Conscious Christmas gifting 2022

It has been two years since I created a Conscious Gift Guide, (Let’s blame it on Covid:) I opened up my designs two weeks ago and thought this is just so much work, I am not going to do it again. But yesterday I had some time and enjoyed the process so much of finding gifts that are conscious, practical and thoughtful. Most of the gifts are local but I also included a few products from overseas. I already own some of these products, others are still on my wish list. The prices also range alot from R90 to R6500, so there is something for everyone. This is not just a foodie gift guide but for everyone that wants to live a more sustainable, thoughtful life and not be swept away by mass consumerism.

1. A beautiful elegant butter dish, I need one of these!
2. A recipe book is always a great present for a foodie. I love this Cape Mediterranean recipe book by Ilse van der Merwe. The recipes are fresh and delicious and the photography and styling are always breathtaking. Make it extra special and wrap it in a linen towel and add a utensil, string and foliage.
3. I still think my WSK Meal planner is very useful and practical and makes a great gift. Add some kitchen goodies and make it into a hamper.
4. The Omniblend blender is by far superior to any blender I have used and makes the most delicious, smoothies, smoothie bowls, nut butter etc. It is strong!! And they have great after-service! You can buy it through me at a discounted price
5. Mason cash mixing bowl These bowls are just beautiful, my mom still has a similar bowl that belonged to my grandmother.
6. Weck Jars Great for overnight oats, salads or gifts. I am planning to stock up when we visit Babylonstoren in December.
7. A Gift voucher is always a good idea. Faithfull to nature has it all when it comes to conscious gifting and wellness products.
8. Make sure to show hubby all the current sales for the Instant pot It helps me so much with meal prep. Remember to add that it will save electricity to your sales pitch:)
9. Every kitchen needs great scissors, that stay in the kitchen!!! My scissors are due for an upgrade and I am obsessed with anything  Victorinox  so this one is on my list

1. I love to be prepared for picnics and road trips. Healthy snacks on the go. Snacks from highway stops are expensive and pretty awful. So I got us this fabulous  Picnic cooler bag  from Cape Union Mart. It is just perfect. It has all the basics just add snacks, ice bricks and a ‘lappie’ (wet cloth). It will make a great gift!
2. I am always a fan of beautiful linen. These yellow napkins are just so joyful! I have my eye on the black pinstripe napkin for food styling purposes. Skinny laminx has the most beautiful printed linens.
3. Beautiful baskets for organisation or for plants. Order online from Basketly and gift a beautiful plant with it.
4. Funky laptop bag for all those coffee shop work excursions. Zana laptop bag
5. I have seen these on Takealot but this is great option to support a local company. This will make packing a breeze. Travel pods by Thandana bags
6. Online plant shopping has never been this easy, order indoor plants from Plantify.
7. I bought a black cooler bag to match our Picnic cooler bag for some extra space. I thought these from Mr Price would make a great affordable gift. Fill it with some extra snacks. Fabric cooler
8. Creative and Heart year planner, I love these planners and beautiful watercolour artworks. Get organised in 2023.
9. Soft pots for plants brighten up any space from Zana

1. Lemon curd makes a great gift in a jar. Also, bake some shortbread with it and make a beautiful label.
2. Chocolate chip cookies in a jar are a thoughtful gift and the jar can be re-used.
3. Giant chocolate chip cookie Place in a small pizza box and decorate with foilage and a pretty ribbon.
4. A quick recipe from my blog, fill a tin, jar or box with Peanut butter biscuits
5. Make a large batch of  Carrot cake granola and gift it in jars
6. Biscotti is so easy to bake and less time-consuming than baking rusks. Use interesting flavour combinations or dip Biscotti in chocolate and nuts to turn it into a luxury gift.
7. Savoury biscuits with a chutney and cheese hamper are a great gift for a hostess. If you could make it yourself even better.
8. Cordial is a great refreshing summer drink, just add water or a tonic. Experiment with different flavours. Store in a pretty bottle. Add a tag and ribbon. To make it even more glamorous make up a hamper with fruits and herbs and fancy tonic water.
9. Plant cuttings, a gift that will not cost you a lot is to create your own plants through propagation. If you have never done this watch this great tutorial by Sadia from Pick up limes. Start growing the cuttings now for Christmas. Plant in a pretty pot.

Workshops are great gifts because it does not add to the gift clutter, you can learn a new skill and create memories with friends and family. Not all of these classes have dates yet for 2023 but email them and find out if you can buy a voucher for the next workshop.

1. Skillshare is an amazing app where you will learn a ton of stuff from experts. It will make a great gift for an entrepreneur or even a teen that wants to learn some new things. Buy a friend a month subscription for $10.
2. Buying a book voucher on Audible is also a great gift, I have done this a few times for friends and family and even a teacher that was immigrating. Sign them up and a voucher will be e-mailed to them.
3. If you have a friend, mother, sister struggling in the kitchen I would love to help them out with new inspiration, skills and systems. Book a Kitchen Edit session
4. Umami food studio in Midrand host amazing Korean classes and sells dumpling kits and cordials. Get in contact with Rany to book a class.
5. Madeline is a whizz with styling and sorting out wardrobes. Book a Master wardrobe session for a loved one that needs some new inspiration with dressing.
6. Lilian Gray hosts amazing paint nights for couples or friends throughout the year.
7. Online watercolour course by Jess Meyer. Watercolour made simple
8. Veld and Sea is a coastal foraging and cooking class in Cape Town. It is on my bucket list to attend one day.
9. Join me Wooden spoon kitchen for an ice cream workshop at the lovely Ganico farm in Muldersdrift. Email me to find out about the next event.

1. Dish and bowl covers from Spaza store. I use them so often, and absolutely love my dish covers. Use these beautiful covers instead of cling wrap. Functional and pretty.
2. Icompost If you know someone that is serious about composting, this smart machine is just great to turn your kitchen scraps into compost in 24 hours.
3. Stasher bags are just amazing, they last forever and you can add sweets, dried fruit, cookies in them as a gift.
4. Bamboo coffee cup for that coffeeholic friend of yours.
5. Eco-egg Change the way people do their washing, I love my Eco-egg. It saves money and space, and it is good for the environment, allergies and head space- I never have to think about buying anything for my washing. Only once a year.
6. Reusable bento bags by Seva. Pretty bags to store lunches in.
7. Reusable shopping bags I keep my reusable shopping bags in my handbag and never forget them. So many designs to choose from. It is a lovely, practical little gift. Add some snacks inside to make it extra special.
8. Kuro-bo water filters An affordable way to filter water. Great gift for students.
9. Micro-green kit For that friend that adds microgreens to everything.

1. How sweet is this flower press kit from Envirokid. Encouraging children to get back into nature and be creative.
2. I love to gift books for children and anything by Oliver Jeffers are amazing beautiful stories and stunning illustrations.
3. Cookbook for kids and the modern family who love to eat, cook, celebrate and have fun together. Donna Hay, Basics to Brilliance
4. My daughter loves o read and it is a struggle to find books to read that are age appropriate and that will take her longer than a day to read through. So I am always looking for new authors. We bought this box set for her last Christmas. Beautiful stories, most of them have animals as main characters. Michael Morpurgo is a wonderful writer and has written a ton of books.
5. My friend told me about eeBoo puzzles the most beautiful puzzles ever!! Pieces of funky art. I am getting one for our family to build over Christmas. They are not local but too good not to share.
6. I am still not sure how you will get these journals in South Africa but rumor has it that they are wonderful resources to build up your children’s character. Worth investigating. PDFs can also be downloaded. Big life journal
7. My crunchboxI don’t know if these lunchboxes are a gift for children or moms but all I know is they are great and make packing lunchboxes a breeze.
8. Another fun open-ended toy by Envirokid, learning while playing! Rope kit
9. Colour me skin colour pencils will be great stocking fillers to teach children about the diversity of our rainbow nation.

Hope you enjoyed this guide and find it useful.

Please share around so we can also help support local businesses.

May Christmas be a time of joy and peace for you and your family.