A Donkey? For me? You Shouldn't Have...

Here’s a fun question for everyone. What’s the oddest Christmas gift you ever received? Think about it long and hard, because I bet I can still beat you… Got it? I’d love to hear it. And here’s my entry:

How about two goats, a chicken and some poo?

I’ve been bought all of the latter, and no gifts have ever made me feel better. That’s because they all come from Oxfam Unwrapped – a fantastic website offering a range of humanitarian gifts for those who need them, all around the world. The theory is simple: instead of wondering “what do you get for someone who has everything?”, and spending a combined total of three days trawling the jolly Christmas mosh-pits, growing ever more desperate for something unique to jump out at you until you end up with 10 pairs of undies, some chocolate and a foot spa… why not get something fun, unique, and useful, and make your receiver feel like a million bucks when you potentially only have to spend $10?

Sounds good, right? I mean who wouldn’t want to receive a rice farm, an emergency hygiene kit, or school lessons for kids in Sri-Lanka?

In my family, shopping with Oxfam has become a yearly ritual, and now I want to spread the word. There’s still time to head on over to Oxfam Unwrapped and pick out the most unique gifts you probably ever will, and your recipient will get a cute card sent to their email address letting them know all about who and where their gift is helping (allowing them to brag, non-stop, if they so choose). Or if you have an Oxfam store in your local shopping centre, you can grab a real card – plus 10 pairs of hand-knitted socks and some organic chocolate (just hold the foot spa, thanks). And finally, since I figure we can all related to this feathery gift, I've decided that if ten different people tweet this post, I'll buy it!

So get tweeting and spending because, as Oxfam put it, "nothing says ‘best gift I’ve ever sent you’ like a canoe".