What would be an appropriate gift to give the important people at court? I found something kind of cool that I'm thinking about giving out to some of the performers and the court at CRF but it's really only appropriate for females. I'd like to give something to the King and Mayor also so they're not left out but I'm at a loss as to what to give them.
A coin. The Order provided one to his majesty King Henry VIII during opening weekend of GARF 2010.
I think a gift that represents you or your Faire persona is one choice. Last year I gave PARF's Good Queen Bess (Kelly Morris) a Royal Bubbler, which was a replica of one given to Queen Victoria by a Maharaja to celebrate Her being named Empress of India. Her Majesty was most appreciative and made it a point the rest of the season to visit Her Bubble Wright in the lanes.
In terms of what they'll appreciate? Damned near anything. In terms of what they can carry? Something small. Lots of nobility don't have pouches or purses, and if they do happen to have something, it's probably full of other stuff. I've seen the king at MDRF have to deal with this problem - people will give him something, and he has no place to put it, and given his schedule, he can't just duck backstage and drop it off somewhere.
Will, that's a good point that I hadn't considered. The gifts I have for females should be pretty small already. I'll keep that in mind for the King and Mayor.
A few years ago, my husband Steve made his famous chocolate chip cookies (he's a chef; I don't cook!). We made gift bags for several of our favorite performers and gave the bags to them. The next weekend at faire, they all came up and thanked us profusely for them. Since many of them live in RVs or tents, they don't always have access to home baked goods, so they really appreciated this gift.
Lady Renee, what a wonderful, thoughtful, and tastey idea! Home baked treats are almost always appreciated and you don't have to pack them up later. :D
What we give are usually personalized for the recipient but small is the key word just because of storage limitations for cast and performers.
Necklaces
charm bracelets
small gems
replica coins
etc...