BellaOnline Forums Travel and Culture Polish Culture Need help in finding gifts for Christmas

I need help in ideas, in what to send my friends, a family of four, parents and two teenage sons, for Christmas. Could be one thing for the family, or something for each. I have asked them, and they say nothing. Please help.
What could they, who live in Warsaw, need or want most?

Hi Valpomike,

Earlier we had a long discussion here about gifts for family and friends in Poland.

The consensus seemed to be that you should either
(1) not worry about it being a "to Poland" kind of gift, but give something that you think they will personally enjoy. Warsaw is a huge city with many resources, so it is not that they would lack access to any particular kind of goods, although depending on their own financial resources, some items may be too expensive for them.

One gentleman who had been to Poland this past summer brought CD players + CDs,fun T-shirts, jewelry for the teenagers and his daughter made an afghan blanket for the adults (they live in the counry). He said the gift they liked the best was a bag of jelly beans. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

(2) alternatively, you could give something that typifies your own location - a photo album, for example.

A number of the folks from this forum are now at
http://jagahost.proboards79.com/index.cgi - please join us and probably the others will have more ideas for you.

PS. Re: Lot - yes, older, cramped planes. I agree - I was really uncomfortable on our flight in 2004. Other airlines may not have direct flights but might ofter more comfortable seating.

Val
I can but echo Nancy's recommendation - go to the new Polish Culture forum where you will find many of the people who used to be here and I'm sure you will get ideas on gifts and travel.
See you there
Leslie <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I agree on gift's with Nancy.

However, as far as
is concerned, pleae take into consideration that

"2005-09-13, 07:41
For the eighth time in a row LOT Polish Airlines have received the prestigious title of "The Best Airline in Central and Eastern Europe", awarded by the British "Business Traveller" magazine readers. It is another time when LOT has become included in the group of the best airlines in the Europe"
http://www3.lot.com/app/index.jsp?area=n...amp;amp;lang=en

One way European friends and my family exchange gifts is to give something very representative of our part of the U.S.to them, and in turn we receive something from their part of the world. (The gentleman taking jelly beans to his friends and their liking them the best is a good example of buying local products...I have in mind that these were probably "Jelly Belly" beans which are terrific.) This makes the gift-giving more of a "cultural exchange" thing.

I don't know what the Chicago area is best noted for, but here in New England, we'd take (not send...too heavy) small tins of maple syrup, small locally woven lap robes, regional recipe books, CDs of regional music, Christmas tree ornaments made by local artisans, etc. Craft fairs are just beginning, and most museums do special Christmas displays and sales around the holidays.

Sheets of U.S. stamps if anyone in the family collects are great, or you can start a collection for them! Check out the U.S.P.S. Store for ideas. Dog stamps for dog lovers; Greta Garbo for movie fans; cars of the 50's for auto lovers, Art of Disney for Disney fans...the list can go on and on. If you were traveling to Poland, you could get a beautiful sheet of stamps framed for them...bu again, mailing makes the cost of this prohibitive.

These ideas can all be tailored to your pocketbook <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />Hope this helps a little...