The holidays can bring a welcome change of pace, when we slow down and share time with friends and family. This sharing includes gifts which, while they ought to be a fun and meaningful part of the season, too often end up being neither. After the frustrations of traffic and frenzied shopping malls, the good intentions of gift-giving can turn sour, the true meaning lost halfway through a long line to buy yet another commercial item that probably no one really needs.
At Canopy Bridge, finding a gift that upholds the holidays’ original spirit of giving is simple. By giving sustainable products, we not only share a special treat with a loved one, but can also support principles that are meaningful to giver and recipient alike.
My mother definitely doesn’t need anymore knick-knacks or scarves. I know that part of my visit home this year will include, as it usually does, delving into and—hopefully—cleaning out one of her various storage dens. My instinct says garage. So, this year, I plan on giving Mom coffee produced entirely by women. As a woman with three daughters, she’s always been involved in various local initiatives that range from promoting girls’ athletics to women looking to get back into the work force. Although she never had a “girl power” bumper sticker, I know she’ll appreciate a shared moment over a pot of coffee before we bundle up to tackle the day’s first pile of bric-a-brac. The coffee and spirit of giving will be only stronger and richer knowing that this rare time together as a family is also supporting women who are working to establish their roles in a more sustainable future for their communities and for their families. And both of us will appreciate that her gift this year won’t simply take the place of one of the items we liberate from the garage.
This year we present to you the first instalment of our sustainable Chocolate Showcase, starting with chocolates from our headquarters in Ecuador. Several of these are going to my friends for the New Year, and I know even the health nut among them will be happy to share in an all-natural (check out some of the Andean super foods packed in with the top-notch cocoa), delicious, agent of change for a sustainable 2016.
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