Comments | brits_americans: Have yourself a merry british christmas...

cass_rising in brits_americans

Have yourself a merry british christmas...

Oct 27, 2009 10:09

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 ( Read more... )

postage, shipping, food

Comments 58

rosathome October 27 2009, 10:21:01 UTC

Be careful with the mince pies - you'll need to get vegetarian ones to get them through customs, I think. Normal mince pies have suet in them, which is decidedly not vegetarian. Also, I'm not sure how customs feel about the gunpowder in crackers.

englishmann October 27 2009, 10:24:19 UTC

Oh, bollocks, you're right. ...how the hell am I going to get them back to America in December, now?!

rosathome October 27 2009, 10:25:30 UTC

If you mean the crackers, I did find some for sale in Macy's a couple of years ago, and made all my American friends pull them and wear the paper hats.

englishmann October 27 2009, 10:29:26 UTC

Just not as authentic, is it? I think I have seen some in Target, but I couldn't be sure.

They'll certainly have an issue with it in hand luggage, but perhaps I should stop myself from thinking it might be okay to press my luck with them in a checked bag. Stop thinking illegal thoughts, stop thinking illegal thoughts.

Thread 7

englishmann October 27 2009, 10:22:46 UTC

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 October 27 2009, 10:57:31 UTC

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 October 27 2009, 11:05:01 UTC

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

englishmann October 27 2009, 11:25:46 UTC

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

Thread 13

raeyn October 27 2009, 10:50:36 UTC

Christmas pudding, Yorkshire puds, and parsnips! *grins* I mean, you can totally pick up the parsnips in the States, but that's something that's Christmas, 'proper' British Christmas to me. :) But then, that's probably also because the first time I ever had a parsnip was my first Christmas here.

[edit] My husband (the Brit of the relationship, natch :D) also says you should send Jaffa cakes, just 'cause. And Christmas Toblerones. Of course, he's a tubby little boy obsessed with sweeties... <<

teletai October 27 2009, 11:22:17 UTC

Oh yes. Jaffas always go down very well.

magentarose78 October 27 2009, 11:00:11 UTC

After 8's. They aren't specifically Christmas, but they are good. :)

jgoreham October 27 2009, 11:06:06 UTC

I wonder if there are people who buy After 8's any time of the year except for Christmas. It's the only time I can ever recall buying or eating them.

teletai October 27 2009, 11:31:26 UTC

My family certainly always have, at least when we have guests 'round. Though they do seem Christmas-y to me anyhow. :)

dancingxstar October 27 2009, 11:33:03 UTC

In the States, we only bought them at Thanksgiving. :)

Thread 5

ellonwye October 27 2009, 11:08:02 UTC

Clementines are a staple of my christmas, I dunno how common that is for everybody else.

jgoreham October 27 2009, 12:29:25 UTC

Us too.

mrs_redboots October 27 2009, 14:01:22 UTC

And those big navel oranges that are only really in season at Christmas time, which my daughter and I call "Christmas oranges"!

But, of course, you can't send them to the USA, any more than you can send Brussels Sprouts!

How about Christmas cakes?