Wow! Where has this year gone? It's already one month to Christmas!! So I thought I'd share with you a few gift ideas this year that won’t break the bank or the planet

Not gonna lie, last year's gift guide was the first one I'd put together so I didn't really think about it enough to give you a gift guide that you really needed. I just gave you the normal boring presents, assuming I knew what you wanted. Which is what everyone does at Christmas. People have become so desensitised to what they are buying and why. They just blindly give for the sake of giving, a lot of times in extreme excess, instead of giving presents to people that they actually want or need. Then we all get lumbered with all of these unwanted gifts that either sit and collect dust or end up in landfill. Did you know that 81 million of us in the UK alone receive unwanted gifts every year with 1 in 10 of these ending up in landfill. A wopping 66 million bin-bags worth of stuff are dumped every year and that's just in preparation for the holiday season, in order to make space for their new gifts and so the cycle continues.

So this year, since trying to live a more ethical, sustainable lifestyle, I wanted to help you be more mindful about your gifting. And if you give sustainable gifts that they won’t want o throw away, then this will encourage the receivers to live more ethical lifestyles.

Socks

Now we all know that socks are a must when it comes to Christmas gifting. And as much as I used to roll my eyes whenever receiving this instead of the diamond bracelet I wanted, socks always come in handy, especially in this cold weather. But instead of giving normal plain old boring socks, why not give a snazzy pair like these from Stand 4 Socks

These socks aren’t only super comfy and made from sustainable materials such as bamboo and cotton, but for each pair of socks you buy, Stand4 Socks will donate to a cause. With them supporting 11 out of 17 sustainable development goals including homelessness, maternal health and the environment, these socks feel good but also do good. They also come in cute little gift packs so you can fund different causes from one gift. So your gift will actually help more than just your giftee keep their tootsies warm.

Adopt A Pet

Most people aren’t aware, but when you buy animals from pet stores, you are contributing to cruel animal breeding mills. Use your money to vote against this and if you know your giftee is an animal lover, why not adopt a pet in their honour. So you can either adopt the pet and bring it home for them or you can take them to a shelter to pick out their own pet who is looking for a new loving home. It is also a lot cheaper to adopt a pet rather than buying one. If you feel your child is too young to have a pet but they love animals, you opt to adopt an animal in a different country such as a panda or a snow leopard with organisations such as WWF.

When you adopt, you receive an information pack which is great to show your child or loved one to help explain, a certificate, regular updates on the animal and a cuddly toy which your little one will absolutely love.

Experiences

In a World where gifting seems to be so difficult year on year, as the previous year you already went crazy and got them everything they could possibly want, experiences are the way to go! If you decided to go ahead and adopt an endangered snow leopard, you could always take a trip to go and see them. You could book a 14 day tour with NatureTrek for just over £3000. If that is too steep for your budget there are plenty of other tours which are for a shorter period of time and cheaper.

If your giftee is an avid lover of the Grand Prix, why not book them a tour of Silverstone race track with Virgin Tours or even a day of Driving a Supercar. If this is too much for them, why not book a spa day with afternoon tea where you can spend the day together. Experiences provide more lasting memories than things and show more thought. As long as you choose an experience that they’ll love, it is sure to be remembered fondly for a long time.

Self Care

As much as you may find self care products boring at Christmas, providing you get them something they need, then it won’t go in the bin and they will be grateful for it. Other than the normal Lynx or Impulse gift sets, why not look at more sustainable brands. If like me, the man in your life has lack lustre face-locs, why not get him a nice beard balm to keep his chin-fro in check. Guys (well mine does) tend to forget that just because the hair isn’t on top of your head, that doesn’t mean it can be neglected. As it’s on your face, in this time of year it’s more likely to get dry as it can’t be covered up like the hair on top of your head with a hat. So all the more reason to make sure it is well moisturised

This beard balm from Good Day Organics made from ultra moisturising shea butter, plant oils and extracts can be purchased from One Small Shop and comes in 3 different scents. One Small Shop also have a huge range of other products which you could buy with these to create your own little gift hamper. Such as this gorgeous handmade Cedarwood & Patchouli soap from By Juliette

Handmade by Juliette Cedarwood & Patchouli Soap.jpg

Another place I love to get my skincare is Arbonne. As you may know, I love these guys and their products. They are not only 100% vegan but also carbon neutral. Their skincare ranges are for men, women and children. The kids Sugar Cookie Bath Set smells absolutely divine and your littluns will be excited for bath time as it smells good enough to eat! I have also just fallen in love with this new RE9 Brightening Range. There is also a huge range of Nutrition, Hair Care, Cosmetics and they currently have a load of festive goodies at 30% off such as Lip Balm Trio to relieve dry Winter lips and the Spiced Vanilla Chai Candle made from coconut wax is perfect for those cosy nights in front of the fire.

Upcycle

So instead of taking all of your unwanted gifts and throwing them away, why not up-cycle them into a new gift for someone else. Obviously, don’t give them back their own gift up-cycled, as that may be a bit of a cheek. But you could take a gift from someone else,who they don’t know and turn it into something new. If they have just moved into a new house, you could take an old jumper or one of those yucky jumpers your Nan gave you last year and turn it into a throw or cushion covers. Or what about some old jars that you can add some bling to to create candle holders. How about taking an old coat or shirt and turning it into a handbag for that friend with the bag fetish. I mean, the choices are endless and in this digital age there are so many videos showing how to do almost anything. Why not have some fun with it and get the kids to join in. This is a great way to bond with them while showing them the value of things and how important it is to do your bit to lower your carbon footprint