Have yourself a merry british christmas...

[cass_rising]

I'm a recent American ex-pat, so this will be my first british christmas. I thought I'd make british christmas care packages for all my american family back home, and I'm looking for suggestions of what to put in. So far on the list I've got tea and sugar lumps (with instructions for proper tea making), mini mince pies, biscuits, and christmas

Comments

[englishmann]

Cards that say "Happy Christmas" instead of "Merry Christmas," perhaps a British chocolate bar or buy a box of Celebrations/Roses/whatever Cadbury calls theirs and chuck a couple of the non-American ones in there.

[englishmann]

Ah...also, those Terry's Chocolate Oranges. (I've already bought two to take back for mates.) It just isn't Christmas without one of them. Along the lines of Jaffa Cakes, oranges and orange-flavoured things usually wind up in one's stocking.

[ellonwye]

My poor brother gets a chocolate orange every single year, even though he hates them. :(

[englishmann]

See, that's my point! They're classic.

[porterkid]

I don't like Terry's Chocolate Oranges... yet I am finding them all over the US now. ICK.

[nikolche]

Seconding the Chocolate Oranges simply because they don't have the right taste in the US. I still eat them (chocolate is chocolate, after all), but the UK ones are infinitely better.

[loganberrybunny]

Cards that say "Happy Christmas" instead of "Merry Christmas,"

Really? That's a new one on me.

[englishmann]

You've never noticed the tendency of people here to say "Happy Christmas" instead of "Merry?" I was after a birthday card the other day in Carlton Cards, and virtually every Christmas card I glanced at said "Happy."

Ah, it's the little things in life. :)

[thekumquat]

IME, Merry Christmas is much more common, to contrast with 'Happy New Year'.

Unless you're Methodist - my granny would have a right strop if wished Merry Christmas because merriment implies DRUNKENNESS! Cue rant on the evil drink...

Of course, she was also a most unpleasant old so-and-so.

[englishmann]

Right, but you don't see that distinction here (UK)...the card just says "Happy Christmas."

[thekumquat]

I'm talking about the UK. In cards I think it's about 50:50.

[englishmann]

Ah, okay. Well, I'd still say it might be cool if the OP went and grabbed that 50% because they're entirely "Merry" in the US. ;)

[cloudlessangel]

OH MAN JAFFA CAKES. I love them