Win Lush gift sets & have an Ethical Xmas

Put a positive spin to your Christmas shopping with our ethical gift list

Ah, we do love Christmas presents, don’t we? We love to give them and we love to receive them. In spite of the difficult time the nation has endured for longer than we care to remember, giving gifts to loved-ones at Christmas is a die-hard habit. The tradition goes back to even before the biblical birth, so no wonder we’ve got it under our skin!

But as you go about your Christmas shopping, think about how your gifts can make a positive difference beyond the immediate receiver. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could avoid contributing to the endless hoarding of unnecessary things likely to end up as landfill before next Christmas? And wouldn’t it be fantastic if your gifts not only expressed your love for the receiver, but also contributed to help those in need? Give your Christmas gift list this year an ethical make-over!

Many charities have online gift catalogues offering anything from children’s toys to baking trays, where the revenue will help support those less fortunate. Need to stock up on Christmas decorations, wrapping paper or cards? Charities are the place to go. For a local touch, check out the Brighton-themed calendars and Christmas cards from the Martlet’s Hospice.

If you are buying clothes, toys, food or gadgets (well, anything really!) try to make sure it has been produced in an ethical way. By buying Fairtrade products you support better prices, decent working conditions, and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers in the developing world. Whether it’s Fairtrade clothes, accessories or food and drink, shopping with a conscious supports sustainability of the places where the products are made.

When buying food items, especially products containing milk, eggs or meat, go for organic to support happier animals and a cleaner environment. Christmas hampers are a great gift guaranteed to please, with organic and vegan delicacies from home and afar.
Quirky and fun recycled gifts are always popular – in Brighton’s North Laine you will find stores selling funky items made of anything and everything from old bicycle tires to beer bottles. For those into health and beauty, treat your loved-one to an exclusive gift box of natural and organic beauty products, filled to the brim with organic roses and soothing lavender.

And for the person who has everything: how about a hot shower, a meal and a gift under the tree for a homeless person? Or a urine bottle (no joke!) for a Greenpeace activist occupying coal ships to save us all from going under from global warming? Not only are these gifts guaranteed to be appreciated, they will also give you that warm and fuzzy feeling of knowing you’ve done the right thing.
Words: Jenny Berg

Win Lush ‘Twas The Night Before Christmas’ gift sets
We have teamed up with Lush to give away four fabulous ’Twas The Night Before Christmas’ gift sets rrp: £49.95 each. Each set contains Sandy Santa sugar scrub; Angels Delight soap moon; Turkish Delight; Ro’s Argan body conditioner, North Pole soap; Buffy skin conditioner; Ponche shower gel; Mr Punch soap; Sweetie Pie shower jelly and Twilight shower gel.

For the chance to win, just finish the rhyme:

‘Twas the night before Christmas when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a ________

Email competitions@thelatest.co.uk with ‘Lush’ in the subject box and your answer to the question in the body of the email. Don’t forget to leave your name and contact details. Closing date for entries: 10 December 2012.