Gifts that Give Back

This holiday season, consider treating your favorite people to gifts that come with a feel-good bonus. We’re highlighting 10 gift picks that give back to the world in a meaningful way — by providing hearing aids to people in need, supplying kids in Haiti with soap and clean water, fighting malaria in Africa or simply supporting a living wage for hard-working artisans around the globe.
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1. For the Audiophile 

Form meets function with LISTN’s bluetooth Wireless Zebrawood Troubadour headphones. The zebrawood housing isn’t just for looks – natural wood provides superior tonal balance for the custom-built 40mm neodymium drivers. Every LSTN purchased helps support the Starkey Hearing Foundation, which provides hearing aids to people in need. In the last three years, the partnership has benefitted more than 20,000 people in the U.S. and abroad. 

LISTN Wireless Zebrawood Troubadour Headphones

2. For the Weekend Traveler

Handmade by young women in Ethiopia, the roomy leather Oyster Travel Bag from Sseko Designs will elevate any getaway. Sseko’s Ethiopia bag partner employs 29 local craftswomen and also subsidizes their educational pursuits. Constructed of locally sourced oil-tanned leather, this oyster-shaped style has a structured bottom, brushed-brass hardware and a canvas lining with two internal pockets. 

Sseko Designs Oyster Travel Bag

3. For the Romantic 

This bangle from Article 22 is a thoughtful reminder of the human potential to transform negative into positive. For nine years during the Vietnam era, the U.S. dropped more than 250 million bombs on Laos. Roughly 80 million unexploded bombs were left littering the landscape. For each bracelet purchased, Project Peacebombs funds the professional cleanup of 57 square meters of land. Local craftspeople melt down the resulting scrap metal and refashion it into fair-trade jewelry and other keepsakes. 

Project Peacebombs Love Is the Bomb 22-Diamond Bangle

4. For the Little One

The Under the Sea Gift Box from The Little Market contains a trio of adorable stuffed sea creatures — dolphin, turtle and whale — all hand-knitted in soft alpaca wool by Peruvian artisans. The knitters work in The Artisan Women’s House in Puno, a region of Southern Peru know for its high-quality textiles. 

The Little Market Under the Sea Gift Box

5. For the Recovering Workaholic [OR] For the Family That Naps Together

 Hand-woven in Thailand, this hammock is just one of a dozen vacation-inspired color options for Yellow Leaf Hammocks’ most popular model. Available in Classic Double (400 pound capacity) or King Size (550 pound capacity), the hammock is made of super soft yarn that is weather and fade resistant. All Yellow Leaf hammocks are made by expert weavers in the hill tribes of rural North Thailand. The work provides a steady living wage for communities on the lowest rung of Thai society, who are often denied citizenship and job opportunities.

Yellow Leaf Hammocks Vineyard Haven Hammock

6. For the Hostess

 Hand in Hand Soap Co. makes triple-milled shea butter bar soaps, sugar scrubs, lotions and other charmingly packaged personal-care goodies. For every item purchased, the company donates a bar of soap and one month of clean water to a child in Haiti through its partnership with My Neighbor’s Children. Give the assorted set – which includes Coral, Orange Blossom, Sea Salt and Lavender scents – and you’ll automatically gift four bars of soap and four months of clean water to kids in need. 

Hand in Hand Soap Co. 4-Pack Assorted Bar Soap Set

7. For the Home Design Aficionado

The 100% wool Totonac Rug from Local & Lejos is hand-woven by a collective of all-women weavers in Teotitlán del Valle – a village outside Oaxaca, Mexico. For every rug purchased, the artisan who made it can provide one month of school for a child. Available in three sizes, the rug is made to order and will arrive four weeks from the time of purchase – so plan ahead with this gift! 

Local & Lejos Totonac Rug

8. For the Minimalist 

Prosperity Candle’s soy-blend Burmese Candle is hand-poured in Easthampton, Massachusetts by Burmese refugees who have recently resettled in the U.S. – providing training and fair-wage employment to ease their transition. This candle comes in a black glass holder which can easily be refilled or repurposed at the end of the candle’s 40-hour burn life. Choose from five essential oil-based scents.

Prosperity Candle Burmese Candle

9. For the Sleeping Beauty 

Treat ’em to an instant bed upgrade with our signature Bedding Bundle, The Venice – a fuss-free set that includes a Fitted Sheet, Duvet Cover and Pillowcases. Choose from a range of colors in Linen, Percale or Sateen. For every Venice Set sold, we donate a life-saving bed net through our partnership with Nothing But Nets. Every 60 seconds, a child in Africa dies of malaria; yet in areas with high coverage of insecticide-treated bed nets, malaria rates can be reduced by 90%. 

Parachute Venice Set

10. For the Tree Hugger 

 Amour Vert’s Mayr Softest V-Neck Tee is made in the USA of modal-jersey, an outrageously soft fabric produced from sustainable beech tree cellulose. Available in seven colors, the flattering and relaxed-fit style comes in just one size. For every tee purchased, Amour Vert pledges to plant a tree in North America in partnership with American Forests. The company has already planted more than 100,000 trees! 

Amour Vert Mayr Softest V-Neck Tee


For more gift guide inspiration, visit Parachute’s Holiday Gift Guide.

Parachute
We make modern Bedding and Bath essentials for a more comfortable home. Our products are designed in Venice Beach and responsibly manufactured by the world’s best artisans.

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