Kerala Christmas Gifts Abroad

What travels best

• Plum cake from a bakery, fully baked and sealed, keeps well and is the easiest to send.
• Achappam, kuzhalappam and other fried snacks in sealed packs. Homemade achappam can have a short shelf life, a week to ten days by one maker's count, so bake it close to sending.
• Stars, cribs and decorations made of paper, plastic or metal. Avoid dried plant material for Australia and New Zealand.
• Christmas clothes and gifts from Kerala shops, sent in the same box.

What each country says

• Australia. Cakes are allowed for personal use if fully cooked, shelf stable and without meat; other cakes need a check. Whole eggs are not allowed. Christmas decorations with plant material, such as pine cones and moss, are among the items most often destroyed.
• Canada. CFIA allows bakery products that contain no meat for personal use, up to 20 kg, but not eggs or egg products from outside the US.
• UK. GOV.UK lists cakes without fresh cream, biscuits and confectionery among foods allowed from any country.
• USA. FDA exempts from prior notice food made by an individual at home and sent by that individual as a personal gift. Bought food sent as a gift is not covered by that exemption.
• UAE. Personal food allowances apply; sealed sweets and cakes are the simplest.

We have not found a rule written specifically for rum-soaked plum cake in any of these countries. Declare it as cake.

When to send

Our typical door-to-door transit is 5 to 12 days, and December is the busiest month of the year for every courier. Aim to have parcels with us by early December. Order from different Kerala bakeries and shops to your India Rabbit address and everything goes in one box, packed so the cake does not crush the stars.

See also: sending gifts from India and sending food from India.