Christmas Gifts With Charity in Mind: Vote With your Money

Author: Elisha Burberry

The Christmas decorations are beginning to appear in high street shop windows, festive songs start to surf the radio airwaves and the ‘number of shopping days till Christmas’ countdown begins. As another festival period looms on the horizon our thoughts begin to turn to gifts.

In contrast to the decadent and often wasteful nature of Christmas, there has been a growing movement which strives to make Christmas a more thoughtful and caring experience. One of the ways this is manifesting itself is through the buying of Christmas gifts from or through charities.

For a long time charities have produced their own Christmas cards but now many are expanding their range to include a far greater selection of items. Almost all charities these days have some form of online shop from which it is possible to purchase all sorts of charity gifts. Some of the said items may be related to the charity, for example, you may be able to finds books and DVDs that give help and advice about cancer or green issues.

Other charity gifts , however, may have little or no connection with the charity's work and are simply great gifts in their own right. For example, it's possible to buy gardening tools such as secateurs and gloves or kitchen goods such as fondue sets, tea cosies and tea towels from some charity shops.

But why, you might ask, would you want to buy your kitchenware and garden tools from a charity rather than a garden centre or a hardware shop? Well, it's all about voting with your money; think of every penny you spend as a little vote of support for a product and the vendor of that product. The more you spend, the bigger your vote.

By choosing to purchase your Christmas gifts from a charity rather than through the normal high street channels, you are giving your financial support to a worthy cause instead of just lining the pockets of a corporation. And as a big bonus, you are also raising awareness of the charity that you buy from as the recipient of your gift, who may previously have known little or nothing about the organisation, might even take an interest in it themselves.

So before rushing out to buy your gifts from big high street retailers - remember that your money is your voting slip, and try to use your purchasing power to do a little good in the world.

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About the Author:Elisha Burberry is an online, freelance journalist and keen traveller and watersports enthusiast. Originally from Scotland, she now resides in London.