<p>Im a current student at your son’s future school. I gave my host family nice chocolates and American brand alcohol. While I wouldn’t suggest alcohol because of the NSLI-Y rules, American brands of chocolate are expensive here and considered high quality. I would suggest not buying any big-city American tourist kitsch because there are bargain markets here that reproduce even American college shirts for a fraction of the price. I’m a new yorker, and I’ve seen so many people here wearing NYPD hats who probably have no idea what it stands for. If your son is willing to go out of the way before meeting his host family, picking up fresh flowers would be a nice gesture. Also, any local snacks from where you live (ex: salt water taffy) that is easily portable and stays well would be a good idea (we call them xiao chi here and host families love to put them out to eat along with fresh fruit usually). I would highly recommend not giving them red envelopes as it would likely embarass them. I would also suggest bringing small gifts for friends the first few days in the dorms, like your favorite snack from America, some English magazines or books to lend out. If you’d like any more information please feel free to get in touch with me on this site!</p>