Our family goal is to do Christmas different. Be different. Be intentional.
And that means we’re taking a lot of time in choosing gifts this year. I’m going to admit that in past years, I’d be packing stuff away all year long to give as Christmas gifts. It was good for our budget. But the gifts, especially for our kids, weren’t as meaningful as they could have been.
And that’s changing this year.
For our own kids, we’re following this plan that I originally talked about last year. It has made us much more intentional and focused on the gifts we’re giving our daughters. We’re thinking about what gifts will be under the tree and not just trying to fill up some space.
With that in mind, it you want to do some extra good with your buying this year, check out these shops or businesses that give back when you purchase from them.
byTavi
This organization trains women in sewing and, in turn, pays them wages four times the poverty level in Cambodia. So they can provide for their families and better themselves. The products they make: bags, purses, scarves, wallets, and ties are beautiful and one-of-a-kind. And there’s nothing better than empowering women.
Green Mango Cafe & Bakery cookbook
This cookbook would be a perfect gift for the foodie in your life. The Center for Global Impact runs a culinary training center in Cambodia that takes orphans, at-risk girls, and former sex-trafficked women and provides them with a two-year culinary education. They run the Green Mango Cafe and Bakery where Trip Advisor recently ranked it the #2 restaurant to visit in the city. Two trainers from the school have written this amazing cookbook. All proceeds help the school and its students.
Better Life Bags
This beautiful handmade company creates products that are not only essential to any girls’ life, but with your purchase, ten percent goes toward a low income entrepreneur in a developing country through kiva.org. The founder, Rebecca, and her family purposefully moved to a low-income area of Detroit where the unemployment rate is 20% to start their business. Better Life Bags hires unemployed people from the area to make their products filling a need for their families and their community. And, seriously, these bags are gorgeous.
fashionABLE
I don’t really think you can go wrong with a scarf as a gift–everyone loves them and there are so many ways to wear them now (just check Pinterest!). And when you order a beautiful scarf from fashionABLE, you help them buy women out of the sex trade, employee and train them, and end the cycle that leads to more and more women devaluing their lives. As a scarf connoisseur, I happen to know personally that these scarves are perfect: extra long, beautiful fabrics, and super soft.
Pelican Merch
Truthfully, I’m wishing I haven’t already bought my husband’s Christmas gift or I’d get him a shirt or two from this place. Started after a mission trip to Kenya, this company sell some pretty cool merchandise that benefits Kenyans. This stuff would be perfect for the music lover or vintage lover in your life. Anyone that bucks mainstream for hipster, this stuff is for you.
My hope for you this Christmas is that you give more than receive. Blessing others through Jesus is truly what we should celebrate.
Happy shopping, friends.
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