Useful gifts for Christmas - last minute - suitable!

Every year we ask ourselves the same question: How can we make our family, boyfriend, best friend, and other loved ones happy this Christmas? We have a hint for you right here at the start – ideally something with meaning! This doesn't mean simply buying a ton of gifts for the sake of giving , but actually giving something that the person really needs and, ideally, also adds value! Learn how to put the idea of ​​"meaningful gifts" into practice in this article!

PS: Most of these tips are also suitable for last-minute shopping if you still haven't found the perfect gift. And if you've already bought all your Christmas presents, these gifts are also perfect for birthdays, Easter, or simply as a little surprise in between.

In the run-up to Christmas, the concept of charity is omnipresent, and with these gift ideas, you'll not only delight the recipient, but many others as well! Through sponsorships, certificates , and donations, you support social or environmental organizations and thus give the gift of good feeling! We've collected some of these initiatives for you here:

• In the handmade.help online shop, you'll find everything your heart desires! From pretty decorative items and jewelry to cute baby items. What's special about them: all the items are handmade by private individuals , and 100% of the proceeds are donated to a specially selected organization . These include Sea Watch , Mare Liberum , and Doctors Without Borders .
• Via socialfunders.org, you can have a Christmas card with a personalized donation code sent to the recipient, who can then choose their favorite project to support. There are many great projects and organizations to choose from that work for children, animals, and the environment, both locally and worldwide.
• In our last blog post, we took a closer look at the problem of Christmas trees , and that's precisely why it would be a great idea to give one or more trees as a gift this year instead! This is possible, for example, through Primaklima eV , and you can even choose the region in which your donated tree should be planted. Treedom is also a great initiative where you can give away many different trees for Christmas.
• Rangers in the Democratic Republic of Congo are fighting courageously to preserve Virunga National Park. The park and its inhabitants, such as the rare mountain gorillas , are constantly exposed to threats such as war, illegal poaching, natural disasters, and the exploration of oil deposits. By symbolically adopting a gorilla , you not only receive a unique gift but also support the rangers in their important endeavor.
• You can also find a large selection of different animal and environmental certificates to print yourself in the WWF online shop. These include ocean certificates, lion certificates, and Amazon certificates.
• We at Oceanmata also offer sponsorships and certificates to give as gifts! You can find sponsorships for turtles and corals in Indonesia. We also recently launched drinking water certificates , which promote clean drinking water for schoolchildren in Bali.

Valuable time together can also be a wonderful gift that we all too often underappreciate. There are numerous ideas for wonderful experiences:

• The classic : You can find a variety of gifts for spending time together from providers like Jochen Schweizer . Whether it's a skydive, a romantic candlelight dinner, or an online cooking class, you'll find it all here!
• Zero-waste cooking classes and workshops where you learn how to easily make your own natural cosmetics also promise sustainability with enjoyment .
• Weekend trips together are a great idea, especially for couples. You can either use various tour operators or simply create your own voucher. The planning is then up to you, so your partner can relax and look forward to this little escape from everyday life!
• Of course, you can also give the gift of time together on a smaller scale . How about a relaxed brunch with your best friend, an invitation to a cooking evening at your home, or a gift certificate for that great restaurant or chic bar you've always wanted to try?

Gifts from the heart are always the best! So let your creativity run wild and surprise your loved ones with something homemade for Christmas! We've collected some great inspiration for you here!

• A lovely and free gift idea is a personalized Spotify playlist with all your favorite songs. A YouTube playlist filled with funny videos is also a nice surprise.
• Massage oil is easy to make yourself. All you need is a vegetable base oil, such as olive oil or coconut oil, and an essential oil, such as lavender or rose oil. Mix the two oils in a bottle (preferably dark), and you have your very own massage oil. If you like, you can also combine this with a gift certificate for a massage.
• You can make a pretty and unique lantern from an empty jar, for example from delicious raspberry jam, natural raffia and a few decorative items such as dried flowers.
• Some delicious treats are also wonderfully easy to make yourself, and you can find tons of recipes online. A few ideas include homemade herbal oil, a delicious speculatius liqueur , spiced salt , or personalized chocolate .
• A photo album can't be replaced by cell phone pictures! That's why a lovingly designed photo album also makes a wonderful Christmas gift.

Gift sets are easy to put together yourself. This is a lot more personal, and it also avoids unnecessary products that are included in pre-made sets and no one needs.

• Unfortunately, you can't see all your relatives and friends this year? Why not surprise your loved ones with delicious food over the holidays? It's possible via the HelloFresh platform.
• Another culinary idea is a gift basket with the ingredients needed for your favorite vegan recipe, along with the accompanying recipe . This can also be combined with a gift of time by simply preparing the recipe together.
• A specially compiled sustainability starter kit is also sensible, sustainable, and very useful. You can find most sustainable everyday helpers at drugstores or general stores, including reusable cotton pads, a glass drinking bottle, solid bars of soap, beeswax wraps, or organic cotton fruit bags.
• A great and creative gift suitable for any gender is a herbal world tour ! Simply put together a small collection of different exotic spices and add a delicious recipe for each spice that matches the respective spice and region.
• You can also find more great gift ideas in our blog article from last year!

In general, you should ask yourself whether a gift is really necessary at all. Of course, it's a nice gesture and an expression of appreciation . But do we have to force ourselves to do this on a specific day of the year and find a gift for everyone important to us? Absolutely not! And to avoid the embarrassment of receiving a gift but not having one for the other person, you can simply agree clearly not to give each other anything this year. How about making a donation to a charitable project instead? You can find a selection of many different projects and initiatives at betterplace.org.

A great idea, especially for couples: after a few years of being together, you start to run out of gift ideas. Instead of giving each other unnecessary presents, you can simply set up a joint travel fund , deposit the money you've saved, and then treat yourselves to a nice vacation together!