That link says you can bring (dried) dates in.

Yes it does.

And mmm they are really tasty

1 parcel yesterday with Christmas Cake and Christmas Pudding and then a parcel of chocolate today

The cake looks lovely...it must have cost a lot to ship the cake and pudding.

My mother sent a few small parcels, some clothes and toys for the girls, some clothes for the missus, a tin of M/S shortbread, a box of chocolates, some cuppa soups, some lemon sip, some noodles a friend from Japan gave her and a couple of quid to buy something for the girls as the missus gets exchange free at work.

Forget to send me a gift for Christmas mind

It wasn't too bad actually, around 15gbp. My FIL told me he was advised when he ordered it we would have to pay $20 import duty when it was delivered, but the delivery guy just left the parcel on the doorstep

Somebody has been telling him porkies. You are allowed to received $100 of goods per day before import duty is applicable.

http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/va...kbyg/gifts.xml

I thought that too, but it clearly states on their website for ALL goods. I also noticed Thorntons are now doing international delivery and on there website it says $10 for ALL goods. They obviously have it wrong, but you think they would get their facts straight so as not to put customers off ordering.

The only way to know for sure is to check on that country's official gov website. UK stores and the Post Office can't know the import limits for all countries.

Are any of you fans of items from Boots? I know it's just a drugstore chain, but as a pale girl their cosmetics I've found to be superior to anything else I can find. That's what I've stocked up on in the UK as I can never find the same products at Target.

CVS stock some Boots products too. I like there body butters and some of their makeup

I thought they didn't anymore, do they still? Everytime I've bought a cosmetics product in the UK I can't find it in the US. UK cosmetics are good for an American girl of Scandinavian/British descent - it's the right palette.

Our local Target doesn't have a great selection compared to the one in our old town.

I do like the mens line of face scrubs and after shave cream and the missus really likes the toner.