A gift that lasts a lifetime

In our post modern, consumer-driven, materialist, secretly-controlled-by-Simon-Cowell society, the true meaning of Christmas can all too easily be lost underneath a mountain of sparkly, torn gift wrap. While craving an entire list worth’s of goods and treats all of December, most of us, on the day itself, are simply left with a dulling mountain of anticlimax. As well as horrible indigestion and a slight sense of annoyance that we have to shift things around on our shelves again to accommodate a few stockings full of shampoos we’ll never use, eye shadows which will be left to one day explode in the bottom of a make-up bag, technology which will go out of date faster than the egg nog and CDs which are fated never to be played. Even those truly longed for gifts will be forgotten  and by mid January you’ll be throwing that expensive leather jacket on the floor of your wardrobe, along with last year’s pined-for stilettos.

If you want to avoid the hangover of all this materialistic guilt, there’s probably no better way than to really give. By that we mean making sure that your Christmas involves more helping others than it does turkey sandwiches. Here are our top five ideas on how to help.

Donation Gifts

Both Oxfam International and Christian Aid run these schemes. Instead of spending £20 on an over priced, blindingly glitzy gift, give the money to a charity, and choose what you want them to spend it on. We particularly love the idea of helping out the sisterhood – £17 helps Oxfam keep young girls in school by paying for education schemes and facilities, while a weightier €100 pays for Christian Aid to help young women catch up on missed education. You make the donation in the name of your friend, mother, father, brother, sister etc, and they receive a thankyou card from the charity – in Oxfam’s case, they also get a magnet – as well as the warm feeling that somewhere in the world, someone is really getting a worthwhile gift. Only Scrooge himself could be disappointed with such a present.

Wrap up the rainforest!

A “Green Gift”

A perfect thing to give to a child. Babies really don’t appreciate the fiftieth rattle they receive, and neither do their already overcluttered parents. By buying a slice of the rainforest or coral reef you’re preserving the planet for those who will have to deal with it later on. $50 gets you a piece of land as well as a certificate, magnet set, map and fact sheet. At a little less, £30 enables you to adopt an animal from Born Free. What could give a child more joy than to know they’ve got their very own baby leopard?

Ethical Gifts

If you still want something for your loved one to unwrap on Christmas day, there are loads of ethical presents you can buy. Fairtrade chocolates are a perfect gift, and can be found in most charity shops, and most large supermarkets, as well as on ethicalsuperstore.com. Oxfam does a particularly nice range of fair trade ornaments and toiletries, but as a gift, we love wearsthetrousers.com’s tribute album to the recently departed Odetta. Beautiful Star is a tribute to the Queen of Folk and all proceeds are to go towards women’s rights, being split between Fawcett and The Women’s Resource Centre.

Simple Donations

Instead of treating yourself to that guilty tin of chocolates you picked up whilst shopping, why not give any excess Christmas cash to charity? In particular, your money would be best spent helping others have a merry Christmas. The season is particularly hard for the homeless, abused women and the mentally ill. Paris’s homeless charity Samu Social accepts donations throughout the year, and London women’s shelter Eaves is currently seeking donations of chocolates, toiletries and gifts to hand out to their residents on Christmas day. Mental health helplines such as the Samaritans are often particularly busy throughout Christmas and the New Year, and need donations to help them run.

Give the gift of time

Give Your Time

It would take no-one short of a saint to spend Christmas day doling out soup, but it’s hardly a sacrifice to commit to being more charitable in the New Year. The biggest gift you’ll probably ever give is yourself. There are thousands of charities and volunteer organisations crying out for help, donations and volunteers. Come January, get yourself down to your local shelter, charity shop or volunteer centre and lend a hand. Donate those unwanted gifts whilst you’re down there – that godawful reindeer jumper from Gran isn’t going to be sniffed at down at the animal shelter.