Wouldn’t it be lovely to know that lots of the gifts you give this Christmas are helping others not so fortunate as you or that the products you are buying are environmentally friendly . I find that sometimes Christmas can evoke guilt induced feelings, all that money being spent on presents for someone that doesn’t really need it, after all, Christmas shouldn’t be about how much we spend but about giving and helping others….

I have compiled a list of online shops that really can help others whilst still enabling you to buy a lovely gift for someone.

First up, one of my favourite ones is  Great Ormond Street Childrens Hospital (GOSH) I have bought pressies from them for the last few years. They have lovely unique gifts that you know are also helping the hospital care for sick children from all over the world.

This year I especially love this purple leather notebook and at only £5 it is such a bargain!

Or this personalised Alice in Wonderland book, at £18 it makes the most beautiful gift for little girls of all ages

Next up we have ICE who source sustainable products and services. They then reward you with points for making environmentally friendly purchases with their partners. Every ICE credit issued will be spent on benefiting the environment. So, if you were going to buy something with one of their partners anyway, it makes complete sense to go via ICE. I’ve tried them out whilst purchasing from Green and Blacks and it is exactly the same service.You can buy wine, beauty products, local cheeses, clothes and more through ICE from big companies as well as local ones at the same time as helping the environment and earning points to spend in the partner’s stores.

From the Save the Children shop you can get this very fashionable bulgari silver pendant, as well

as this lovely V&A cake stand. I particularly like National Trust shops so am thrilled to find them online. What could be a better present for a whole family than a family membership to National Trust properties? You can also buy this gorgeous hand gift set as well as picnic rugs and retro kitchen products. There is something for everyone here.

I love this mini football from Unicef. I know a three year old that would love it too.

Or how about this organic bag? Then we mustn’t forget Oxfam. They have a ‘Simplify Your Christmas‘ campaign on at the moment and there was a whole carnival of posts about it last month.

So, why don’t you try something different and have a look at one of the sites. Knowing that you are giving a gift that helps someone else has got to be a bonus hasn’t it?