The Holiday season, and by default, enticing Holiday retail sales, cometh. And with it the scramble to own the newest pieces of tech or fast fashion trends. But what about taking a more altruistic approach to gift-giving this year? Not sure what I mean… Read on to learn more about why a humanitarian angle of gift-giving should become a household tradition. And why now is the time to consider a few exciting gift-giving ideas with a humanitarian twist for the Holidays.
The gifting of humanitarian-based items isn’t just for the Holidays, but it’s a great time of year to start practicing. Especially when the majority of these presents require minimal to zero wrapping for presentation. My genuine kudos goes out to those that repurpose/reuse plastic-lined wrapping paper or substitute it entirely with newspaper. These accolades extend to those leaning on natural decorating themes or those who elect to plant a tree vs cutting one down for show.
But for those of you out there that require a little extra direction, allow me to be of service.
Gift-giving with a twist
And I don’t mean the twisting of a bow. I’m referencing the word as a noun; the deviation in direction, to curve, bend, or turn. As in your mindset and approach to gift-giving in general. But whether you need a gift for avid travelers, children, or those seeking awareness around sustainable living efforts. Try these two suggestions to get you started:
- Into handmade jewelry? How about supporting women? The Boundless Marketplace provides the opportunity to do both at once. Because two birds with one stone is always better. Purchases of these artisan goods mean supporting women in developing nations. With 100% of proceeds going directly to the artist, Boundless Marketplace serves as a global platform the celebrates female entrepreneurship.
- On-the-go often? An avid traveler or an ocean enthusiast? The be prepared to fall in love with Ocean Bottle. Give the gift of awareness and help clean up our oceans. Each Ocean Bottle purchased blocks 1,000 plastic bottles from reaching the sea. Plus it’s humbling supporting a product that has rescued over 4M pounds of plastic from our ocean ways.
Humanitarian gift-giving ideas for children
It’s never too early to start teaching the lessons of interconnectedness. The younger in life, the better, in my personal opinion. Because social constructs, racism, and basic hatred can be replaced with love for fellow humans, unity, and compassion. Queue the harmonies for Kumbaya.
Here are a couple of humanitarian-based gifts for children:
- For the little ones, try WWF Gifts. Adopt a wild animal in exchange for a plushy version of the same animal to hand over as something tangible. Educating little ones on the impacts humans and climate change have on these innocent creatures is key to empowering the next generation with eco-awareness.
- For teenagers on the verge of their gap year perhaps Actions Against Hunger is a compassionate Holiday gift choice. An organization that has dedicated 40 years to fighting malnutrition across the African continent. Purchase livestock, fishing gear, or provide clean drinking water for a village in need in their honor. Set the tone for humanitarian works as they become young adults.
Why choose the Humanitarian angle?
As the world continues to heal from the global pandemic, now is the best time to make this kind of switch up. Gifts that highlight our interconnectedness and spread awareness of the harsh impacts of climate change are where it’s at. Consider this kind of gift-giving becoming traditional vs heaps of wasted, un-recyclable paper, and more material things that collect dust.
Furthermore, we are all in this together. And the harsh reality that many of us have loads more than the other is played out, don’t you think? Imagine the people that find themselves currently in need that can benefit from a useful gift. This instead of buying yourself or a loved one the newest iPhone model or Gucci watch. There are hundreds of thousands of families that are worried about their next meal, the newest social media trend is the farthest from their thoughts.
