Holiday souvenir…. what do you bring home?

We too always bring home a Christmas dec for the tree - usually beautiful and traditional but a very cheesy one from New York, which always goes front centre! Also wooden angel chimes from Christmas markets. We’re running out of surfaces.

I forgot I have loads of shells and pebbles displayed in my bathroom from my favourite French beach

From France garlic mayo (much better than anywhere else) cheese, pate, chocolate, wine.

From Germany beautiful crystal glasses with amber coloured stems

From Holland coffee and chocolate strands and Edam cheese

From many British towns tea towels

From Canada fridge magnets

From Prague a wooden marble toy for the grandchildren which we still have and glass animals and an amber necklace for me

From Singapore jade earrings necklace and bracelet and silk embroidered glasses cases and embroidered pashminas both of which were super cheap

Girl after my own heart Amberone we too collect Christmas tree decorations from all over the world, and it brings back memories each time we unwrap them.

Sometimes smaller paintings by local artists, or hand made jewellery if the money hasn't run out!

Shinamae

Fridge magnets ?

Snap! But as my fridge is integrated into the units, I stick them onto a magnetic noticeboard on a wall in the kitchen.

When my children were young and just wanted plastic tat from gift shops, we bought postcards and put them in albums.

Food and rink that we cannot buy in the UK - and no matter what people say, you cannot get everything from overseas in the UK.

We have a holiday home in France which we are off to visit tomorrow, after a gap of 14 months. I will bring back a range of tinned and preserved foods - now we are out of the EU there are restrictions on fresh food - . This will include tinned chestnuts, veg curry, ratatouille. tomato paste in portion sized tins, I will see if I can sneak in wild smoked salmon. All more expensive or unavailable in the UK.

We always get something to eat for the AC and sweets or toys for the grandsons, so there’s never much space left for souvenirs. It’s usually a shell or sea glass (though the best ones have come from UK beaches), a Christmas decoration or just a fridge magnet. Occasionally a tee shirt or piece of jewellery.

I fell in love with a coffee jug in Norway some years ago so bought it and carefully wrapped it to transport home. Soon after we got back I found a very similar one in a local
COOP!

Soberano brandy, cigars, wine, manchego cheese, fresh tomato spread for bread, new mops and handles, pedal bin liners. Not to bring home but we always go to the dentist there as it is about half the price of here. We also buy any necessary medications for the dog as they are far cheaper.

We always bring something back to hang on the Christmas tree.Nice to have lots of holiday memories in the middle of winter.

I bring a pin badge to go on my sun hat - it's getting pretty full now - and we keep the guide book too.
A family member brings a stone back so his rockery represents his globe-trotting.

We bring home a Christmas tree decoration. Even in the Bahamas in the middle of Summer we found a shell angel. We also have a painted egg from Salzburg, a 'puppet' Santa American football player and a Mickey Mouse snowman from the US, a sparkly Kiwi from NZ, a lovely wooden candlestick from Tunisia, a small crystal bauble with a beautiful tiny red poinsettia flower in and a variety of others. Every year when we do the tree we talk about the places we visited as we work our way down the tree.

Nothing much. I'm not in the least materialistic, and it would never enter my head to buy souvenirs.
I did bring two glass bud vases back from Venice, but they were a gift for my mother.
And, as others have said you can buy food from all over the world so why bring it back with you.

My son brought some sweet green peppers back from Greece for me to cook.

Love it gg.

I stock up on M&S Knickers and bras. On my most recent visit I did notice that certain items were out of stock. But most of all cuddles, kisses and memories with my family and especially my grandchildren.

From Cyprus, when we used to stay at Dbro’s flat, vacuum packed lounza ham, and Filfar (luscious orange liqueur.)

From France, supermarket boxes of wine for dds, and a couple of jars of Fromage de Tete (French version of brawn) for a very carnivorous dd who particularly likes it.

In summer, probably a big tray of apricots. (We drive.) Cheese, if we’ve got a cold box. But not Epoisses, much as we like it - no matter what you do it stinks the place out.

Good point, grannyactivist. I have friends in China, Spain, Switzerland, all the places I've worked. It's a lovely thing to do, but sad too, knowing I'll probably never see them again.

I once got some gorgeous hand blown Christmas baubles in Germany. Many, many years ago, so they're long since broken.

A full size Serrano ham.
Sangria.
A selection of Spanish cheeses.
Nordic mist tonic water ( my friend owns a bar and gets it wholesale)
Tinned octopus.
If we come home near Toulouse we get authentic sausage for my daughter.
Always stones/shells from a beach.

I don't blame you Grandma dinosaur. It's memories isn't it?

* Kate1949* you’ve reminded me I bought a Christmas table runner in Majorca many years ago. I’ve changed my Christmas colour scheme so it doesn’t go with the theme any more but I wouldn’t part with it!

If as in present times from the UK we bring home local foods. We see if we can find a local farm shop and buy items there.

From abroad a fridge magnet, local biscuits,chocolates or sweets. I also bring a calendar from said country which again is a daily reminder of happy memories.

Oh and a very pretty Christmas tree ornament from Santorini which goes on the tree every year.

Tea towels, fridge magnets usually. Depends where we are. We brought a mask from Venice, a music box from Amalfi, a lovely painted bowl from Lake Garda. We also nicked a small stone from The Lakes of Killarney.

Glass Canada geese Christmas tree ornaments, from the Christmas Shop Niagara Falls. Handmade wooden bread knives and hand carved Canada goose from Muskoka, Huntsville, Ontario. Hand crafted box and hand made boomerang by Aboriginal crafters, koala bears (for grandchildren) Sydney, Australia. Perfumed oil, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Wooden dolls and Chinese costumes, Hong-Kong. Usual wine, oil etc. from France. A new born baby and pram from Amsterdam, Netherlands!!

A case full of dirty washing (and the correct C / GC when we have taken any)