It’s #fairtuesday. And thanks to the super organized Christmas lady, I am shopping early.

Oh what’s that? Just enjoying a tiny cup of Christmas cheer.

In our house, we subscribe to the “want, wear, read, need” policy on gift giving for our children. Every year we work on a little less excess, a little more service, and a lot more ethical purchases. We buy with an eye for fair trade, the slavery footprint, and the ethical practices of the companies we are purchasing from.

With all that in mind, I found the places that have done the research for us. Use this as a starting point for your Fair Trade, slavery free Christmas.

• Buy Once, Give Twice. – Gifts with a conscience from Jen Hatmaker.

•  Eco Fashion Guide – Searchable by brand, store, category, eco-criteria, and country. I spent a significant amount of time browsing through the different sites and it seems to have items in every price range.

• Ethical Shopping Guide – The Art of Simple. A list of good companies with a conscience. Their criteria involves human and earth protection: positive efforts in environmental stewardship, no forced labor in the making of products, and ethical treatment of employees. {From the website}.

•  Fair Tuesday. – Explore 150 fair trade, eco-friendly, and sustainable brands. #fairtuesday is a movement created in response to Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

• The Ethical List – From Notes From A Thoughtful Life. A list of fair trade and ethically sourced products. Also, her blog is a treasure to read. – I HIGHLY encourage you to follow her if this is something you are passionate about. I can’t wait to discover more of what she writes. Learn more about her here.

•  Jamie the Very Worst Missionary has created a pinterest board, Shop: “A collaborative list of #fairtrade, ethically responsible brands and retailers for conscientious consumers.”

• Melanie Dale from Unexpected.org has multiple slave-free christmas shopping lists separated by category: Purses, jewelry, and scarves; clothes and shoes, and the all important Christmas Decor.

• My friend Colleen Connell Mitchell has also created a Giving Justly pinterest board chock full of ethical, fair trade gift giving options for the holidays.

• Ethical shopping Guide – The Micah Project.  Sorted by category from the Micah Project, a global Christian campaign to end extreme poverty.

• Shop With Purpose from Persimmon Prints. Designer Kacie Feeney works to creatively capture & display God’s divine words, and to share His message of love with the world.

One more thing … technically this is a podcast, but it counts! My friend Jamie Ivey talks with Jen Hatmaker about 21 different places you can feel good about putting your money towards.

I realize this can seem overwhelming, and lead to existential crises if left unchecked. Remember to prioritize, and determine need and budget. Consider shopping less, shopping local, and shopping used if some these options are out of reach.

Wishing you a lovely, unhurried Christmas season.

~M.