gifts that keep on giving
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Snackbox
here is absolutely nothing wrong with unwrapping a gift this holiday season, but here are so many ways to show your love and affection that don’t involve huge shopping sprees, and that may involve sharing experiences, enjoying company, and trading in one big present for little presents that come in throughout the year. Through Oxfam Canada you can buy an impoverished family a goat, chicken, or plant a garden; through Free the Children’s Holiday Wishing Well for the World you can provide a well for a community; you can adopt a snowy owl through the World Wildlife Fund; help rehabilitate a child soldier or buy blankets for babies through Unicef, or you can sponsor a child through World Vision Canada, SOS Children’s Villages. This type of giving lasts all year for the recipients and implants a sense of global citizenship in young ones. Giving experiences, such as theatre, dance, or concert tickets, seasons passes to places like Science World and The Aquarium, and ski passes are another way to give without adding to the buildup of things in your home, and give your family and friends something to look forward to during the year ahead. But if you want a gift that truly keeps on giving and will bring smiles throughout the year, we’ve rounded up some other great ideas for you to consider.
Owl and ChickaDEE magazine subscriptions Founded as science and nature magazines for children, Owl and ChickaDEE have expanded in scope to include relevant information on the topics and issues that concern preteens and tweens while remaining true to the mission of educating and entertaining. Unusual for the intended age groups, these magazines are loved by both girls and boys, relaying information with a signature honesty, intelligence, and humour.
Snackbox was created to help simplify the task of discovering your new favourite snack. Every month, their holistic nutritionist and her team of experts carefully choose and curate the best snacks. They read and analyze all the labels, and most importantly, taste test the snacks! Members get 10 - 12 items in their Snackbox once a month. There will be a combination of sweet and savoury snacks to satisfy any craving! $24/mo 6-month subscription, $33 one month | www.getsnackbox.com
Tom Lee Music School of Rock Are you the parent or relative of an aspiring rock star? This program for kids between the ages of 10 and 19 uses a performance-based approach to music lessons. If they play guitar, electric guitar, drums, or sing, they won’t want to miss this amazing chance to put all their hard work and practicing into action! From instrument sectionals, to band coaching, a big pizza party and a live rock concert at the end of the week, this is a life changing weekend where they’ll not only fall more in love with music and their instrument, but they will get to feel like a rock star on the Tom Lee Music Hall stage! $325 for one week class | www.tomleemusic.ca
Foodie Pages Tree Trimming Party Box
$35 for a one-year subscription | www.owlkids.com
The Missing Ingredient The Missing Ingredient is a monthly box of inspiration delivered to your doorstep. Described best as a culinary adventure in a box, each monthly Missing Ingredient subscription provides hard-to-find ingredients paired with feature recipes, and practical tips from culinary professionals for subscribers to break out of their culinary rut. Gifts may be given in one, three, six, or 12-month increments, and include the cost of shipping anywhere in Canada.
When your giftee decorates the tree this year, you can help make it a celebration event for family and friends with all of the fixings for a casual and fun dinner in this Tree Trimming Party Box. The Tree Trimming Party Box showcases the best small batch food, handcrafted by Canada’s best artisan food makers. It has something for everyone: a hearty, easy to make chili with multigrain scones; hot drinks for everyone to sip on; something sweet to finish; and popcorn for munching and for stringing! $70 for the Tree trimming Party Box, $300 for a 6-month subscription of gourmet boxes | www.foodiepages.ca
$57 for one month, $282 for 6 months | www.themissingingredient.ca
Other Resources Sunday Morning Ice Cream This ingenious company handcrafts ice creams that they want you to fall in love with, and then delivers them to your loved one’s door every Sunday morning! These delicious treats are created using artisanal recipes, and are produced in small batches using ingredients both seasonal and local, as well as exquisite and exotic. On the first Sunday of the month, Sunday Morning Ice Cream brings two pints of ice cream to homes in curated packs, along with accoutrements like ginger caramel sauce and double chocolate cookies that change monthly. $40 for one delivery a month on www.sundaymorningicecream.com
24 WestCoastFamilies.com
Ronald McDonald House www.rmhbc.ca Oxfam Canada www.oxfam.ca Free the Children www.freethechildren.com Me to We www.weday.com World Wildlife Fund Canada www.wwf.ca Unicef www.unicef.ca World Vision Canada www.worldvision.ca SOS Children’s Villages www.soschildrensvillages.ca Global Mothers www.global-mothers.com