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The family photos are lovely thought. Something they can add to their album and show off - a conversational piece. Chocolates melt in that kind of weather. Quality cocoa powder may be a better substitute. Towel and T-shirt take up space and if the cost is say $10 but freight $30, they can purchase quality stuff locally. I'm pretty sure you can't find lavender oil/essence and stuff like that not grown in Thailand. Do they have kids and how old are they? It would be much easier to prepare gifts if you are visiting them. Thai people are friendly and generous. I've yet to meet one who does not reciprocate when accepting gifts. If they're financially able, their frugal nature may find it wasteful to spend money on air-parcels, very different from the Americans.
p.s.: silk has special meaning to the Thais, Indians, Chinese, Koreans and Japanese.
That is interesting regarding the lavender oils. We live in Oregon and can purchase locally made lavender oils, wreaths, teas, etc. So you think this is something they might really appreciate? I love this idea, and it would ship well, I think, too.
I was given a nice dslr camera recently for my birthday, and so have been taking photos of our family and home here... where we live, etc. I actually used Walmart's photo print service to print out lots of the photos I've taken. It was very affordable and the quality was surprisngly good as well! It also just took one hour! I just uploaded the photos from home, paid from home, then went a picked them up in an hour. Sweet! Anyway - so I found some simple but nice frames for the photos and will send those.
I've 86'd the sending chocolates idea for reasons you all have mentioned as well as the fact that the chocolate I bought (from this company - Euphoria Chocolate Company, Your Piece of Paradise - really good stuff!) was discovered by my husband and boys while I was not home, and who quickly devoured them before I had a chance to explain that they were a gift for our Thai relatives! lol It was actually kind of sweet because they at least saved me a few pieces... Anyway - so chocolate is out...
What are you saying about silk? That it would make a good gift? Or would it be impolite for us to give them silk? I was wondering about this, actually, because just yesterday they sent us some photos (via email) and my husbands grandmother who is a really beautiful elderly Thai woman (she's probably in her 80's but she still looks so young), always has a beautiful silk scarf wrapped around her shoulders. From the new photos, too, my husband could tell that they no longer lived in the older home, but a newer and nicer home. There were some photos of their cars, too, which were newer models (Honda). So we no longer believe that they are poor. They used to live in a more rural area when my husband was still living overseas as a child and visiting them often, but now they live in the city, so that probably has made a difference, too.
I'm really enjoying the responses to this thread. Thank you all so much for offering your bits of wisdom and advice!
Oh and I forgot to add - yes in the family photos they sent us there were young boys, and girls who were probably in their late teens/early twenties. The rest are adults, male and female, in their 40's and older. So Disney is a good thing? We personally don't really like Disney, but if it's something they would like, I could totally get them Disney stuff!
Also - I'm thinking of sending them t-shirts and team gear for our home team - the Oregon Ducks! Go Ducks!
I was given a nice dslr camera recently for my birthday, and so have been taking photos of our family and home here... where we live, etc.
What are you saying about silk? That it would make a good gift?
HHE, a couple of thoughts here. Perhaps just sending a number of photos would be a good way to start out to get better acquainted and perhaps provide an opportunity to learn a bit more about them in order to decide what kind of gifts they'd enjoy and find useful. It really depends on how well you know them. You mentioned you thought they might be a bit poor, but I'm guessing you're not really sure what their financial circumstances are. Are they poor in relation to the locals? Or poor in comparison to what we regard as poor?
I'd say skip the silk. Thailand produces their own silk which is a bit different from the kind we're generally accustomed to seeing, usually from India or China. It's a little bit heavier and has a slightly different texture to it. While Thais don't necessarily snub foreign made silk products, they do tend to take more pride in Thai-made products.
Disney stuff is fine for young children and preteens, but not so much for older kids.
One thing you might think about for the youngsters are balls that flash lights and some make sound effects when their bounced. They're usually about the size of a tennis ball. The internal batteries will eventually give out, but they're loads of fun anyway.
Clothes can be a hassle unless you know what sizes will fit them. Makeup for the older girls and ladies can be useful though, as well as colognes and perfumes. No need for any high-priced stuff, just whatever smells good. Don't bother with bath products like bath beads or oils, since most Thais take showers.
Novel or cool keychains can be nice gifts for just about anyone. Wristwatches are also another good gift. Timex watches seem to be appreciated.
The point is don't go too overboard with things right now. Stick with low-cost things that are easy to ship. Give yourself more time to get better acquainted with them, and later on you can ask them what sort of things they might need or want.
NightBazaar pretty much covers it better than I could
Take it slow and easy and enjoy your friendship. The ideas of t-shirts and team gear for your home team - the Oregon Ducks! Go Ducks! is superb.
I would try to think like a Thai person and not burden the recipient of my gift. Perhaps in addition a token gift of lucky-money to the kids and their parents might mail me a Thai silk scarf/cravate when what I actually desire is Thai red curry paste.
edit: just read this "there were young boys, and girls who were probably in their late teens/early twenties."
Perhaps they are too old to receive good-luck money.
I have no idea what "good-luck money" is, nor would I be able to "think like a Thai person"... I'm your every day ordinary average American girl... but I do appreciate the tips!!
I've put everything in a box and before I seal it up I'm going to have the post office people look it over so I can be sure that everything I'm sending is kosher with them...
I ended up including:
- photos of us and our kids in nice but simple frames, and also a few photos in a small, simple, photo album that show where we live and our pets, etc. I also found a picture of my husbands mother that I took many years ago (and had forgotten about) before she died, holding her grandkids (our children). She is the daughter/sister of these Thai relatives, and they have never seen this picture, so I'm hoping that they like it. It's a great picture, everyone looks happy - even our youngest son who was a squirmy toddler at the time. I no longer have the negatives for this photo, so I scanned it and cleaned it up in photoshop (it's an old photo) and had it reprinted. Turned out really nice and looks great in the frame it's in.
- Ducks gear (a couple of hats, a few t-shirts, one Ducks basketball jersey that will fit the little boy we saw in the picture they sent us - he looks to be the same age/size as our youngest son so that helped )
- a wreath made from dried lavender and rose petals that is really pretty and smells really nice as well.
Now I get to see how much it's going to cost to ship these items. It's not heavy at all, and the box isn't that large, either, so hopefully it won't be more than a car payment!
I have no idea what "good-luck money" is, nor would I be able to "think like a Thai person"... I'm your every day ordinary average American girl... but I do appreciate the tips!!
I've put everything in a box and before I seal it up I'm going to have the post office people look it over so I can be sure that everything I'm sending is kosher with them...
I ended up including:
- photos of us and our kids in nice but simple frames, and also a few photos in a small, simple, photo album that show where we live and our pets, etc. I also found a picture of my husbands mother that I took many years ago (and had forgotten about) before she died, holding her grandkids (our children). She is the daughter/sister of these Thai relatives, and they have never seen this picture, so I'm hoping that they like it. It's a great picture, everyone looks happy - even our youngest son who was a squirmy toddler at the time. I no longer have the negatives for this photo, so I scanned it and cleaned it up in photoshop (it's an old photo) and had it reprinted. Turned out really nice and looks great in the frame it's in.
- Ducks gear (a couple of hats, a few t-shirts, one Ducks basketball jersey that will fit the little boy we saw in the picture they sent us - he looks to be the same age/size as our youngest son so that helped )
- a wreath made from dried lavender and rose petals that is really pretty and smells really nice as well.
Now I get to see how much it's going to cost to ship these items. It's not heavy at all, and the box isn't that large, either, so hopefully it won't be more than a car payment!
Sounds like good collectionto send off.
If the wreath is round, like the kind you see at Christmas, you might want to make it unround, or mass it together with no hole in the center. A lot of Thais think of a wreath as something intended for a funeral. My wife is a Thai.
sounds like a really nice and sweet care package...i'm sure your relatives will love and cherish your gifts!!!
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Chocolates melt in that kind of weather. Quality cocoa powder may be a better substitute. Towel and T-shirt take up space and if the cost is say $10 but freight $30, they can purchase quality stuff locally. I'm pretty sure you can't find lavender oil/essence and stuff like that not grown in Thailand. Do they have kids and how old are they? It would be much easier to prepare gifts if you are visiting them. Thai people are friendly and generous. I've yet to meet one who does not reciprocate when accepting gifts. If they're financially able, their frugal nature may find it wasteful to spend money on air-parcels, very different from the Americans.
