Sure, ’tis the season to be jolly, but what’s so merry about all the proceeds from your gifts going to the profiteering Scrooges of the world? Take back the holiday from the sweatshop-owning 1 per cent and dig deep to finance true joy. Donate your time to a higher cause or invest in gifts that do good for a child, a community or, heck, a whole planet in need. At the virtual or real-life shops featured here, you’ll find a whole panoply of feel-good giving options.
SickKids stocking surprise $30
Channel the ghost of Christmas present and remind your loved ones that there are children in hospital beds who could use some cheer. Thanks to your donated stocking surprise, a child at SickKids wakes up December 25 to a red sock stuffed with toys, crayons and stuffed animals by their bedside and knows Santa hasn’t totally forgotten them. sickkidsgetbettergifts.com
Evergreen’s kitchen confidential $7-$69
Planet-conscious foodies on your list are going to salivate at these goodies from Evergreen’s Garden Market – and they can feel extra warm ‘n’ fuzzy knowing that the profits fund the charity’s amazing community programs that bring nature back to the city. Build your own basket with entirely Ontario-sourced Mill Pond pear & sweetgrass fruit butter, $8.50, a pepper mill made from fallen branches, $69, fair trade organic chocolate from T-dot’s socially enterprising ChocoSol, $7, and a set of locally made wool felt trivets from Freshly Printed, $15. Pre-stuffed garden- and food-friendly baskets coming soon. evergreen.ca
Me to We grass earrings $24.99
The peeps at Free the Children’s sister biz, Me to We, have a storefront at 223 Carlton and a huge online shop full of stylin’ threads and accessories, including these punchy grass earrings made by a small women’s cooperative in Rwanda. Comes in natural dried-grass hue, too. And 50 per cent of the profits go to Free the Children’s development projects around the globe. metowe.com/shop
A green piece of music history $15
Fans of Joni Mitchell, James Taylor and Phil Ochs will, like, totally dig the two-CD box set Amchitka: The 1970 Concert That Launched Greenpeace. The historic musical event helped fund the fledgling eco org’s first voyage to Alaska’s Amchitka Island to protest U.S. nuke testing. On this, Greenpeace’s 40th anniversary year, all proceeds from the digitally remastered recording go to these earth crusaders. Comes with a 48-page book of images. amchitka-concert.com
Crossroads famine-weathering tools $35
Already given a goat in your grandma’s name and want to dig deeper? Give the gift of famine relief by funding the innovative ways the people of Niger are adapting to the hardships of climate change. Canadian Crossroads International offers training and tools for cultivating community gardens as well as new irrigation and food preservation techniques.cintl.org
