‘Kindness’ is a word on everyone’s minds at Christmas. It’s is a time when we’re prepared to go the extra mile, think about others and be a little kinder to ourselves, our friends and our family.

But being kind at Christmas doesn’t have to be about giving perfectly wrapped presents or putting on glitzy soirées for the neighbours.

Spreading Christmas kindness can be as simple as making a few seasonal swaps…

Reverse Christmas Calendar

Yup – it’s as simple as it sounds. For every chocolate you take out of your advent calendar, why not put a little something in for charity. Whether it’s tinned food, personal hygiene products or a special treat – pop one item a day into a basket for 25 days and then, at the end of the month, you’ve got your very own box of kindness to drop-off to your chosen charity, and a whole lot of feel good vibes too.

Party Platter Swaps

If you’re entertaining friends and family over the Christmas period, you might like to put a seasonal spin on a few festive favourites so you can serve up some foodie kindness, with healthy (but no less tasty!) alternatives. Just think, Christmas, without a food hangover – bliss!

• Plants in blankets: Gosh! Sausages wrapped in courgette strips with the slightest hint of sriracha. Simple, tasty and colourfully Christmassy.
• Sweet potato stackers: slices of roasted sweet potato topped with crumbled Gosh! Spinach & Pine Nut bites on a bed of guacamole, and a sprinkling of red onion and coriander.
• Festive falafel canapés: mini iceberg lettuce, Gosh! Original Falafel, sliced tomato and mozzarella.

Zero-waste Wrapping Paper

From glittery trees and reindeers with holographic noses to snowmen with foiled hats, the high street is decked to the nines with beautiful wrapping paper, but sadly very little of it is recyclable. So here are a few eco-friendly ways to package up the perfect presents this year.

• For wrapping: old paper grocery bags, recycled paper, newspaper, scrap fabric, an old shirt or an old scarf.
• For tying: twine, hemp, strips of scrap fabric, old shoe laces or scrap metal wire.
• For embellishment: old odd jewellery, small cuttings from your Christmas tree, dried fruit.

…et voila! You have beautiful gifts that are kind to the environment as well.

Clothes Swap

Is your loft full of old clothes you thought you’d wear again but never have? We’re all guilty of it, but Christmas is the perfect time to freshen up your cupboards in time for the new year. Here’s a couple of ways to do it:

• Hold a clothes swap at work: encourage colleagues to bring in unwanted clothes and swap garments over nibbles and a glass of bubbly.
• Donate to charity: for every new item of clothing you receive at Christmas, donate an old one to charity.

Being kind to others, is in fact, being kind to ourselves too – it’s good for our hearts and it makes us feel a little happier about who we are and what we are doing for the world. So let’s keep spreading a little kindness with simple swaps this Christmas, however big or small. Because small acts of kindness can make a big impact.