Dec 5

Dec 5 The best charity Christmas gifts 2019

The thing with Christmas being an annual event ‘n all, is that writing about it can run the risk of becoming a bit, well, repetitive. (And believe me, I know all there is to know about Christmas repetition after 15 years as a magazine editor)

Around about this time last year I wrote a (actually rather good, though I do say so myself) blog about ways to cut down on the materialistic excess of Christmas present exchanging, and instead giving your loved ones gifts that are as beneficial as they are joyful.

Trying not to repeat myself

So before embarking on this year’s rendition of ‘Christmas-presents-that-are-more-than-just-stuff’, I would just say that everything I wrote last year still stands, both in terms of the gifts themselves (all prices correct at time of going to press) and the mountains of wrapping, so much of which ends up in landfill.

But not necessarily succeeding

Of course, I would also repeat (oh, oh) that one of the many, many joys of Christmas (decorations, excessive quantities of twinkly lights, silly games, too much food/chocolates/TV being just some of the others) is giving presents to the people you love, to show them just how much you care about them.

So in that heart-felt spirit, I’ve rounded up some of what I think are the best, and hopefully for the most part slightly unusual, gifts that will not only bring joy to the recipient but fill the coffers of some very deserving charities at the same time. And if that’s not a Christmas win-win, I don’t know what is.

This first one will go on giving in all manner of ways.

Deliciously sweet and mellow Queen Cox apples

Buy the bare root of a Queen Cox apple tree from Blue Cross For Pets for just £22, and you’ll not only be providing the charity with all the money from the profits to support their work caring for more than 40,000 pets a year, but giving your loved one the gift of an annual crop of deliciously sweet apples for years to come.

All the profits from the sales of these lovely little White Stuff Made For Change canvas bags, £4.99 each, go towards funding scholarships for the children of the workers in India who make them. So far the company has funded over 1300 of these scholarships. You can read more about the White Stuff’s admirable charitable work here

You can choose the colour of both the bottle and the lid of these Refill X Chilly’s flask bottles

For every one of these Refill X Chilly’s reusable flask bottles sold, they will donate £10 to City to Sea in their work to reduce plastic pollution. The bottles, which keep the contents hot, for up 12 hours, or cold for up to 24 hours, come in a wide range of colours and are personalisable (is that even a word?) They start at £20.

This delightful structure is actually an Insect Hotel (who knew there was even such a thing). It provides accommodation for wild bees, earwigs, ladybirds, butterflies and lacewings, so they can nest and hibernate in environments created for their needs, and continue their crucial pollination and pest control functions in your garden. It costs £24.99 and all the profits go towards the invaluable work done by Marie Curie supporting terminally ill people in their homes.

Designer Vivienne Westwood modelling the t-shirt she created to support Cool Earth

Whilst I absolutely appreciate it’s more than possible to have far too many t-shirts, the ‘Save The Rainforest’ message on this one - modelled here by its creator, Vivienne Westwood - and the fact that money from the sales go towards Cool Earth to contribute towards their efforts working with local communities to halt deforestation and tackle climate change, make the £25 more than worthwhile.

Wednesday’s Child is a charity that supports people experiencing an eating disorder and those helping care for them. Their Little Wednesday wellbeing gift boxes, £25, make a lovely present for anyone, whether they’re struggling with eating issues or not.

The Little Wednesday gift boxes come in female….

And better still, they do ones for boys/men as well as girls/women

Of course, I couldn’t forget our four-legged loved ones. Here’s one for them

Treat your furry friends to this funky treat tin

What’s not to love about this fun treat tin which is on sale in aid of the great work done by the Dogs Trust and is currently reduced to £11.99. A treat in more ways than one!

The elephant Bento Box is sold in aid of the NSPCC

This cheerful children’s Bento Box (it’s a lunch box with compartments), costs £6.99, makes a great gift and raises money for the NSPCC Here’s what it looks like opened up.

Here’s what all the components look like opened up

On a slightly different, but still conscious-of-doing-good, tack, here are a couple of great gifts that are made from recycled products.

Would you believe this stylish belt, which costs £29.99, is made from recycled bike tyres? No, me neither! You’ll find it at Protecttheplanet which has lots of other unusual, fun gifts made from lots of other unexpected recycled products.

I wonder if you can guess what this cheery chap started life as?

It was a steel oil drum! Comprehensively remodelled into this lively sculpture, he’s now on sale for £15 by the National Trust.

And finally, because it would be a shame to finish off all that thoughtful present giving with wrapping that won’t rot, here are some lovely recycled - and recyclable - wrapping papers (£13.90 for 13 sheets with gift tags from Amazon) so that your gifts are as kind to the recipients as they are to the planet

And don’t forget that it’s more than possible to make good old, eco-friendly brown paper look invitingly Christmassy too, with the addition of reusable string and some natural embilishments