Gift Guide for Gifts that Matter

I hate holiday shopping.

I love giving good gifts.  I just don't love giving "stuff".  With all of the commercial holiday hype it can be hard to take the time to find meaningful gifts.  I mean gifts that are good for the receiver AND good for the world we live in.  I'm not including DIY gifts in this guide - though I LOVE those gifts, there's just so many that I think it has to be another post.

Here are a few great gifts I have found that will make your kids and your heart happy:

•  Fair trade Peruvian finger puppets from Daria Music.  Finger puppets are always a fun option for portable fun and these not only give you a chance to talk about the culture they came from but support women artisans.  We were sent a set for the purpose of reviewing them and they are Chiquita AND Mommy approved!  Within moments of opening the package Chiquita and I had started a story about the chicken going to find a flower for her momma and bringing all the animals with her.  We made up different stories for the next 15 minutes.  She did have a little trouble getting them on herself, but they were the perfect size for her finger and able to stretch to fit mine as well.  *While you visit Daria's Little Village store, also check out her authentic world instruments and fun international music cds for more cool gift ideas.*

• Magnetic Dress-up Doll from Heifer International.  This gift is Chiquita-approved! Check out my post about why it's great.  Their website has other cute gifts that support this poverty-fighting charity.

• Global Babies by Global Fund for Children.  This is an adorable book that Chiquita and I have enjoyed reading together (checked out from our local library, but I think I'm buying it for this Christmas since we have a baby on the way).  Babies and kids love looking at babies and what a great way to expose kids to other cultures.

• My Little Gardening Set from UNICEF.  This fun gardening set supports a great cause and encourages a child to get out and grow.

• Elephant Backpack from Amnesty International.  Made by survivors in Nepal and seriously cute.

• Hug a Planet Earth from Amnesty International.  This gift is a craft (you stuff and sew it yourself), learning tool and donation in one!  It's available in Spanish, and French!

• Bountiful Bunnies from Ten Thousand Villages.  As one of the first names in fair trade, Ten Thousand Villages offers lots of fair trade products from around the world.  These cute bunnies from Bangladesh would be super fun for storytelling. 

**Update - I missed a very cool network, The GreaterGood Network. They have a lot of fun items, many are sustainable/fair trade, in their store, like these artisan treasure boxes.  Each purchase benefits charities, and they have a variety of causes to choose from like Hunger, Breast Cancer, Veterans, Literacy and Rainforest.  Each cause has one or more charities that receive the funds and you can find out more on those organizations by clicking "About Us" and "Our Charitable Partners".

*This post includes affiliate links.  Unless specifically mentioned I have not personally tried out the items.*