This year we will almost certainly celebrate a Christmas that is very different from the previous ones. Probably without big family celebrations, as in many regions only 2 or 3 households can meet. Fewer traffic jams and hardly any travelling. Closed shops. Canceled Christmas markets and class reunions. Many people will spend Christmas in solitude this year. Many in mourning. Many in hospital. Many in poverty. For this reason this year we should think more than ever about what we want to give. Giving health, wellness and solidarity – this year this is more important than ever.
No matter who the present is for, our family, our friends, a detail for a colleague, our children’s teachers or maybe even for ourselves – there is a huge selection of small and large gifts with which we can make others happy and do good at the same time.
Giving Health
Health is probably the number one topic this year. The pandemic has presented us with challenges we could never have imagined. On the one hand, there are the people who have been infected with COVID-19, who are in the emergency room or who are suffering from the consequences of the disease, some of them severe. On the other hand, there are also all those people who cannot get an appointment for important examinations due to overcrowded doctors’ surgeries and hospitals. One more reason to pay special attention to our health and to actively foster it.
Healthy gifts are also a good idea this year. How about a basket of delicious and healthy products? Vegetables, fruit, selected pasta, oils and the like? What about a good wine from the great little shop around the corner that is struggling with all those Corona restrictions? Or a voucher for a visit to the osteopath, a back massage or a visit to the salt cave?
There are also products that can help strengthen our immune system or support recovery from various ailments. One example are the ABC packs from RINGANA, which build us up with vitamins and minerals. But there are also various other products that can help us, for example, to improve sleep, circulation or joint pain.
Giving Wellness
A SPA voucher is often an idea that women in particular appreciate. If this is not possible in these difficult times, we can at least give away a little SPA feeling. There are many sustainable products that are ideal for this. At RINGANA, for example, there is the soap, or the bath oil (the latter only available around this time of the year). Lip or hand balm are also great and useful details in the cold season. I have put together some of my favorite products in another post. Also, a whole range of great gift packages around wellness and cosmetics for different types of persons can be found here. Just go ahead and browse, you will surely find something!
You don’t know what your friend would appreciate the most? How about a voucher so that she can choose her favorite products herself?
If you’d rather make something yourself, you can get various suggestions on the internet. Bath salts, peelings, face masks – the agony of choice! Nicely packaged, it will certainly be very much appreciated!
Giving Solidarity
The pandemic has pushed more people into poverty than ever before. Countless people have lost their jobs, and funds for many aid programmes have been cut. More than ever, the poorest people need our support. What if this year,more than ever, we focused on the real Christmas message and the premises of solidarity and mercy?
Many foundations, non-governmental organizations or even local aid communities offer gifts of solidarity. For example, depending on the amount, you can buy bracelets, refrigerator magnets, cloth bags, biscuits or similar items. The contribution paid is used for solidarity purposes, be it to support families at risk of poverty, research into diseases or the education of disadvantaged children. A great selection of ideas can be found here. Here you can find gifts such as T-shirts designed by children in Tanzania (the funds will be used for their school), footballs produced without child labor or fair jewellery, but also other creative and unusual ideas.
If you live in Spain, have a look at this guide from Mammaproof. You will find a hand-picked selection of beautiful gifts for the whole family produced by small local shops. From toys to sustainable clothing and complements, baby carriers and gourmet baskets to family workshops, … you will for sure feel inspired!
And for the kids?
Last but not least, many gifts we buy are for the kids, right? As just mentioned, for readers in Spain I definitely recommend to have a look at this Mammaproof guide with locally produced gifts, sustainable toys, books and other details for children. A great selection of fair presents for kids can also be found here. Very nice sustainable gifts from Germany can be bought for example at mehr-grün or at Waschbär, and utopia has put together a collection with several links for wonderful ecological and fair presents. There is an endless choice of great and sustainable gifts for the smallest – you just need to decide!
So, noted down some ideas? I hope you find this post useful, and wish you a lot of fun while browsing and despite the current circumstances a Happy Advent and Christmas season!
