12 Ways to Do Good this Christmas
If you've been anywhere near a radio recently, then you've probably heard the 12 Days of Christmas playing already, even though we are only halfway through December.
The traditional song has a wonderful list of gifts, but partridges and pear trees, turtle doves, leaping lords and milking maids are fairly hard to come by these days. So instead, we've put together 12 suggestions of how you can do good this December, whether you are hunting for last-minute presents for your true love, getting things tidied up before summer or starting to plan for next year.
12 Do Goods of Christmas
1 If you've just remembered you need a last-minute Christmas gift - pop into your local Trade Aid store to find something gorgeous. If there's no store nearby, you can shop online. If you’re ordering the chocolate as a gift, get two bars - they are so good you'll want to keep one for yourself!
2 Think socks for Christmas are boring? Not when you buy them from Nisa Clothing. Super comfy and with some fab designs for a little bit of flair, anyone would be happy to find these in their Christmas stocking. And by supporting Nisa you are helping women from migrant backgrounds in New Zealand to improve their English, gain work experience and make a difference.
3 Get the whole family dressed for summer at Little Yellow Bird. Made from 100% organic cotton sourced directly from growers and sustainable production processes, you'll be making a difference as well as looking great.
4 If you are looking for a Christmas gift for the person who seems to have everything, give them the gift of giving. A gift card from The Good Registry lets them choose one or more New Zealand-based charities from their 65 partners.
5 Or you could buy them an Oxfam Unwrapped card and help one of Oxfam's campaigns around the world, like living wages for textile workers or clean water worldwide.
6 Having a pre-Christmas clear out? Don't throw it all in the bin. Look for an op shop like The Salvation Army’s shops, eco-centre or recycling facility local to you and donate what you can.
7 If you need some cleaning supplies for your clean up, check out The Sustainability Trust’s online shop and stock up on their eco-friendly cleaners and sustainable brushes.
8 Once you've tidied up and the decorations are up, add a festive flair with a Christmas Candle from Downlights NZ. Their luxury artisan candles are manufactured by people with Down syndrome and other intellectual or learning challenges. Choose the Mulled Wine candle for the perfect Christmas scent. Yum!
9 Overstocked on the food? If you have bought too much for pre-Christmas parties or are clearing out your pantry in preparation, think about donating your food to a food bank or food rescue programme. Or if you’re feeling like you want to support other Kiwi families to have full bellies at Christmas think about making a donation to other charities like Satisfy Food Rescue in Canterbury or Kaibosh in Wellington – or check out the Aotearoa Food Rescue Alliance for your local food rescue heroes!
10 If all the talk of food has made you feel a little peckish, head over to The Cookie Project and make an order. You'll be helping people with disabilities get paid work experience, and you'll get some delicious cookies which you may or may not choose to share.
11 And don’t forget your four legged friends this year. Feed My Furbaby supplies natural nutrient packed dog food, and a few treats for special days. You can also buy a dog food donation through the website for a rescue centre.
12 For serious planning (or New Year's Resolutions), you need a new notebook. When you buy one from Frank Stationery, you'll get a lovely notebook, and a child in need will get a school book through their buy one, give one scheme. More than 75000 books have been donated so far.
If we had to push it out to 24 days of Christmas next year, what would you add to this list? Let us know in the comments and share more ways to Do Good this Christmas.