CNN
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Whether you want to do something more meaningful with your kids than just go to the mall or are just looking for gifts that give back, here are some ideas that could bring more joy this holiday season.
Gathering friends or family to put together a gift box for a recipient in need could be a helpful new holiday tradition you start this year.
Kynd Kits are an activity for the whole family. You choose a cause or a group of people important to you, then request the corresponding kit.
Each kit will contain items specifically requested by people in these groups. You fit the pieces together, write a card, then send it off. Among the recipients you can choose from this year are the homeless, victims of domestic violence, immigrants, seniors, LGBTQ people and children in foster care.
If your family wants to help a foster child this holiday season, Together We Rise is helping homeless children by providing them with colorful bags to store their items. (Many foster children drag their material possessions in garbage bags.) They send you a sign to decorate, which you then send back. They attach each artwork panel to a duffel bag, which is filled with a teddy bear, blanket, hygiene kit, and coloring book.
A family art project can brighten up the walls of a long-term care facility. The Hospital Art Foundation will send you a kit complete with pre-drawn canvases and art supplies. You color it, create a panel of your own design, and return it with the pre-addressed UPS label.
If you know how to knit or crochet, consider helping Knots of Love. You can knit a beanie to support a chemotherapy patient or a blanket to warm a baby in the NICU.
The Salvation Army Angel Tree program is back online this year, making shopping easier for a child in need. Simply enter your zip code, add the requested items from their registry to your cart, and The Salvation Army does the rest.
For your caffeine-loving friends, why not send them bird-friendly coffee? These coffee beans are grown under a forest canopy that provides habitat for birds – important since the North American bird population has declined by nearly three billion birds since 1970.
And if you want to spend your money at a local bookstore but don’t want to leave home, consider buying from bookshop.org. They partner with independent booksellers across the country to send your dollars to stores that really need them.
If you want to support black-owned businesses this Christmas (or any time of year), the https://www.supportblackowned.com/ website and app helps you find stores and services anywhere in the USA.
The EatOkra app helps you find black-owned restaurants and food services (purchasing a gift card helps keep small restaurants in business).
You can also search Instagram using the hashtag #SupportBlackBusiness.
Finally, many major retailers are giving back this season. If you just want a branded gift that will wow a picky tween or teen, many stores and brands are partnering with charities to give back this holiday season.
Some companies even make it a year-long mission to do good.
If you’re looking for a gift for someone who cares about the environment, Patagonia donates a portion of all proceeds to environmental causes.
Ivory Ella donates up to 50% of its profits to charities that help elephants, including Save the Elephants.
The Bombas sock company donates one pair of socks to someone in need, for every pair sold.
And what stocking stuffer couldn’t use a fuzzy pencil case and unicorn-themed erasers? Yoobi sells colorful pens, pencils, and stationery, and for every item purchased, they donate school supplies to a child in need.
