Your Guide to Socially Conscious Gift Giving 2018

Today I am excited to share a guest post from my friend Allison Backous Troy on a topic we both

hold dear: socially conscious shopping. A few weeks ago I shared a book review of The Grace of Enough by Haley Stewart, and while the book generally focuses on consuming less, when buying is necessary (especially gifts), socially conscious choices are the best way to go. Allison has curated a list of wonderful resources for holiday shopping that gives back. Enjoy!

By Allison Backous Troy

When it comes to holiday shopping, I admit that I am a sucker for marketing and promotion. Starting in September, I find myself scanning my emails for early bird coupons and free shipping deals on things I think my family might like. Or, that I might like. When I saw my local Target marketing holiday-patterned leggings for children in mid-October, I thought, “Oh, I should grab a pair now before they run out.”

Now, I don’t need more holiday leggings. I don’t need more leggings at all. But the worry about items “running out,” or missing a deal, is a thirst that retailers do not want to quench, and to be honest, I find myself running ragged each year trying to find not only the perfect gift, but the perfect deal, a way to congratulate myself for my expert shopping eye. Gifts become a way for me to affirm myself, rather than honoring and loving the recipient of that gift.

But when we are brought into the reality of God’s condescension – His taking on flesh, His birth in a stable, His coming among us – our response should be as the Magi, who brought gifts that were fitting and generous, that echo the greatest, most generous gift of all: Emmanuel, God with us in stable and straw.

What curating this list of gifts did, for me, was counter the consumerist image I have of gift-giving. It helped redirect my frantic urge to “spend,” and gave me new ideas for presenting my loved ones with gifts that would not only please them, but move them to greater understanding of the Nativity season.

And these gifts are also hopeful acts in themselves – they are candles made by single moms, books that give voice to refugee children, and coffee beans roasted by rehabilitated gang members. These gifts bring life to the world, and I hope that, in learning about them, you are moved to see your own gift-giving as something that brings Christ’s life into the world.

Candles and Personal Products:

White Field Farm is a ministry of All Saints Monastery in Long Island, New York. Their candles, soaps, and lotions are handcrafted by survivors of sexual trafficking. If you sign up for their emails, you’ll get notifications about flash sales, new scents, and updates about the women who work with the nuns to make each product. I buy their candles every holiday season, and have been known to buy their Rose Bergamot lotion in bulk (it is that good!). Shop here: http://www.whitefieldfarm.org/

Bright Endeavors is the candle shop for New Moms, a Chicago-based program for teen and low-income mothers that focuses on breaking the cycle of poverty through housing, personal support, and job/skill training. It is a beautiful model of a consistent, pro-life ethic that supports moms not only through pregnancy, but equips them to be freed from generational poverty in the heart of Chicago. Check out their Holiday Citrus and Pumpkin Chai candles. Shop here: https://brightendeavors.org/shop/

Coffee, Chocolate, and Tea:

Equal Exchange has been around for years and is one of the best places to purchase coffee, tea, and chocolate that is fairly farmed, roasted, and traded. You can also find a variety of Equal Exchange products online and in stores (I have even seen their products at Target). I have also gone to churches where Equal Exchange coffee is served at coffee hour, and gifting a basket of Equal Exchange products to your priests and pastors is a great way to spread the word (and possibly get Equal Exchange at your church’s coffee hour). Shop here: https://shop.equalexchange.coop/

Bigelow Tea is a surprising source of environmental and social justice advocacy. For over 30 years, Bigelow has worked with unionized tea farmers in Sri Lanka, where their unions ensure medical care, higher wages, and housing. Bigelow also has developed three fair trade brands of tea; their Connecticut headquarters harvests solar power, and “across all 3 manufacturing facilities, (they) are a Zero Waste to Landfill Company.” It’s a surprising and easy-to-find socially conscious gift for the tea lover in your life! Shop here: https://www.bigelowtea.com/Gifts

Another option, particularly for coffee subscriptions, is Underground Coffee. Chris Hoke is a prison chaplain and writer who has worked for over a decade with incarcerated men and women, and Underground Coffee is a rehabilitation program for former prisoners “leaving America’s “underground” of crime, jail, prison, addiction, debt, and living in the shadows.” Workers in the coffee collective are trained as expert roasters, and the coffee comes directly from a Tierra Nueva farm partnership in Honduras, which has been “restoring the land and getting at the roots of poverty and violence in Central America for over thirty years.” Shop here: https://shop.underground.coffee/collections/coffee

Jewelry, Clothing, and Accessories

Socially conscious jewelry is all over the internet, and you can find a million Etsy shops that sell a variety

Allison Backous Troy holding her new bag from Little Orange Scooter.

of fairly made accessories. My personal favorite shop on Etsy is Little Orange Scooter, which employs refugee women in West Michigan and teaches them how to sew and create various purses, clothing items, and accessories. Both my purses are from Little Orange Scooter, and they also sell adorable backpack and hoodies for toddlers and kids (my goddaughter got their pink dog hoodie about a year ago). I love both their sense of style and their focus on empowering refugees with skills and personal support. Shop here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/LittleOrangeScooter

Another favorite is Mata Traders, as I love their vibrantly colored necklaces and their work with women entrepreneurs in India and Nepal (shop here: https://www.matatraders.com/). Noonday and Starfish Project also do extraordinary work empowering artisans in impoverished areas, and their jewelry is beautiful and spans a variety of tastes and styles (shop Noonday here: https://www.noondaycollection.com/ and Starfish here: https://starfishproject.com/shop/).

Sudara, along with Mata Traders, sells a variety of clothing and accessories that are also crafted by collectives of women in India. Their “punjamis” are vibrant and comfortable, and their Sudara Freedom Fund works to “fund safe housing for women escaping trafficking, equipment for new or growing sewing centers, microloans and back-to-school programs.” Great gifts for men and kids are at Sudara as well! Shop here: https://www.sudara.org/.

The Women’s Wool Collective of Draganac Monastery works to “help local women in isolated villages support their families, who often live on only about $100 per month, to become more financially independent, while utilizing their creativity and skills.” Centered in Kosovo, under the Serbian Orthodox Church, the monastery raises sheep and gives the wool to local women while also selling the women’s handiwork. Their sweaters, socks, and bags are styled after Serbian patterns that women in Kosovo have been preserving for hundreds of years, and the purchases go directly towards empowering these female artisans and their families. Shop here: http://www.draganacmonastery.com/product-category/women-wool-collective/

Gift Catalogues

Many organizations offer gift catalogues that allow you to support their work. In the gift catalogues below, you can buy everything from refugee-made soaps to computer literacy classes for people transitioning out of homelessness. This is a great gift idea for that person who “has everything” or for a group gift.

Preemptive Love Coalition has been working with refugees from Iraq and Syria since 2007. Through their Gifts that Empower, you can fund medical care, supply water, and support job creation for Syrian and Iraqi refugees fleeing ISIS. You can also purchase super comfortable jogger pants with the Preemptive Love Coalition logo, as well as products made by refugees. Shop here: https://preemptivelove.shop/collections/new

FOCUS North America is one of the most effective Orthodox ministries engaging cyclical poverty, hunger, and homelessness in the United States. Through their Gifts of Love, you can purchase two weeks of groceries for an elderly person, a week of meals for a child, or job skills classes at a FOCUS center. A couple years ago, I was able to purchase a wardrobe of new work clothes (via FOCUS) in honor of my father, and it meant more to him than any random jazz CD I could find on Amazon. Shop here: https://focusnorthamerica.org/focusonlove/

Oxfam International is one of the most well-known organizations for socially conscious gifts, and for good reason: their gifts of livestock, honeybees, chickens, and water systems have helped thousands of families recover their livelihoods in the midst of war, hunger, and famine. Buy a set of honeybees in honor of your beekeeping in-laws! Purchase a water system in honor of your plumber uncle. Sponsor a theatre class that focuses on women’s empowerment for that radical feminist in your life. Shop here: https://www.oxfamgifts.com/

IOCC, or International Orthodox Christian Charities, is one of the few nonprofit organizations working in Syria to alleviate the suffering of Syrian refugees. They are also always on the frontline of natural disasters, particularly in the storm-swept southern United States. Through their online gift catalogue, you can purchase a greenhouse for a low-income farmer, or sponsor a tech skills course for young adult refugees in Greece, or purchase a clean-up bucket for IOCC relief workers in disaster zones. Shop here: https://support.iocc.org/

Gifts for Kids

Any of these purchases would be welcome for the children in your life: godchildren, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and your own!

This Peace Doll from Preemptive Love Coalition comes in a variety of sizes and colors, and each doll is hand-sewn by Israeli and Palestinian women “working together for unity and peace.” Shop here: https://preemptivelove.shop/collections/knits/products/sisterhood-collection-peace-doll

Citizenkid is an online bookstore devoted to high-quality children’s books that focus on various social justice

issues. Consider pairing a book that connects to your child’s interest (animal welfare, food security, education) with a donation to an organization that works in that field. Or, better yet, gift the book and schedule a volunteer time at a local organization that works with your child’s topic of interest. Shop here: https://www.kidscanpress.com/series/citizenkid.

Tea Collection is a children’s clothing boutique that focuses on cultural engagement and exploration. Their Global Shop features a variety of engaging prints from various countries (shop here for girls: https://www.teacollection.com/girls-clothing/global-shop and here for boys: https://www.teacollection.com/boys-clothing/global-shop) and proceeds of their sales go to the Global Fund for Children.

Whatever you purchase for your loved ones this holiday season, be intentional, and be creative. Donate to your loved one’s local food pantry in their name; fund a teacher’s project on DonorsChoose.org as a group gift for your boss. Collect bags of dog food for your local animal shelter at your holiday party. Be mindful of how your giving, and your celebration, echoes the gift of Christ, who is our ultimate tiding of great joy.

Allison Backous Troy is a writer and educator living in Houston, Texas, where her husband is clergy at Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral. She received her MFA from Seattle Pacific University and has been published in Image, the St. Katherine’s Review, Comment Magazine, Art House America, and the Crab Orchard Review. She is currently working on a book about hospitality in the Orthodox tradition. To read more from Allison, see: