Gifts That Give Back

Whether you're in need of a last-minute present, a hostess gift for a holiday party, or just want to give back during the season of giving, these gifts will do the trick. They all raise money for—or directly benefit—a good cause.

Make sure this holiday season is a happy one for a kid stuck in the hospital. Gifts start at just $10, (for a board game) and go up from there (large ticket items include a child's wheelchair, or a crib mattress). Some of our favourites are the arts and crafts supplies, basket of baby toys, and cooking and baking programs—to promote healing and learning through play.

Every year, The Bay releases a new charity bear that both honours a Canadian legacy and benefits a Canadian charity. The 2015 bear is in honour of Dr. William Tolmie, an early Canadian explorer, surgeon, and scientist, and 100% of the net proceeds from the sale of Tolmie bears support the Hudson's Bay Company Foundation's Strength in Stripes program.

You might already know about Ten Thousand Villages, the fair trade shop that supports community groups and artisans around the world, but did you know that this holiday season, they're fighting child hunger in Canada by donating $2 from every angel ornament sold to Breakfast for Learning? The program is one of Canada's leading national charities dedicated to child nutrition programs, and the delicate angel ornament, made of shell and wire, makes a lovely tree ornament and thoughtful gift.

Plan Canada has dozens of thoughtful, helpful gifts available at a variety of price points, but one of our favourites is the budget-friendly 'school essentials for one child' gift. At $17, it's a feel-good gift that is close to our hearts, and it's one of our favourite teacher gifts to give year after year.

Ask your favourite tween or teen, and chances are good they've heard of the dynamic and inspiring Kielburger brothers and their charity, Free the Children and youth empowerment movement, Me to We. Me to We has an online shop that carries funky home items, apparel, bags, jewellery, and more. We think these black and white stripped mittens would make a totes adorbs gift for the socially-conscious tween on your list. (Every pair of mittens purchased gives an essential medical treatment to a child in a Free The Children community overseas.)

You might be familiar with TOMS, the maker of those comfy fabric shoes, and their wonderfully simple 'one for one' premise (buy a pair of shoes, and they'll donate a pair of shoes). Now the company has branched out beyond footwear into bags and eyewear. Every TOMS Eyewear purchase helps restore sight to an individual through sight-saving surgery, prescription glasses or medical treatment. We're loving their trendy and well-made sunnies—much easier to gift than shoes. We love the frames in their Traveller collection, which are made of a flexible rubberized material that we've found to be indestructible.

For every soft toy or children's book sold until December 26, 2015, the IKEA Foundation will donate €1 (approximately $1.45 Canadian) to UNICEF and Save the Children to provide quality education to children living in poverty in developing countries. So if you're in an IKEA before Christmas, you can say 'yes' when your little makes their usual plea for a stuffie, and you can feel good about it, too.

If you're doing any shopping in a WINNERS or HomeSense, keep one eye peeled for their specially-marked Shop for Hope products. Shop for Hope is a fundraising campaign supporting the Canadian Women's Foundation's violence prevention programs. 100% of net proceeds from sales will go to the Canadian Women's Foundation. These gorgeous home and decor pieces make wonderful hostess gifts.

If you'd like to give back, but don't necessarily want a gift, we can't recommend Canadahelps.org enough. The site makes donating to charity as easy and mindless—and about as costly—as a Netflix subscription. Just pick any registered Canadian charity you'd like to support and set your donation. We love that you can choose any amount you prefer, even one dollar a month, and that you can set an end date for your donations to cease. An instant tax receipt goes straight to your email inbox, and Canada Helps keeps all of those receipts together in one place—so handy for tax time.