Oh my, I've had such a lovely week my little festive readers. I made some delightful Orange and cinnamon stick decorations and I picked up my tree yesterday! While decorating it I ate almost all of my mince pies and watched repeats of Vicar of Dibley (pronounced 'Dimblebee' if you're my dad). 

Now when it comes to present buying every year I always get stuck for what to buy my big brother. Like many men, he has everything he wants and he has expensive taste so not the easiest person to buy for. However this week a friend told me about Good gifts www.goodgifts.org. The Good Gifts Catalogue was born 11 years ago and is a refreshing alternative to conventional unwanted presents.

Here's how it works:  The gifts range from small to large. For example: for £8 you can Protect 50 people from river blindness endemic in Africa with a once-a-year pill, or for £6 for can buy 3 chickens to give war widows eggs to rear and sell. For £25 for can preserve half an acre of rainforest and If you wanted to spend a lot, for £350 for could save a life, every day, for a month with vaccinations and medicine. 

The company are guided by 2 commitments: first, that every Good Gift was always wanted. And second when you buy a Good Gift, your money buys the actual gift.

Now I'm not suggesting we abandon real pressies. I love giving and receiving presents and I'm always first sitting under the tree. But in our house we give two or three gifts each, so replacing one of these with a thoughtful gift from www.goodgift.org would not only give the recipient a warm glow, but an actual person / animal / area will be better of because of you. I don't know about you, but we indulge to such extremes in our house, I'm always conscious of those less fortunate. So I try my best to do some good at the same time.