Blogging Fair Trade

It is possibly my favourite of all the festivities: going to choose a Christmas tree and then bringing it home in a car smelling of piney goodness, before erecting it in all its glory and adorning it with sparkly lights and decorations. For me, it signals the start of Christmas. And now we have our tree up, so Christmas has definitely begun.

There’s classical Christmas music playing on the stereo, a box of chocolates to hand and the most beautiful and authentic smell of Christmas there is – the incomparable smell of a Christmas tree.

And what has this go to do with making this a fair trade Christmas? The decorations of course! We have festooned our tree with a selection of fair trade decorations from the By Hand collection (currently available for free when you place an order totalling over £20 at www.by-hand.co.uk). The decorations are handcrafted by disadvantaged producers in Indonesia and so not only look great, but are also a symbol of supporting craftsmen and women across the world. There are no mass-produced, factory-made decorations on our tree. Oh no.

We have gone for a gold and silver theme, with a couple of blue birds of peace for good measure. Even the handpainted angel, who is watching over our tree, features gold hues and a touch of sparkle.

There are, of course, lots of fair trade Christmas decorations available. So make sure you pop into your local Shared Earth shop, or buy online from Traidcraft’s website at www.traidcraftshop.co.uk to make your tree a symbol of something else this year: fair trade – supporting people in need – and working together to make a difference.

Help spread the word: Tag your festive tweets with #letsmakethisafairtradechristmas