Ethical Christmas gifts

They always say that giving is better than receiving. Get an extra-warm glow inside by buying gifts that benefit more than your loved ones.

When you were a child you probably wrote to Father Christmas asking for a bicycle. Another year you might have longed for a pet or some new clothes. And of course, all this present giving was always washed down with lashings of chocolate while your parents enjoyed extra helpings of wine.

Now there are websites where you can buy all these goodies at affordable prices and feel good in the process because you'll be helping poor communities across the world.

Fair trade

You'll find an impressive and ever-growing number of websites where you can buy 'ethical' Christmas gifts. These include items that are 'Fair Traded' - where the people who produce the goods are paid a higher price than if they tried to sell them to existing markets. This extra money or 'premium' allows the producers to invest in better homes, send their children to school, or perhaps buy livestock to earn extra money.

Fair conditions

The term ethical is also used to describe the conditions under which goods are produced; for example, are the workers of legal working age, do they work in safe conditions and have protection from hazardous chemicals?

You can also think of gifts in terms of the materials they are made from. There is a growing campaign to encourage people to buy organically-produced cotton to stop farmers and the environment being damaged by the chemicals used in the non-organic production process.

Fair to the environment

This brings us to another type of ethical gift - those that help protect the environment. It's cheesy but true that today there is no excuse that your Christmas gifts should 'cost the Earth'. By buying gifts that are kind to the environment you can help put a stop to harmful practices, like the use of chemicals, or promote action by 'adopting' an endangered animal.

Supporting your favourite cause

You can also make a difference by buying goods where the profit goes towards organisations that are dedicated to lifting people out of poverty, fighting to protect human rights or striving to protect the environment. Many of these organisations also sell gifts that are given directly to someone in the developing world that needs it more than you do.

Our top ten ethical buys

1. Give tiny tots some toys to help them learn. Buy this gift and a child in Bolivia will receive puzzles, puppets and interactive toys.
2. Be different - don't buy a puppy, hamster or goldfish, adopt a dolphin. Not only will you help protect this amazing species, you don't actually have to find a tank big enough to look after it. Alternatively, opt for a tiger or an orang utan. Or treat your parents to a goat; your money will help their owners gain a badly needed income; provide transport, financial security, and even milk, meat and leather.
3. But perhaps your sister is too old for pets now. Why not spoil her with some new clothes, helping to provide a decent wage for factory workers in poor countries like Bangladesh, India and Nepal. By opting for organic cotton you are also preventing rivers, soils and plants being damaged by chemical fertilisers and bleaches.
4. Find something unique in a charity shop, promoting recycling and giving money to charity at the same time.
5. But let's face it; we live in an electronic age so your brother probably wants an iPod or a new mobile. But there's no reason why these gifts should add further to global warming - shop for eco gadgets this year instead.
6. Contribute to the Christmas food by getting some fair-trade chocolates and some wine.
7. Treat your Mum to some beautiful fair-trade jewellery that helps to preserve Bali, Thailand and India's indigenous crafts.
8. Don't forget the Christmas tree - except you won't be fighting over who gets to decorate this one - it's thousands of miles away in an area of endangered rainforest.
9. If you're running out of cash and still want to give your mates a gift, spend a couple of quid on a wristband from the charity of your choice, helping to raise awareness and funds for their cause. We reckon TheSite.org's original tri-band design is the best on the market.
10. If you've left it all too late or are completely lacking in ideas, go for the easy option - money. A donation to one of the many organisations mentioned here can make an enormous difference to people on the other side of the world, and ensure that this Christmas is one to remember for them as well as you.

Written by Sarah White