26 Best Holiday Gifts That Give Back

'Tis the season for giving and receiving. But isn't it nice when you can find a holiday gift that does a little something extra? From providing meals to supporting girls in developing countries, we've rounded up some of our favourite gifts that give back this holiday season.

The 26 best holiday gifts that give back 2025

Bleu La La 100% Cotton Knit Blanket

This cotton baby blanket is a perfect fit for newborns, infants, and toddlers. Discover the joy of purposeful shopping at Bleu La La, where your purchase makes a meaningful impact. With each purchase, their brand's mission is to help moms struggling with fertility issues by donating 10% of their profits to charities dedicated to bringing the gift of parenthood to those in need.

Bombas Socks

Bombas is a thoughtful gift for anyone who appreciates comfort with a purpose. The cult-favourite sock and basics brand has officially launched in Canada, bringing its well-known “buy one, donate one” mission north of the border. Founded after learning that socks are among the most requested items in homeless shelters, Bombas has since donated more than 100 million essentials worldwide.

Each pair is designed with premium details, like seamless toes, honeycomb arch support and soft cushioning, that make them a pleasure to wear. They also offer options for kids, including an adorable Peanuts collection. In Canada, Bombas supports Covenant House Toronto and Vancouver, Soles4Souls and Montreal’s Old Brewery Mission, ensuring every purchase helps someone in need.

Gift of Adventure

Choose a gift that improves health outcomes for sick children. Every WishGift helps fill a prescription that can cut the chances of a child needing the ER in half. With a Gift of Adventure, a child can explore without limits and discover who they can become—a superhero, a firefighter, a princess, or anything else they can imagine. These transformational experiences build strength, resilience and hope when a child needs it most. $80

Alter Eco Classic Blackout Chocolate Bar

During the holidays, gifting a sweet treat is always a good option. This chocolate bar from Alter Eco is made of two ingredients—organic cocoa beans plus organic cocoa butter.

The best part? Alter Eco invests in local farmers and partakes in the Climate Neutral Certified initiative, meaning they offset 100% of their carbon emissions through conservation and reforestation projects.

Cuddle + Kind Henry the Bunny

Cuddle + Kind sent us Henry the Bunny to try for ourselves, and we must say, he was a hit! This handmade doll is knit from 100% cotton yarn using sustainable, fair trade practices in Peru. He's soft, durable, and filled with a hypoallergenic polyfill. Henry comes in 13- and 20-inch sizes, and each purchase gives 10 meals to children in need. To date, Cuddle + Kind has provided over 38 million nutritious meals.

Everlane The Cocoon Crew in Alpaca

To further solidify their stance of banning the use of plastic in their products, Everlane launched an exciting new program called The Next [Collective]. The company plans to invest $100,000 towards supporting innovative solutions from scientists, designers, and students, creating fully recycled versions of the most challenging items to make free of plastics—like buttons, zipper teeth and stretch fabrics.

This ultra-warm sweater is an Everlane bestseller, made from a cozy Alpaca wool blend. We love the classic crew neck style, and it's available in 16 colors.

A UNICEF Survival Gift®, $16, $53

Malnourished children need to gain weight fast. Plumpy’Nut® is a lifesaving, tasty peanut-based and micronutrient-enhanced therapeutic food that can help a child gain up to two pounds per week! This holiday, get a head start on finding meaningful gifts and have a lasting impact on a child's life through the purchase of a Plumpy’Nut® Survival Gift. With every gift you buy, you help us reach more children with urgent aid in the world's most difficult places to be a child. Shop now to get a free card with every order!

Pact Cool Stretch Lounge Set

Made of soft breathable organic cotton, we love this airy lounge set. It's designed for a slim fit and comes in four neutral colors. Better yet, it's a gift that packs a punch. Every year, Pact partners with Chetna Organic in India—a sustainable, organic cotton farming cooperative in India—to source all the cotton used to make its products.

Since 2019, the sustainable company has made donations through the Good Textiles Foundation, which has benefitted Chetna Organic and its surrounding communities.

Free People High-Rise 7/8 Length Good Karma Leggings

Who doesn't love athleisure? These Free People leggings are designed for cycling, yoga and sweaty workouts while also being great for casual wear. The high-rise design offers great tummy coverage. They've also got an impressive color range with 15 options.

Free People donates 1% of all purchases to Girls Inc., a non-profit that encourages girls to be "strong, smart and bold." Pair the leggings with this matching sports bra, and you've got a cute workout set.

Wildlife Adoption Kits From WWF-Canada

This holiday season, symbolically adopt kids' favourite species: the capybara. Adoption kits are a great way to teach the importance of conservation while protecting the wildlife they care deeply about. Each kit comes with a true-to-life plush, an adoption certificate in their name, and an educational poster with facts about their new species. Choose from more than 45 animals. Shopping for a herd? Save with bundles.

The Awesome Socks Club Monthly Subscription

This subscription service created by YouTubers Hank and John Green delivers fun, mystery socks to your door once a month. Each pair is designed by an up and coming independent artist for high-quality wear that is also unique.

100 per cent of profits from The Awesome Socks Club goes towards hospital construction and staffing at the Maternal Center of Excellence in Sierra Leone.

Obakki Chalk Print Scarf

This modal-blend scarf’s sleek and modern design pairs well with just about any outfit. When Obakki sells 500 of these limited-edition scarves, 100 per cent of net proceeds will go directly towards drilling a water well in South Sudan.

A Gift of Safety and Hope

For too long, roses have been laid in grief for lives lost to gender-based violence. This holiday, join us and reclaim the rose as a symbol of action and hope. Support survivors and their children through outreach, awareness, and expanded services by donating to YWCA Canada’s national Rose Campaign. Help create a just, safe and equitable world—because this ends when we all begin: one voice, one rose, one action at a time.

Fahlo Sea Turtle Tracking Bracelet

Track a turtle! With its empowering message and innovative tracking technology, this bracelet is a fun gift for animal lovers. A portion of all proceeds are donated to the Sea Turtle Conservancy, which helps raise awareness and provides protection for sea turtles around the globe!

With each purchase, your contribution will help the organization achieve its goal of relieving every sea turtle from harm.

We Are the Change: Words of Inspiration from Civil Rights Leaders

This children's book will encourage budding young activists, featuring words of inspiration from famous civil rights leaders including Eleanor Roosevelt, Maya Angelou, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and more. Stunning illustrations from sixteen award-winning children's book artists will keep little ones engaged as they learn about the men and women who changed America for the better.

Purchase of this book supports the American Civil Liberties Union, an organization dedicated to safeguarding free speech, protecting LBGTQ+ rights and tackling other issues that impact society.

A lifeline for families with sick children

When a child is critically sick or injured, being surrounded by the love and support of their family shouldn’t be a privilege. Ronald McDonald House is a lifeline for families – providing them with wraparound care, resources, and the stability they need to stay strong during their child’s fight. Your donation will help provide a community of support, warm meals, and a place to rest. Now more than ever, families across Canada need you. Donate today to help families stay in their child’s fight.

Packed with Purpose Black-Owned Spotlight Gift Basket

This gift set highlights black-owned businesses while supporting youth in need, hunger relief efforts and sustainable agriculture. A perfect gift for foodies, the basket contains mouth-watering goodies including cookies, chips, popcorn, cold brew coffee and more.

PetSmart Charities Chance & Friends Fortune Holiday Plush Dog Toy

Surprise your furry friend with an adorable squeaky plush. When you purchase this toy, you help support PetSmart Charities' mission of finding lifelong, loving homes for all pets by supporting programs and thought leadership that bring people and pets together. For each plush purchased, PetSmart donates 10 percent of the sale to PetSmart Charities.

The Tote Project Free to Be Wild Tote

One of the best gifts to give back according to Oprah herself, this tote bag was manufactured in a fairtrade factory in India with fairtrade certified, organic cotton. The beautiful floral artwork was printed in eco-friendly ink. It's got handy interior water bottle and phone pockets, too.

In addition to the sustainable production process, 10% of the profits go toward the fight against human trafficking and supporting educational opportunities for the survivors.

Matt & Nat Hope Charity Bag

This chic bag from Matt & Nat is not only perfect for your everyday needs but will also help to spark a conversation. With every purchase of the HOPE charity bag, 100% of the purchase price (minus taxes) is donated to A Horse Tale Rescue. As per Matt & Nat's website, this organization is "dedicated to providing a safe, comfortable and loving environment for horses in need and the humans who care for them."

Lettuce Grow The Farmstand Nook

Backed by creatives Jacob Pechenik and Zooey Deschanel, Lettuce Grow Farmstand is a self-watering plant. It requires 95% less water than traditional gardening requires, meaning you only have to help maintain it once a week. In just three weeks, your plant will be ready to harvest for your meals.

This indoor nook is ideal for the colder months. With every ten purchases made, one farmstand is donated.

L'Occitane Cocon de Sérénité Solidarity Hand Cream

For each of these aromatic hand creams sold, L’Occitane is providing one year of vitamin A supplements to four children. The lack of this essential vitamin is one of the leading causes of childhood blindness and is essential to a child's immune system. 

Nobis No Cold Shoulder Pin Pack

For every #NOCOLDERSHOULDER pin pack sold, Nobis is donating 100% of the proceeds to a participating charity.

Ocean Bottle in Forest Green

Bottle up the feeling of good news. Ocean Bottle focuses on rivers and waterways, the arteries that carry plastic to the ocean, and their main focus for plastic collection. With the purchase of every water bottle, the company funds the collection of 11.4kg of plastic, which is equivalent to 1000 plastic bottles.

Grounds & Hounds Lovable Blend

Grounds & Hounds is a pup-friendly coffee brand that supports various initiatives including providing toys, shelter meals and vaccines to dogs. Their Lovable Blend reflects their "mission to break the stigma and bring awareness to the incredible love bully breed pups have to give."

This 100% arabica coffee blend features delicious notes of toffee, milk chocolate and toasted vanilla. The medium-dark roast comes in ground or bean form. It's the perfect gift for dog lovers who need their caffeine fix!

LifeStraw Personal Water Filter

This personal water filter is a thoughtful gift for a hiker or camping enthusiast. It filters out 99.9% of waterborne bacteria and removes microplastics down to 1 micron. With every purchase, LifeStraw provides safe drinking water for a school child in need for an entire year.