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Lifestyle
Cora’s Ethical Christmas Gifting Ideas
Having just moved to the countryside in Maine, this year my Christmas gifting list is very much inspired by the idea of locality and investment pieces for everyone that I love. I always try to have a mix of physical objects when I know they will be truly cherished, and charity donations/gift certificates for those I know would appreciate a gesture more than a sundry item.
Find all of my go-to’s below for some of my key Christmas recipients and I hope you feel inspired to shop small, local and sustainable this holiday season!


Northspore mushrooms for my husband
I recently discovered this Maine based company and was so thrilled – my husband and I are going to be doing as much regenerative gardening and farming as we can now that we have a bit of land and given our penchant for mushrooms this starter kit will be an absolute hit for the novice farmer that is my husband fresh from London!


A gift certificate to his favourite restaurant for my father
I think that giving the gift of food is one of the greatest things you can do, particularly as so many restaurants have struggled over the past couple of years with the pandemic. This year for my foodie father I am getting him a gift card to his favourite local restaurant, The Arborvine in Blue Hill Maine. This is a double win for me as I recently learned that one of my favourite regenerative farms in the state, Four Seasons Farm, is local to them and provides their vegetables. I really love to support restaurants that in turn support small scale organic farms so do research into who is doing that close to you and give it to a foodie in your life.


Sapling Vodka for my mother
My mother and I love to share a cocktail, especially over the Holidays. Vodka has always been her favourite spirit so I was thrilled to find an incredibly sustainable, small scale vodka company in England that has been my go to for over a year now. Sapling Vodka plants a tree for every bottle sold, and their whole ethos evolves around local and small batch production. Plus the bottles are very pretty!


Maison Made set for my best friend
I am obsessed with this first ever certified biodynamic, luxury skincare. It is such a simple line but truly smells like a lavender field when you open it. The ethos matches the beautiful packaging, making this a wonderful present for anyone in your life you think deserves a little pampering.


Adopt a Scottish Wildcat who needs our help for our niece
I’ve become quite invested in this campaign as it’s close to helping animals at home in the United Kingdom. We adopted her a panda two years ago with WWF and she loves getting the updates and is always telling her friends about her panda so we love that it’s been such a meaningful and long lasting gift for a child that has a great impact I think on both her and our natural world!
https://www.wildcathaven.com/wildcat-adoption/adopt-a-scottish-wildcat


Feldspar for my in-laws
My in-laws live in Devon, England right near the beautiful old farmhouse where Feldspar Fine Goods make most of their beautiful fine china products. We have been giving them items from them for years now as it’s such a wonderful, local gift from a family run company. My favourite has been the butter dish and the gold bunch vase!


RD glassware for my godparents
My godmother is a wine lover, so beautiful wine glasses were my first thought for her. I am obsessed with our R&D glassware, which is all hand made, mouth blown glassware produced in small batches in Italy. Their shapes are beautiful and this line celebrates a craft that could otherwise die out. It’s a very special story to give someone a set of their items!