Christmas is a time of year when we are endlessly solicited to give both our time and money. Non-profit organizations bend over backwards to get our attention in the hope of raising a little dough for their cause. Oxfam Québec’s Sans emballage campaign—a simple, no-frills campaign bolstered by four TV commercials with Marc Labrèche, Pascale Montpetit, Suzanne Clément, and James Hyndman—stands out from the pack.

The premise is simple: giving gifts to improve the quality of life in developing countries. There’s something for every budget—gifts range from $5 to $180, although $45 will get you the campaign’s mascot, a beautiful goat! Here’s the lowdown: let’s say I buy a goat for my nieces—they’re going to get plenty of “real” presents from the rest of the family anyway, so this makes for the perfect opportunity to teach them about solidarity—so I buy the goat online, my nieces receive a card (by e-mail or snail mail), and the money is forwarded to Oxfam’s partners in developing countries. (You didn’t really think Canada Post or the man in the red suit was going to deliver the goat, did you?)

It’s simple, practical, and you’re doing a good deed on many levels. Firstly, your level of stress will drop significantly as you avoid the chaos of crowded stores—and that’s not to be sneezed at! Plus, at a time when protecting the environment is a major concern and using plastic bags or over-packaged products is frowned upon, here’s another great reason to buy your gifts on the Sans emballage site: no trees will be cut down to wrap your gifts this year! Finally, in these tough economic times, you’ll have no trouble finding a gift that fits your budget—and you’ll get a tax receipt to boot!

Just for fun, see if you can’t pair each of the following gifts with its price tag!

What are you waiting for? Do your good, environmentally friendly deed today. Happy shopping!

P.S. Want the answers? Visit the Sans emballage Web site.