Gift ideas for my mum visiting from the U.S. - Germany

So, my mum is coming to visit soon. She'll arrive on Friday, 28 March and will be staying until the 4th of April. I haven't seen her since the end of June last year (the 29th, to be exact) and since she's never been to Germany (or out of the United States), I want to get her a little something to introduce her to my life here. Since I'm living in Schleswig-Holstein, I got her a book (in English) over S-H's most famous towns, but I want to give her something truly German that she can take back with her. She'll most likely take a ton of photos while she's here, so I don't want to give her any photographs. I need to make sure that she has something that won't be taken from her by customs once she's back in the US, by the way. Any ideas?

I forget the brand name but there was this really good marzipan that is produced in Luebeck. When I lived in Schleswig-Holstein, I took some back to the U.S. as presents. Candy is not a problem with customs/ag rules.

Ah, yeah, I didn't even think about marzipan! There's an arko store right in the next town that sells that along with a few other sweets, so I'll probably pick some of that up the next time I'm in Preetz (yep, I live in boring old Kreis Ploen). She's a bit picky about candy, though, since she's been on a diet since I left... but I'll get her some anyway! Anyone else got any ideas?

Niederegger is the brand of marzipan you're thinking of, Viennamom. Lots of Americans don't like marzipan at all though.

Other suggestions have been collected here:

Good gifts and presents from Germany

Suggested gifts to take to the UK from Germany

Gifts to take back home from Saxony

Don't give her a damned Cuckoo Clock (wrong end of the country for a start).

How about some traditional needlework, such as table linen/cushion covers? Or some other traditional crafts made in your area? A CD of local folk music? If she likes to cook, how about a book of local recipes? Does your mum live near the ocean? If not, maybe she'd be interested in some kind of souvenir that reflects Schleswig-Holstein's proximity to the sea.

how about a cock-coo clock? a really nice ine, but is small enough to take home as hand luggage?

Another idea would be Birkenstock shoes/sandals. They can be purchased in the U.S. but they are much more expensive there. (For example, I bought my Birkenstock Arizonas for something like 50 euros in Germany-- I saw the same shoes in my hometown selling for over 100 dollars.)

Germans tend to wear them more as houseshoes and Americans tend to wear them as street shoes. My German host mom was horrified when she saw me wearing my Birk clogs to go to class!

Something else-- really small- but what about curry ketchup? I know you can get it all over in Germany and I've never seen it in the U.S.

What about a cookbook in English that introduces local specialities (stuff like Rote Greuze)?

How about a Weihnachtspyramide (Christmas pyramid) from the Erzgebirge? I know that's nowhere near Schleswig-Holstein, but they use that decoration all over Germany.

Thanks for all of the suggestions! Keep 'em coming.

I've read some good ideas on here and I'll be sure to keep them in mind. I like the ideas about the marzipan, curry ketchup and recipe books... she's a picky person, so she's hard to buy for. Also, about the Birkenstock shoes, that's also a good idea to keep in mind when I drag her to Kiel. She's supposedly bringing another small suitcase for items she'll buy here, so I'll recommend the shoes to her.

As for the Cuckoo Clocks... I think she would just laugh her ass off if I bought her one of those things and store it away in the attic when she got home.

I think there's a Birk outlet in Neustadt, if I remember right.

You could get her a Wolpertinger http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolpertinger

I'm sure it would look grand on top of the telly!!

My bullshit alarm was going off the charts on this one. I can find birkenstocks cheaper in MN than here. Not a problem. Though my last pair were bought in D.C., also cheaper than here. (I love sales)

A Weihnachtspyramide (Christmas pyramid) or even a Wolpertinger sounds like better presents to me. How about friesengeist? Good stuff.

Marzipan from Luebeck sounds good. How about copies of those German westerns from Bad Segeberg? LOL

I'm a cheapskate, and also realize that people don't want to be ladened down with souvenir junk they don't really want.

Therefore, I'm a big fan of a) going on Ebay and finding a historic postcard of a point of interest and buying it b) buying a drugstore picture frame and c) presenting the finished product as a gift. 99% probability that it will be a) appreciated and b) actually hung up in the guest bathroom.

This works for locals, too! Forget the bottle of wine at the gas station. Just double-check for political correctness ;-)

Nevermind, go with Expaticus's suggestion...classy AND cheap.

What about kitchen knives from Solingen or other stuff from WMF?

Or if your Mum likes cooking you could get her a Spätzlehobel (no idea of the english translation) http://www.edelstahl-in-bestform.de/shop-1...nd-pressen.html

One of those Nussknacker men thingies might be nice too. Only problem is though, to be able to crack a walnut you have to get one of the biggest ones!! I have no idea what size nuts the smaller ones crack, the mouth part where the nut gets cracked isn't very big...

Why not try to give her nice memorys from the trip, if she likes opera you could go to Eutiner-festspiele

Well, in my experience, Birks are half the price in Germany than they were in the college town in the U.S. where I lived right before I went off to study in Germany. I'm sure there are deals to be had-- I just haven't personally run across them. Also some of the selection is different. I have seen some colors, patterns, textiles, etc. of Birks here that I haven't seen in the States.

Considering the bad exchange rate if you're going from dollars to euros, it might be a nice gift to your mom if you are able to pick up some of her expenses while she's visiting!

I second the recommendation about Eutin (Rosenstadt Eutin!) Go for a meal and a brew in the brauhaus. I think there's also some sort of sightseeing/leisure boat right there on the Eutiner See-- maybe you and your mom would enjoy a nice boat ride while having a coffee and a slice of cake. A relaxing way to spend the afternoon.

Even though the Holstein cow is Dutch and not German; you could play off the state name and pick up one of those Kuhstimme. Well, it's a stretch, but even so, Kuhstimme are awesomely kühl. Amazon even has a Milchtüte mit Kuhstimme for extra kühlness.

Or those Weihnachtspyramide are pretty nice.

Do you know how bloody cold it will be during Easter?
Possibly you can go skating on the lakes.
Visiting S-H that early is not a good idea. I would not recommend anybody to visit S-H before May.
A good idea would be the last full week in June ->Kieler Woche

Blatant, just blatant self publicity, I'm sorry.

What about one of my pictures? Click here to visit my website...

:-) Derek

Teddy bear from Steiff
Local football team trikot
Something with the city's coat of arms on it
Chocolates are always good!

Its not THAT cold. True the neighbour's pond has a coating of ice but I saw a sparrow fall in when it tried to walk on the ice...
IIRC The Alster (lake in middle of Hamburg) has only frozen twice enough to be walked on in my long stay here...


Last year it was roasting hot in April... Am taking no bets for this year...

Why not a bottle of Helbing Kümmel?

Or mayby a trip som of the islands, Helgoland, Sylt or Borkum? or some of the towns on the north coast?

Ps or a FC St Pauli T-shirt with bones and skull