Gift guide: 6 meaningful gift ideas

1. Blair Chivers inspirational prints

Forget kittens with clever captions (as cute as they may be)-instead, bring motivation to a friend’s home or office with these gorgeous and inspiring prints from Toronto-based “conceptual art project” blairchivers.com with sayings like “be exceptional” and “never never never give up.” ($150 for 30×30 cm, blairchivers.myshopify.com)

2. Fair Trade: A Human Journey by Éric St-Pierre

Fair-trade products have become well-known, but most of us don’t think beyond the logo to where the coffee, tea, chocolate and other goods actually come from. Canadian photojournalist Éric St-Pierre has made the lives of producers around the world accessible with this beautiful collection of 350 photographs. Accompanying text takes you deeper into their stories. ($49.95, tenthousandvillages.ca)

3. World Vision Birth Registration for a Community

What do you give to the child who has everything? Forget yet another plastic thingy and instead, treat them to something more meaningful by helping them help impoverished children around the world gain access to birth certificates, and thereby the health care and education Canadian kids take for granted. ($50, worldvision.ca)

4. Design Your Own Dinner Set

Get kids more engaged with their meals with this four-piece dinner set they can paint then use. Non-toxic paints (included) bake to permanent in the oven. ($68, Drake Hotel General Store)

5. I Rub My Duckie ornament

This cute pick from Toronto sex shop Come As You Are is a subtle way to introduce friends or partners to the wonderful world of sex toys. Hang it on the tree until their curiosity gets the better of them, whether in the bed or the bathtub (it’s waterproof). ($25, Come As You Are)

6. North American Wine Routes

Inspire travel plans or just travel dreams with this guide to North America’s key wine regions. Wine newbies will find confidence in the tasting dos and don’ts and aficionados will adore the guide to each regions top wineries and events. ($44.96, readersdigest.ca)

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• 5 healthy gifts for beauty junkies
• 6 gifts for healthy eating