Socially Conscious Gifts for a Social Distanced Christmas

It’s a difficult task to find meaningful, ethical gifts at the best of times, and now for most of us the pandemic realities of 2020 have added even more challenging hurdles to Christmas shopping. In many places, local stores are closed, gatherings are restricted, and it seems impossible to avoid bigbox conglomerates or controversial online retailers. How can you ensure the gifts you’re giving this year are supporting socially conscious businesses, are justly and fairly made, and are contributing to healthy local economies? 

To help, our staff have compiled a list of our best gift ideas for you, based on the justice and reconciliation areas that our work is focused on in Canada and the USA. Check them out - perhaps you’ll find the perfect gift for a loved one! 

In Canada: 

• Read books by Indigenous authors 

  • Good Minds Bookstore is a First Nations family owned business from Six Nations

  • Gift a membership to the Commonword Bookstore - members can borrow books all year, with free shipping (They also have a great selection of fair trade gifts and stocking stuffers!) 

  • The Raven Reads subscription box, owned and operated by Indigenous women, has curated collections of books for children and adults

• Support BIPOC artisans and business owners 

  • Cree artist Ovide Bighetty whose artwork supports the Indigenous Christian Fellowship in Regina

  • Bath and body products from Mother Earth Essentials in Edmonton

  • Jewelry and handmade goods from Unorthodox Yukon

  • Online shopping options like Nujintuisgatijig feature local Indigenous artists, and there are also many (1, 2, 3) curated lists of BIPOC-owned Canadian businesses 

• Buy from direct trade and newcomer entrepreneurs

  • Delicious Peace By Chocolate or luxurious Aleppo Savon Soap, both made in Canada by Syrian newcomers

  • Enjoy the official coffee of the CRC Canadian office, Rio Olancho coffee 

In the US:

• Give green

  • Sustainable houseware, clothing and really, a bit of everything at Earth Hero

  • For the person who has everything, how about some Edible Spoons?

• Recognize the image of God in vulnerable members of our global communities 

  • Participate in our own Blessing not Burden campaign with our Blessing not Burden Shirts, stocking stuffer box and La Terza Coffee

  • Support social enterprise and community development with newcomers to America with Treetops Collective 

  • Check out handmade gifts made by refugee women at Persona Grata Goods

  • Support survivors of Trafficking with gifts from Thistle Farms and Women at Risk International 

  • Choose from a wide selection of fair trade gifts from the global community at Equal Exchange and Ten Thousand Villages

• Support BIPOC artisans and business owners

  • Shop this Indigenous marketplace of various artists and makers From the People 

  • Be the Bridge to racial reconciliation with t-shirts, accessories, or books

  • Gift books or gift cards from we are LIT, a Grand Rapids-based Black-Owned Bookstore (nationwide shipping available)

  • Send kid-appropriate subscription boxes that affirm BIPOC identities like Black Lit a collection of educational resources, or Just Like Me Box centering stories about diverse characters

In both Canada and the US:

• Give a year’s membership to a Community Supported Agriculture box that will arrive with locally-sourced, tasty produce all year long. Search this website to find a CSA near you
   

• Make your own green gifts like reusable shopping bags, cloth make-up removers, or beeswax food wraps (or buy them from Life Without Plastic, or find them locally on Etsy.com using the filter to search for makers in your own town/city)
   

• A Causebox subscription delivers fair trade goods that support women and BIPOC businesses throughout the year
   

• For parents or educators, Lisa Van Engen’s And Social Justice for All is a great guide on how to communicate with and engage children in justice initiatives 

• Finally, some of the very best gifts we know of that transform lives are from World Renew’s Gift Catalog. Each gift supports families around the world as they achieve healthy, sustainable lives. You can even order tags for each gift to personalize, so you can put a goat or water filter or farming tools in everyone’s stocking! 

Photo by Kari Shea on Unsplash