Holiday gift ideas for good karma & peace of mind

As something of a humbug, I make sure to stay away from shopping malls in the weeks leading up to Christmas. The music, the promotions, the crowds… It’s all a bit overwhelming and commercialized for my personal taste. I prefer a lower key approach to the whole thing, and when it comes to gift giving, I have come across a few very thoughtful ideas that carry a deeper meaning than a tie or even a good book.

A personal favourite of mine is “giving” conservation away. The Nature Conservancy of Canada has a program called Gifts of Canadian Nature that allows you to make a donation to the Conservancy on someone’s behalf, thus protecting an acre of Canadian habitat. The donations are available in a range I would describe as affordable to generous, and then the giftee receives a calendar, a certificate, and a letter from NCC’s president John Lounds. And, incidentally, you receive a charitable tax receipt. There’s a promo video here: Cariboo habitat.

Another great gift idea is sponsoring one of the owls or other raptors in care at Orphaned Wild Rehabilitation Society (O.W.L.), which is located here in Ladner. You can spend $20-$35 by sponsoring a specific bird in their care on behalf of a friend or family member. The giftee in this case receives a certificate with a photo and story about the sponsored bird. During open houses, it’s even possible to then go and visit the sponsored bird – which is a pretty neat way of connecting with your donation. Check out O.W.L’s Bird Sponsorship Program here. Donations to O.W.L. are also tax deductible, by the way.

There are so many worthwhile conservation programs and other charities that really count on donations. These two are just a couple of my favourites. However you choose to spend the holidays of the coming weeks, may they be happy and peaceful.