8 Christmas gifts that give back for 2025
Nov 21, 2025
Looking for a present that means more this holiday season? We’ve got you covered.
Mission Market celebrates the culture and crafts from the communities Concern works with around the world. Ethically sourced, carefully curated, and always handmade.
Whatever your celebration of choice is, each gift is really two gifts: One that goes to your loved ones (or yourself — no judgment), and one that goes into Concern’s life-changing work that reaches tens of millions of people in some of the most vulnerable communities each year.
1. Metal Christmas ornaments ($25 each)
Before modern Christmas tree ornaments, Ukrainian families decorated their trees with candies, nuts, gingerbread, and apples — symbols of prosperity during the winter months. This hand-painted metal apple updates the tradition — or you can opt for something more meta with a Christmas tree.
2. Embroidered Christmas ornaments ($25 each)
Embroidery is also a major craft in Ukraine, with different patterns and motifs representing different regions. Some of those patterns are reflected on these hand-embroidered ornaments. Shapes include potted flowers, angels, mittens, trees, and — a mainstay of Ukrainian folk art — roosters.
Shop our full range of ornaments
3. Oversized woven wall hanging ($45)
Basket-making in Africa dates as far back as 12,000 years (if not longer!) and the craft has a place in every culture on the continent. These hand-woven wall baskets from Malawi used locally and ethically-sourced materials, each piece a unique work of art. The pieces are made in the Shire Highlands by local cooperative People of the Sun, which brings together indigenous skill and contemporary design to shape refined objects that carry the story of their makers.
4. Sleeping Rhino pot ($69)
Handmade out of ethically-sourced jacaranda wood by Bangwe carvers (also part of People of the Sun), this unexpected statement piece infuses any space with joy. The rhinoceros has a special history in Malawi, where it was poached into extinction in the 1980s. In 2003, an initiative brought the animal back into the country. A crash of them now live safely and happily in the Majete Wildlife Reserve. The carvers in the Bangwe Club are likewise keeping a centuries-old tradition alive in a time where artisans and craftwork are being lost.
5. Lapis lazuli ring ($45)
Lapis lazuli is a symbol of wisdom and love, and a gemstone that’s been unique to Afghanistan for millennia. Ethically-sourced, and available in both circle and diamond cuts, this ring highlights the gemstone’s mesmerizing beauty and is expertly crafted by Afghan artisans. Concern has worked with Afghans both in their home country and in Pakistan on income-generating projects that also keep these traditional crafts alive and passed on to the next generation.
6. Afghan rugs ($75 to $1,000)
Rugs in Afghanistan are more than a decorative or functional item: They carry centuries of tradition, skill, and community, woven into vibrant patterns and colors. We have collected a variety of one-of-a-kind kilim and wool rugs from the communities we work with in Afghanistan, which you can browse in full in our Afghanistan Collection. But some of our favorites pictured above (in order) include the animal pattern ($350), the earthy runner ($400), the maroon accent ($75), the vibrant geometric kilim ($250), the floral pattern ($1,000), the silky blue ($250), and the brown and tan ($150).
Shop our full selection of Afghan rugs
7. Concern Worldwide mug ($25)
A mug with meaning. Handmade in Malawi, it symbolizes nearly 25 years of our work with communities to build financial independence and security with livelihoods programs that have helped thousands of families to transform their lives.
8. Luna Coffee’s Concern blend ($10)
Pair the Concern mug with a bag of single-origin Ethiopian coffee from our friends at Luna. The illustration on the bag captures a moment from one of our program participants in Ethiopia, preparing coffee as part of the jebena ceremony — a daily ritual for gathering, socializing, and celebrating community (as well as drinking coffee). For every bag sold, Luna donates a portion of the proceeds to Concern, and you can even sign your loved one up for a regular subscription.
