Finding the right gift can take a combination of originality and practicality. Sure, you’d love to give your boyfriend a shiny new iPhone or your boss an extravagant bottle of wine, but who can afford that these days?
To spread a little holiday cheer without stretching your bank account too thin, consider gifts that give all or part of their proceeds to charity. It’s a thoughtful, heartfelt gesture that will help others and capture the spirit of the season. Surf for charity-minded gift ideas on websites like uptownliz.com. Here, a few of our favorite picks.
Passport Case: Franklin Covey and Design-her Gals teamed up to create this chic passport case ($24.95; designhergals.com) that benefits Stage IV breast cancer patients. With chocolate and pink on the outside with a cocktail-inspired lining and slots for pens, cards, and ID, it’s sure to be a hit with your jet-setting friends or co-workers.
Burt’s Bees Head-to-Toe Starter Kit: Let your roommate or sister indulge in earth-friendly bath products like coconut foot crème and carrot nutritive body lotion. For every kit purchased ($16.95; therainforestsite.com), the Rainforest Site will preserve 2,290 square feet of land. All of the crèmes and scrubs are well under three ounces, so they’re travel-friendly, too.
Sweet Home Pick Cookies: Who doesn’t love treats this time of year? This assortment of all-natural cookies ($25.95; dancingdeer.com) includes a Dark Chocolate Sweet Home Project House Cookie, Deep Dark Gingerbead Cake, and Molasses Glove Cookies, a sweet gift for boyfriends, bosses, and others. But even sweeter is that 35% of the purchase price benefits homeless mothers and their children to help them find jobs and a home of their own.
Trio of Rabbits: Okay, it’s not exactly the furry pet that your niece or nephew was hoping to find under the tree, but adopting a trio of rabbits ($60; heifer.org) will teach them about philanthropy and help a poor family improve their income. The charity educates impoverished families on sustainable agriculture and provides them with plants and animals to get them started.
Global Giving Gift Card: When all else fails and you’re not sure what to get someone, buy a charity gift card (minimum of $10; globalgiving.com) and let them choose where your money goes. It works just like a regular gift card, but instead of picking out a pair of shoes or a new DVD player, your recipient can support the cause that he or she cares about. And as with other gift cards, there’s no guessing on sizes, no duplication, and no post-holiday returns.
