While a Christmas meme might have its place, there’s something incredibly pleasing about a card dropping through the letterbox. Graphic artist Rosy Nichols has created these wonderful gold-foiled set of six paper-cut style Christmas cards (£14.95) for the charity Mummy’s Star, which supports women and birthing people who are diagnosed with cancer during pregnancy. After the big day, send thanks via Scribble & Daub’s collection of charity cards (£6.95 each). Each design benefits a different charity, with funds raised supporting initiatives such as The Black Curriculum and Mind.

Unsurprisingly we have lots of opinions on Christmas decorations and this year there are plenty of aesthetically agreeable options with a charitable leaning. The female-led hot glass studio Gather has designed these playful, limited edition set of six baubles (£250 for six; or £50 each) with £10 of every bauble purchased going to the Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity.

For a modern update on a fireplace classic, these wonderfully jolly stockings by In Casa by Paboy (£13) have been handmade in Italy. Founded by Paboy Bojang, who was originally from Gambia and now based in Naples, the brand has a strong social ethos, giving opportunities and fairly paid work to fellow migrants while they await asylum.

Crackers have always seemed like an essential albeit slightly throw-away component of the Christmas tablescape. Kaneo spotted this during lockdown and now makes reusable, fill-your-own crackers in traditional patterns (£62 for a box of six; or £16 each), giving 10% of sales (not profits) to The Salvation Army.

Whether you’re bringing a bottle to a friend’s house or simply stocking up, opt for a bottle of London Sparkling Brut from Forty Hall Vineyard (£35). A small-scale vineyard in north London and the first in the capital since the Middle Ages, Forty Hall funnels the income from sales back into the site’s ecotherapy project, which offers volunteering opportunities for people with mental health illnesses to help with harvesting grapes and caring for vines.

Let’s be honest, as much as one might grumble about getting socks for Christmas, they’re do come in handy. Genevieve Sweeney has a beautiful range of thick wool socks (£54 for a trio gift set) that will be extremely welcome in any stocking. They pledge 1% of their profits to Rewilding Britain, a project which aims to restore at least 30% of Britain’s land by 2030.

Candles and books are always a failsafe option and brilliant independent candle makers Earl of East, along with Hoxton Mini Press, work with Ecologi, who plant a tree for every website sale. We think pairings from both brands make excellent gifts and would propose the delights of An Opinionated Guide – Erotic Art (£15) with the equally heady Smoke & Musk candle (£24). For the epicurean, how about the tomato-y notes of a Greenhouse home mist (£26) matched with brilliant compendium of Britain’s Best Bakeries (£22.95).

There’s a lot of choice for flower deliveries but we love Petalon’s for its remarkable commitment to ecology, which includes giving 100% of their end of year profits to UK conservation projects. They also have seasonal or yearly subscriptions (from £30 a week) with flowers harvested from their carbon neutral Cornish farm.

Not only are Rise Bakery’s orange and coconut blondies delicious (they boast a Great Taste award), the bakery is also part of the homeless charity Providence Row, which has been going for almost 160 years, and provides training to people effected by homelessness. A letterbox-friendly treat (£12 + p&p) ensures they’ll always been delivered, even if the giftee isn’t home.

Women and children who find themselves needing to flee from domestic abuse often end up in unfurnished homes without even so much as carpet on the floor. Emily Wheeler, a former social worker and interior designer, understood the need to furnish homes and has set up the charity Furnishing Futures (which we’ve written about here). They have created handy bundles (from £50-£500) you can gift for Christmas, providing furniture and household comforts to those in need.

Main image by Kim Lightbody for Scribble & Daub

Words by Hannah Nixon