I decided to take on a Christmas Mission this year – to buy all my presents from local entrepreneurs and promote what I was doing on social media, effectively giving twice. Two gifts gave three times as they are businesses that donate.

Here is how I went.

Wrapping and tags

• Christmas Gift tags from Blonde brat pack cards and invitations. Hand made by a friend who has recently started to sell a range of paper products: Blog, Buy, Facebook page.
• Letterpress printed tea towels (they are great as wrapping paper and have an ongoing purpose) and ‘drink me’ gift tags from Hill End Press.

Food and drink

• Some yummy red capsicum chilli (very mild and feisty) and balsamic red onion n lime relish from Relish This – Website & Buy, Facebook page, Twitter.
• Chocolate coated raspberries from Christmas Hills Raspberries Farm. Delivered thanks to Johanna Baker-Dowdell from Strawberry Communications.
• I was recently able to taste the range of wines from Huntington Estate again, so selected some favourites for gifts – 2008 Sparkling Pinot Noir Chardonnay -Methode Champenoise, 2010 Pinot Noir Dry Rose, 2010 Semillon, and 2008 Grenache Shiraz
• There were a range of stalls at the Huntington Estate Music Festival from local food suppliers, so I picked up these:
  • Lime and Date Chutney from Angela’s Edibles
  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Cudgegong Valley Olives
  • Delicious honey soy spice roasted hazelnuts from Australian Gourmet Hazelnuts
  • Sundried Tomato & Macadamia Nut Pesto and Roast Capsicum & Coriander Tapenade from Mowats Mudgee

Other Gifts

• Outfit from Baby-Teresa where for every onesie, the baby gets a gorgeous outfit and so does another baby, one you don’t know but one in need. That other baby could be anywhere in the world from an orphanage in Vietnam, a small village in Africa or a family in need in Australia. Baby Teresa allows you to feel twice as good about the one gift.
• 100% natural Soy Candles with Lemon Grass in red mosaic glass from Zulu Communications’ Candles for Community. The price includes a donation to a charity in Cambodia.
• Personalised stationery from Paper Magnolia that I decided on after plucking one from my collection to write a note to someone.
• The real baby book you need at 3am by Karen Miles, an expert on the impact of motherhood on women’s identity and career.
• Bathtea from mudtea - hang bathtea bag from tap and run a warm bath. Then relax and exfoliate. The lavender relieves nervous tension and enhances blood circulation. The palmarosa eases nervous stress and tension, and has a reputation for stimulating the growth of healthy skin cells.
• Starlettos that protect the heel of your fancy shoes in the party season!

It also got me thinking about other local businesses that weren’t suitable for my current Christmas list but had been on previous lists. So thought of how Mocks are good for more than just your mobile phone.

One crazy thing I found – way too many businesses give away so much for free; not packaged in any way so they can be bought. I searched for Australian entrepreneurs producing specific products I knew people on my list wanted. I found great blogs, newsletters and website content. Within those websites I searched to buy their information and there was no place for me to exchange money for their packaged intellectual property.

Have you looked at your website recently to investigate how your content could be packaged? What income are you not getting because interested members of your tribe can’t buy from your site and leave?

The Christmas mission was fun and I didn’t have to rummage through busy shopping centres going crazy.

Also, in case you are wondering, I paid for all of the gifts, so yes, it was about supporting the businesses, not getting free Christmas presents. I hope some things on this list gives you ideas.