6 months ago my family moved to Heidelberg, Germany. This summer I am going home for a few weeks and I can see my friends and family. I would really love to bring them back little gifts that are not to touristy, but are clearly from Europe. Please nothing to do with beer, though, because these will be for 13-14 year olds.
Posted by
Chicago/Rural WI
811 posts
Maybe some boxes of Studentenkuss?
Posted by
New York, NY, 10025
392 posts
My favorite gifts for the people back home are always things they can consume--tea, chocolate, etc. I bet in Germany you can find great chocolate that people at home can't get. And who really needs more knickknacks?
Posted by
Calgary
2297 posts
yup, my kids always ask for treats from Germany. Chocolate is good, Hanuta/Knoppers ... Or those Haribo Party packs, all those different little ones. And good licorice, especially Lakritzschnecken !!! I just go to Aldi and stock up ;-)
Posted by
Virginia, USA
5850 posts
I definitely agree with the chocolates and candy for the kids (and even the adults :) One other hit with my adult family members was mustard in a tube. I brought back some Lowensenf that I got in the grocery store and everyone liked this.
Posted by
Frankfurt, Germany
9220 posts
Soccer stuff, from either a local team or the German National team. Since the European Championships just finished, there should be a lot of this still around. Hats, tee shirts, scarves, etc. Tee shirts with the Berlin Ampelman on them are a good gift too. It might sound touristy, but I see lots of Germans wearing them too.
Posted by
OP
Heidelberg
2 posts
thank you for all your great ideas...i really appreciate it! Everyone who has visited so far has loved the candy and chocolate, so I'm sure they will love them, i will pick some up today :)
Posted by
Boulder, CO, USA
719 posts
Chocolates and Candy usually go far, but I'm not a major sweets person. When my sister moved to Germany (I was about 16), I wanted her to bring me back a Nutcracker. It was "authentically German" in my opinion. I'm really into my German Heritage, so this made sense for me, maybe not so much for your family. She also brought me a cuckoo clock, and a smoker (little incense man, not a Weber...) which I loved as well.
My advice would be to stick with gifts that are distinctly German, which everything mentioned to this point has been. Good Luck!