmmm...

Jacks... do you wear Lululemon?

Hmm, it's all yoga and lulu lemon here. But with trucks. That's the Albertan side of the Rockies for ya. the trucks are just used to schlep the bikes and skis around.

Lululemon????????? fuck no

In fact I go out of my way not to wear that stuff. Can hardly bear to type it even. Their marketing is aggressive shit and their internal company policies stink to high heaven. I even had a thread once because I was in a complete quandary, a friend gave me a Lulu jacket and I just couldn't bring myself to wear it.

My yoga clothes tend to be from Prana and :be present:.
Much nicer stuff anyway.

apparently I feel very strongly about llm.

I can't quite square lulu lemon with trucks - are they shiny new trucks perhaps?

dd got a handme down lulu lemon hoodie thing last year and got grief at school for being too cool

I drive a 'leaf' sounds very lentil weavery but then I never would have dreamed that I would ever be proud to own a bashed old half ton pick up truck!