Giving to Charity and a Christmas Ornament Keepsake -Hostess Gift

Christmas Hostess Gift: give a thoughtful and world changing gift this year with a donation to charity and DIY keepsake ornament.

Jump to:

• Charity Gifts That Do Some Good
• The Gift of Fruit Trees
• A Keepsake Ornament

I wanted to share this great gift idea as part of the Christmas Gifts for under $10 series -perfect for a host/hostess, bus driver, neighbour, or friend.

Let's face it none of us really needs another candle, box of chocolates or bottle of wine this Christmas...okay you might make an argument for the wine, but still. Here's an idea to give something with a little more meaning.

Charity Gifts That Do Some Good

I'm always inspired by the World Vision catalogue that comes around each year filled with charity gifts for people in developing countries, and I love the idea of giving things like animals, and education because they're the gifts that keep giving and provide a brighter future.

So, I was wondering how to make these meaningful gifts a little less expensive and suitable for a hostess gift, and also give something to the recipient as a keepsake as well. Here's what I came up with.

The Gift of Fruit Trees

World Vision offers 5 fruit trees for $30. The trees could do a lot for a family. They offer fruit which helps provide nutritious food and vitamins for a family, given enough to create an orchard they could provide an opportunity for a family to create a small business, and they offer natural beauty, shade, and oxygen to the area. Win, win, win. At only $30 for five here's how I turned this into a fun under $10 gift.

A Keepsake Ornament

You can make three or four of these sweet keepsake ornaments, with a glittered covered pear, and then divide up the fruit trees, to make gifts for under $10. I already had the fruit ornament, but you could find any plastic fruit and even glitter it yourself. Then I made a little tag that says HOPE. I used rubber stamps on card stock, glittered the edges, and mounted it on a little piece of book page paper cut with special scissors, then I tied it to the pear with some silver ribbon.

I purchased the fruit trees, and printed out the description, you can purchase and print it here, and packaged it up with one of the keepsake ornaments in a fun little Chinese take-out box, with shredded book pages. Now, when you are invited somewhere for dinner or a party over Christmas you can let the host know that you bought a fruit tree in a developing country in their name, and that each year they put the ornament on their Christmas tree they'll remember the gift of the fruit tree.

With a thoughtful, and meaningful Christmas hostess gift like this, life really is a party!

Also check out our Holiday Hostess Wine and Cheese Gift Basket here.

Also you might enjoy our Printable Christmas Gift Card Holders here.