The Gift of Giving

Did you know that on average around 70 million unwanted Christmas gifts are bought every year. This year we want to challenge you to rethink what you buy and the types of gifts you give to ensure a less wasteful, and more sustainable future, that focus on the gift of giving out of love, not obligation.

Every year we are bombarded with the latest technologies, fashion and gadgets and more often than not we buckle under the pressure of the big corps telling us what we need (when we definitely don’t need it). This year, why don’t you try giving to make a difference? I promise you, nobody needs more socks this Christmas.

A different way to give is by gifting an experience. This is a great way to reduce the demand for physical resources. Does your receiver look to cook, visit national parks, or see theatre shows? Gifting an experience means Christmas comes twice for the receiver (and the giver if you are lucky enough to be chosen as the +1, of course) a win-win if you ask us!

What do you gift someone who has everything? A toilet (at the other side of the world), of course! Now this is a gift that can make a real difference. Toilet Twinning is an incredible charity on a mission to enable families living in poverty to have access to a lifesaving toilet. For £60, Toilet Twinning will give a household in poverty access to a water and sanitation programme which sparks a chain reaction to end toilet poverty one household at a time. Of course, Toilet Twinning is just one example of all the incredible charities doing good around the world. Other charities we champion here at Panda HQ are the Whale and Dolphin Conservation who do incredible work to protect our friends under the sea, and The World Land Trust who help people across the world to protect and restore their land to safeguard biodiversity and our climate.

Find one that resonates to your receiver and make a donation on their behalf, it will mean more than you might think!

So maybe you know someone who is a bit of a spender, as and brilliant and rewarding as a charitable donation is, it’s just not the right gift for them. Have you considered a gift card? We know what you are thinking, giving a gift card feels like a cop out.. but what if we told you that recent studies have shown that 70% of people would rather receive a gift card than a physical gift! This again reduces the demand for resources and allows your gift receiver to choose something they love, and in turn, reducing any unwanted gifts. 1 in 5 gifts end up in landfill, this is a shocking statistic and buying a gift card ensures they will buy something they love, and hopefully keep for years to come!

Our final suggestion is probably our favourite of all, because its practical. What’s a better gift to give to the one you love than a toilet roll subscription from The Cheeky Panda. Amazing, we know. They will never be caught short of loo roll ever again, and that is what we call, a Christmas miracle. To check out our range of perfectly Christmassy subscriptions, click here!

The most important gift of all is a thoughtful one. It really IS better to give than to receive, but most of all, it’s the thought that counts.

And if anyone is wondering, for Christmas, Colin would like the all-electric Lotus Evjia and a tonne of free-range, premium bamboo. Please send to PandaHQ.

With love,

The Cheeky Panda