It's always nice to bring something special from where you live. If you live in wine country, bring some local wine. We had some special rice floating around Arkansas for a while, so I brought some of that to a Xmas party in Tennessee once.

A friend of mine makes organic seasoned olive oil, and it makes a wonderful gift. She grows everything except the olives, and it's lovely to eat and beautiful to see.

You can go and buy all that stuff in any gourmet or gift shop, but it would mean more if you can say, "My friend made this" or "this is only grown in my area".

Karen