Last Minute Gift Ideas (sustainable and charity)

(This blogpost is also available in German / auf Deutsch)

Only a few days left and then Christmas!!! Personally, I am not so stressed about finding the perfect gifts as I have said here in the past. However, I know the feeling when you have not found the right one, or you want to find something for someone who seems to already have everything … not giving a gift is of course an option, some people wish for that too. But what about when time is running out and you want to find something sustainable to bring your loved one a little joy?

(Info: This blogpost includes unsponsored advertising, meaning that it’s unpaid. You can find my sustainable gift guide here, and tips to pack gifts sustainably, you can find here!)

So today I’ve put together some sustainable last-minute gift ideas for you:

Animal or environmental sponsorship: Here you can do some good on several levels. You don’t end up buying a product that in the worst case ends up in the garbage or consumes unnecessary resources, but you donate in the name of the recipient! Especially for minimalists, animal or environmentalists this may be the perfect gift! Here are three organizations that I personally highly recommend:

• Whales.org – there are marine conservation, dolphin or orca sponsorships! (more info here in my blog post)
• Treedom – in this charitable project, you can complete tree sponsorships, promote the environment and support small farmers – here you get all the information! (more info here in my blogpost, advertisement)
• Also, the NABU (Nature Conservation Union in Germany) has a large selection of sponsorships!

Mindfulness: I know many people who already have a lot, but who lack one of the most important things: time for themselves and time for relaxation. These types of pauses are usually rarely taken, so it helps to be “forced” with a gift to finally take a break. Here are just a few ideas, but you can get creative here yourself:

• Give away, for example, a yoga or meditation lesson. You can still quickly buy them online or in the studio on site!
• It’s the same with a massage, a visit to a spa or something similar!
• Speaking of yoga, through a cooperation for our Instagram advent calendar, I came up with this idea: give away a premium subscription to the meditation app 7Mind (only in German, I was not paid for this post, but still advertising)

Crafting: There is not much time left, but maybe you still have some time to do make something nice?

• My recommendation: Macrames – these are super easy with my two tutorials (plant hanger and wall hanging) and the appropriate strings can be found in well-stocked shops or in the hardware store.
• Another idea: Beauty DIYs, but you can only find a few ingredients online, but maybe you can find the right ingredients in the store right away? Here are some of my blog posts on the topic!

Food: For real foodies and minimalists, there are also some great ideas!

• Food basket – classic, practical and good! For this you can simply browse the health food store! The whole thing quickly becomes quite expensive, so do not exaggerate and focus on 3-4 really good products!
• Make delicious apple chutney or dukkah nut mix yourself: I made this at an event with Krautkopf and Manufactum (unpaid advertising). 

Delicious apple chutney – For 4 glasses (à 300 ml) you need:

180 g onion
20 g ginger
1 kg apples
1 pod vanilla
1 tbsp apple pectin
200 g whole cane sugar
1 tbsp olive oil
250 ml white wine
250 ml apple cider vinegar
2.5 teaspoons salt
1 tsp Piment d’Espelette

Cut the onions into fine cubes, finely chop the ginger. Peel and dice the apples, slit the vanilla pod and scratch out the inside. Mix the apple pectin with a tablespoon of sugar.
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan and fry the onions until they are see through. Deglaze the onions with the white wine. Bring the wine to a boil and simmer for five minutes.
Add the apples, sugar, ginger, vinegar, salt, Piment d’Espelette and the pith and pod of the vanilla, bring to a boil again and simmer for four minutes. Then stir in the apple pectin and simmer for one minute. When still hot fill the chutney into sterile glasses and close tightly. More photos also on Krautkopf!

Yummy Dukkah Nut spices mix: Find the recipe on Google!! It’s super easy!

Have you ever given any last minute presents? If yes, what were they? What are your tips?