Alas, December is here and we at Guru now deem it appropriate to ring in the Christmas cheer. We trust that you, dear readers, ignored anything Christmas-related blasted to you before the beginning of this month. From today, we now declare it to officially be the season to be jolly; the season to get presents; the season to buy presents and most importantly, the season to give! And give back, maybe? This week we focus on gifts for Christmas and the new year that give back. These gifting ideas may clear your conscience and make you feel less guilty about all the naughty, naughty things you did in 2017. And if you were a saint for the entire year, well... perhaps you'll be sleeping even better every night knowing you bought one of these.
PANKAN -- A SHARING SOCIETY BY YUVABADHANA FOUNDATION
As the saying goes, one person's trash could be another person's treasure. Pankan is a sharing society that collects donated clothes and unwanted items and sells them on. The money made from such sales is transformed into scholarship money for underprivileged children across Thailand. The initiative, led by the Yuvabadhana Foundation, is currently supporting scholarships for 6,200 children, with some 5,100 having already graduated. Buying an item as a present from any one of Pankan's nine stores across Bangkok is a way to ensure that even more of these children living in poverty with little prospect of social mobility will get those scholarships and access to education, development tools as well as mentoring. If you've ever spent a minute in a vintage store you'll know how easy it is to go wild in there and buy tonnes of stuff, and Pankan's stores are just as alluring, trust us. And while you're at it, why don't you give yourself a Christmas present by clearing up all the things in your home that you don't need, making space for all the new things you may acquire in 2018. Donate stuff and get rid of unwanted items and maybe Santa will change his mind about all your naughty deeds this year!
For more info, visit http://fb.com/pankansociety, www.pankansociety.com or call 1096.
SOCIAL GIVER
This lifestyle and travel platform allows customers to shop around for great deals from leading hotels, restaurants and activities -- yoga, muay thai, laser quest, you name it! -- across Thailand. But what makes it so special is that it donates 100% of profits from purchases to help create impact and sustainability for important causes, for instance, those with disabilities, underprivileged women and children, wildlife, education, health and the environment. For instance, you could book your next holiday -- or someone else's -- knowing full well that it will help towards putting less fortunate children through school.
To score some amazing deals for an amazing gift for a loved one this Christmas, head to www.socialgiver.com and start digging... and giving!
ECOTOPIA
Have you got any environmentally conscious and green-minded friends or relatives? In this day and age, we're sure you absolutely must. Otherwise, who are you surrounding yourself with? Hmmm? For green-inspired gifts, head to Ecotopia, a new zone in Siam Discovery that carries the largest and most comprehensive selection of green products and over 3,000 healthy and environmentally friendly items from more than 100 brands. There you'll find organic food and natural ingredients, apparel bags and accessories made of natural fabrics like indigo dyed cotton and accessories made of recycled materials that don't pose a threat to the environment as well as a wide variety of local and international beauty brands offering products made of organic ingredients. This is the place to shop this Christmas, for sure, while giving back to one of the most important creatures in the entire world... Mother earth!
Ecotopia is located on the fourth floor of Siam Discovery, The Exploratorium. For further info, visit www.siamdiscovery.co.th/explore/Ecotopia or call 02-658-1000.
LITTLE SISTER LOVE DOLLS BY SRETSIS
If you're aware of the Little Sister collection by Sretsis, clothes for young girls aged 2-8, then you may have come across these adorable little dolls, which come in three sizes, mini, medium and large. Using beautiful fabrics -- which are changed based upon Little Sister's main collection -- which are sewn and embroidered with love by commissioned craftswomen in need, buying these dolls is a way to increase their income and ensure they are doing what they love most. Proceeds from the sales of such dolls are donated to children related charities annually. Join Little Sister in brightening a child's day and bringing a big smile to their faces!
Head to http://bit.ly/ShopLittleSister to place an order or check out the IG @littlesisterofficial to have a look at all the other products in the Little Sister collection. To check them out in person, head to Little Sister Play House on the sixth floor of Central Chidlom, or call 083-989-8379.
THE ONCE PROJECT
Here is a clothing brand that was started in 2016 with the late king Bhumibol Adulyadej's sufficiency economy in mind, geared towards creating a sustainable and equal future for all, so that everyone has what they need, nothing more, nothing less. With edgy and slick braille T-shirt designs that embody interesting and minimal graphics, buying a T-shirt from The ONCE project means that 30% of revenue goes towards supporting the blind and creating jobs for them. A society where everyone has access to a job, despite their disability, is the type of society The ONCE project is seeking to build. We are all for it. Shirts come in all sizes and in safe colours, i.e., white, light grey, dark grey and black.
For more information, visit http://fb.com/theonceproject, check out IG @theon.ce, order via LINE @theonce or call 086-979-5687.
DOITUNG FESTIVE GIFT SETS BY THE MAE FAH LUANG FOUNDATION
When Princess Srinagarindra first visited Doi Tung, Chiang Rai, almost 30 years ago, she saw denuded mountains and poor hill tribes relying on opium crops as well as slash-and-burn farming to earn a living. The Doi Tung Development project was thus initiated to provide the hill tribe people with alternative occupations and opportunities to improve their livelihood. To bring in the Christmas cheer, the Mae Fah Luang Foundation under Royal Patronage has prepared a section of hand-crafted products from the DoiTung brand that shall delight givers and receivers alike, products of premium quality produced by the local hill tribe villagers. Among these products is premium grade coffee, ceramic coffee and tea sets, mulberry paper products and handwoven textiles, all of which have been beautifully packaged in remarkable gift sets. We reckon these will be a great hit with anyone who has kids or grandkids. Made from the hands of the hill tribe villagers of Doi Tung, all proceeds from the sales of these products will be returned to further their development.
For more information, visit www.doitung.org, http://fb.com/DoiTungClub or call 02-252-7114. The gift sets are available from the following stores in Bangkok: Mae Fah Luang Foundation office on Rama IV Road, Bon Marche Outlet (Building C) and Na Phra Lan Road, as well as eight other stores in Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai.
TLEJOURN SHOES
So what you wear on your feet matters, for your posture, protection, comfort and walking capabilities. Shoes are so important. So... why not wear shoes that also make a difference? In comes Tlejourn, which in Thai means, "wandering across the sea". The brand has worked on numerous occasions with Thailand's Trash Hero and other environmental impact groups, collecting debris and rubbish from the ocean and making... erm... shoes out of them. Well, the EVA insole and outsole of the shoes are made from ocean debris. Tlejourn makes anything from slippers, flip-flops and even sneakers -- check out the brand's most recent collaboration with Larinn, which looks pretty hipster. We reckon these are a great idea for a Christmas present and are a great conversation starter: "Hmm, what kind of shoes have you got on there?" asks your colleague, friend or loved one, to which you can reply: "Ahh, Harry, I'm only wearing the ocean today", or, "These shoes were made from the Andaman darling".
For more information, visit http://fb.com/Tlejourn.
