… and I hope they won’t get weighed at check-in.

One of the flipsides of having a big family is that whenever I go someplace that’s not my workplace, I’m expected to bring souvenirs. Now, not only have I somewhat run out of gift ideas – not everbody finds NYC mini mugs as thrilling as I do -, I find it particularly difficult to find souvenirs for those in my family who are well beyond their best-before-dates a little older and culturally more conservative than me.

One of my grandmothers hinted at liking the silk scarves I brought her from the past half a dozen trips (creative, I know), so I set out on my quest to find her another. Problem is she only wears beige. At all times. No exceptions. No off-white. No cream-white. No pastel rose. No taupe. No sand. Just plain beige. No patterns in such striking colours like, uh, black, red, dark green, and, Golemforbid, blue allowed. Eventually, I found one beige silk scarf that is printed in three shades of beige. Heureka!

The other grandma’s getting a blouse by Kenneth Cole. Just because she’s 80 doesn’t mean she’s got to dress as if she were ready to go, does it?

So, unless you want to keep me from travelling during both my grandmothers’ lifetimes, I’d appreciate a few suggestions on souvenirs for elderly ladies (in their eighties) that neither require understanding a foreign language, dusting (the above-mentioned grandmother won’t put up any decoration as they might catch dust), or intense chewing.

And how is all of that Jewlicious? Well, grandmothers are.

About the author

froylein

8 Comments

  • Lisa, I agree tea can be a nice trinket, but my sister brought just that from her trip to the north (where tea is a traditional beverage and quality teas are anything but cheap). All she received as a response was scorn, so I suppose the old ladies are more demanding than is polite.

    Something makes me think that Muffti’s and my grandmothers wouldn’t exactly get along.

    Yael, the one that only wears beige knits a lot, but she only knits scarf so awful that even a fashion-courageous person would do as I do, namely hide them in a trunk with spare cloth, curtains etc. on the attic. My other grandma hasn’t knitted since the tremor caused by Parkinson’s Disease set in. Alas, neither of them has got any real hobbies.

  • Muffti likes a (very old) lady who’s always prepared.

  • okay, this may sound really lame but won’t cost you $25 for a second checked piece of luggage. in a word: tea. bubbies love it. and you can go gonzo and do the just made especially for you hand blended varieties.