Christmas gift for Host family

Take the family out to dinner.

Assuming you are from Cincinnati, something the area is known for, or some Bourbon from across the river in Kentucky.

If a visitor from overseas were to invite me in my home town to Christmas dinner, I would feel embarrassed, because I would feel it was my duty as a host to provide a Christmas meal together and I would have arranged this long ago. Quite apart from the fact that as a visitor you hardly know a suitable restaurant and that the good ones are already fully booked. Just bring something typical from your home country with you.

If you are coming from Ohio, bring something typical from there. Please, not booze, not everyone drinks.

Something from the Hofbräuhaus in Newport.

Just kidding.

Our friends at Jack Daniels make bourbon balls and chocolate bourbon truffles. The B&B owner at the place I stay in Berlin loves the latter.

Thank you for the suggestions!!! I appreciate the feedback.

Have you thought about bringing some Cincy food? You can go to Skyline and get some cans of chili, spaghetti and oyster crackers (maybe - I guess I'd check first). I don't think you'd be able to bring the shredded cheese, though. :-)

I would also think about bringing some swag or gear from FC Cincinnati, especially considering how well they're doing.

Or maybe something from the Reds or the Bengals? Even UC gear might be fun for them. Oh, what about Rookwood Pottery? They have some gorgeous pieces and because of its history in Cincinnati, it might be interesting. For that matter, you could just go to OTR and start shopping there. There are so many wonderful and local shops with interesting items.

Or there's the Taft Museum or the art museum; both of which have wonderful gift shops with unique items.

Now you're making me homesick. :-)

Mardee’s suggestions are brilliant!

If you’re staying in someone’s home for 3 or more nights, it is extremely appropriate to take them out to dinner. Just ask them what their favorite restaurant is and say you would like to take them there for dinner. Or, if you’re out and about with them during the day, pay for 1-2 lunches. Very polite and appropriate thing to do.

But that does not fall under the Christmas Gift category. It’s just being a good guest in someone’s home. An actual Christmas gift is still appropriate. The children are easy, they always love getting candy…

It is not clear to me about these "new friends" who you will visiting.

If they are indeed people that you have met or been introduced to and they are right away inviting you to their family home for Christmas then all the above comments are all perfectly valid.

If, on the other hand, these are people who you are staying with over Christmas as a consequence of staying with them as part of a WWOOFing project or renting part of their house through Airbnb or similar, then you are their customer in a business relationship, not their friends, and hostess gifts and Christmas presents aren't needed as part of the deal... Just my opinion, of course.

Mardee’s suggestions are brilliant!

Aw, thanks, Susan! It helps that I lived in Cincinnati most of my life. 😊

Thank you Susan. I used sort of the broadest definition of "for Christmas" as it didnt occur to me that someone would invite strangers for Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.

I shy away for gifts. The booze would be good, but is mom in a 12 step program? The athletic gear great, but what size? The candy sounds amazing, but do mom and dad permit? Hometown Local food is certainly a novelty, but any dietary issues? "New" friends. How about sitting across the table and getting to know each other? Then next year all of the above.

But when I do know the people I bring Texas Armadillo Turd candy. Sometimes Colorado Bear Poop candy for the kids. Mom and dad I take out for drinks.. Everyone gets American toilet paper.

Oh, if its an AirBnb host I bring or buy locally the most expensive piece of original art I can afford .....

Growing up, my family always welcomed friends, or friends of friends (ie, people we didn’t directly know), to stay at Christmas (Christmas Eve/Christmas Day). Not unusual at all for me. The more the merrier. We always exchanged small, not expensive, generic gifts with them.

OP, how about a nice scarf for each adult and American candy for the kids.
Easy to pack and scarves are always useful. Germany is cold in the winter.

The only American candy I would bring would be the Buckeyes from Ohio or some maple sugar candy.

Perhaps some Amish made products since Ohio has the largest Amish population and they are all basically German?

Most kids like candy, any candy, lol.

Perhaps some Amish made products since Ohio has the largest Amish population and they are all basically German?

That's a good ideas as well. If you live in Cincinnati, I would imagine you know of the large Amish population about an hour east of Cincinnati in Adams County. There are a number of Amish shops there, including one right off Rt. 32 in Seaman (Yoder's Bakery and Furniture) and several others that are down in Wheat Ridge (near the Murphin Ridge Inn). They have all kinds of interesting gifts--mostly wooden items handmade by the Amish, but also lots of old-fashioned candy and so on.