Let’s get giving: Christmas gift ideas with a difference
Sometimes at Christmas, the enjoyment of giving gifts can outweigh the pleasure of receiving them – especially when half the time you end up with five pairs of socks and a book you already own. But that enjoyment only comes when you find a really good gift to give, which applies a new pressure to the Christmas shopping scenario. Additionally, giving good presents is seemingly getting harder and harder each year, especially when like us, you want to be environmentally responsible and not have to buy a bunch of stuff wrapped in single-use plastic.
The obvious answer is to move away from material gifts, but that can be a much tougher task. Luckily for you, we’re here to save the (Christmas) day! So enjoy perusing our collection of eco-friendly, feel good and, quite frankly, brilliant gift ideas.
Adopt an animal
The WWF, among other charities, offers the opportunity to adopt a wide range of endangered animals, from dolphins to pandas, to help give them a better future. At a cost of only £3 a month, adopting an animal in the name of a friend or family member can be the perfect gift for all the animal lovers out there. Plus, they’ll get a cuddly toy of the animal they’ve adopted, and who doesn’t want that?!
Pile of poo gift card
Stay with us on this one. Oxfam’s ‘Pile of poo’ gift card helps to provide training to those living in poverty on how they can grow more food to eat and sell through eco-friendly composting. By giving this gift card to someone, they can be happy in the knowledge that they have helped change the lives of people less fortunate than themselves. The fact that they’ll get a bit of a shock upon opening the present is just an added bonus.
Zero-waste cosmetics
In the last few years, the number of cruelty free and sustainable cosmetic options has dramatically increased (thankfully). One of the best choices for gifting is Caro’s Creams zero-waste cosmetics kit. Containing a range of products, including lip balm, face creams and bath bombs, the ingredients of all of the kit’s cosmetics are 100% organic. In addition, a large part of the production process uses solar energy and the packaging is completely plastic free. This is the perfect gift to pamper the eco-conscious people in your life.
Bubble kit
Looking for something more child friendly? Dr Zigs is a family business that specialises in eco-friendly, low plastic, palm-oil free bubble kits. On top of the environmental aspects, the company uses a portion of its income helping orphanages and refugee camps through its Bubble not Bombs project. The bubbles themselves are also great fun and look magical in cold weather too.
Carbon dioxide removal
Reducing our carbon footprint is becoming more and more important. A voucher for carbon dioxide removal certainly isn’t the most glamorous of gifts, but at a time of the year when each person generates an additional 650kg of CO₂, it’s one of the most sustainable presents going. Climeworks operates machines which physically remove CO₂ from the air using direct air capture technology. The Climeworks air-captured carbon dioxide is returned to earth and stored permanently away for millions of years. That’s a pretty impressive gift in our eyes!
Conservation funding wine
Let’s be honest, for many of us having a drink is an important part of the holiday festivities. Well one alcoholic gift, Provence rosé by Sea Change, will make both you and the recipient feel less guilty about getting through a few bottles this Christmas. Every bottle sold of Sea Change’s award-winning wine helps fund ocean conservation projects, and is also shipped and delivered using low-waste packaging. So that’s the present sorted for your wine connoisseur.
Charity donation
Why not give in a different way this Christmas? Donating to a charity in the name of a loved one, particularly to a cause they’re passionate about, is a great way to spread some joy this winter. Through the Toucan app, you can discover a wealth of charities that cover a wide range of causes and donate to them in a simple, accessible and hassle-free manner. Quite simply, Toucan puts the power to be a hero in your hands, whoever or whatever you wish to support.
