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As usual, the lead-up to Christmas is both exciting and overwhelming filled with hours spent online or lost in thought, frantically brainstorming gift ideas for loved ones.

Add the — now more important than ever — and finding gifts that align with one’s values becomes even more challenging.

But who says Christmas gift shopping, considering all these factors, has to be such a tedious task?

Carefully curated to suit different personalities and interests, °®Âþµº (TNA) presents a list of brands and companies to consider — many of which are aesthetically pleasing and make a meaningful impact, especially for Palestine.

For the fashionistas

Born from a desire to celebrate and revive the rich cultural heritage of Palestine, Boqaa is an ethical fashion brand that works closely with talented female artisans from the , empowering them by providing fair wages and opportunities to showcase their skills.

Boqaa ships worldwide and offers a range of products featuring Palestinian embroidery (commonly known asÌýTatreez), including hoodies, sweatshirts, zip-up jackets, long-sleeve shirts, and T-shirts.

TNA’s recommended buys: The , inspired by the traditional head covering adorned with intricate embroidery and coins, symbolising jewellery (zina) worn during weddings, and the , inspired by the iconic Nabali olive, cultivated in Palestinian lands for millennia and representing the livelihood of 80,000 families.

A British brand founded by , ANZ’s approach centres around the reinvention of heritage knitwear, blending elements from Ainy’s immigrant upbringing with modern aesthetics, using innovative fabrics and techniques.

On the ANZ website, key purchases to watch out for include pieces from the , the , and the , all of which are inspired by traditional Palestinian designs, motifs, and stories.

TNA’s recommended buys: The , featuring functional pockets and green and red piping in ANZ’s signature Keffiyeh print, and the , meticulously hand-drawn with great care and attention to detail.

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Everpress is a print studio that allows creators to sell merchandise and raise funds for charity through various campaigns, including Palestine-related ones, such as 's previous campaign, which had its profits supporting .

TNA’s recommended buy: The (also available as a long-sleeve shirt and sweatshirt), featuring the Arabic word for war (حرب, harb) transforming into the word for love (حب, hubb) by removing a single letter, along with a design inspired by a .

For the book lovers

For general readings on Palestine, – a locally owned, independent, youth-led bookshop and community space soon to open in London – is worth a visit.

While the website offers many excellent reading choices, TNA recommends the following as Christmas gifts:

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SkatePal is a charity founded by skateboarder Charlie Davis in 2013 that works to grow skateboarding in Palestine.

Recently, SkatePal released the second edition of their Sahten cookbook, which tells the story of the skateboarding scene in Palestine through food, featuring recipes from members of the skateboarding community, shop owners, local heroes, volunteers, and friends, including and Sami Tamimi, the internationally renowned chef and co-author of Falastin.

: Embroidery and Storytelling in the Palestinian Diaspora

Tatreez & TeaÌý²ú²â explores Palestinian embroidery and its role in preserving cultural stories. The book includes 47 cross-stitch patterns, dress designs, and recipes for tea, coffee, and quince jam, while also sharing the personal stories of Nakba survivors in Wafa’s family. Additionally, the book highlights how tatreez has been used by Palestinian women to document their experiences, helping to preserve Palestinian culture even in exile.

A perfect introduction to Palestinian heritage through food for the little ones, Lana Makes Purple Pizza follows a young girl and her mother as they prepare Musakhan, fondly dubbed 'purple pizza.'

Praised as a heartwarming story that blends cooking, culture, and tradition, the book won the Palestine Book Award earlier this year.

For the homebodies

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Translated from Arabic, el Bustan means "The garden."

Based in London, the brand is dedicated to celebrating and preserving the rich culture and heritage of Palestine, while also positively impacting the lives of Palestinians by working closely with traditional artisans, women’s co-operatives, entrepreneurs, family workshops, artists, and designers from Palestine.

TNA’s recommended buys: , handcrafted in Bethlehem, with each piece uniquely cast from an olive leaf, and the , crafted by a women-led ceramic studio in the small Palestinian village of Nisf Jubeil.

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SPINDLE by Sisters is an ethical UK-based homeware brand committed to highlighting traditional craftsmanship and supporting those who rely on these skills. As advocates of slow living and nature, they design and co-create unique, natural, non-toxic, and eco-friendly products.

TNA’s recommended buys:ÌýThe , inspired by Palestine’s almond heritage, offering notes of peach, cardamom, leather, musk, and saffron; the , inspired by the iconic Yaffa orange, featuring vibrant citrus notes of orange, lime, and grapefruit; and the calendar showcasing artwork created by children in Gaza.

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Lush is a British cosmetics company, founded in 1995, offering a range of products including soaps, shampoos, and skincare items. Operating in 51 stores globally, the company is known for using natural ingredients and its strong activism in support of animal rights, environmental causes, and humanitarian issues, including its support for Gaza.Ìý

TNA’s recommended buys: The , supporting mental health and trauma counselling for children in Gaza and the West Bank, and the , by a coffee perfumer Simon Constantine once had at a refugee camp in Lebanon.

For the foodies

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Olive Odyssey is a Palestinian collective dedicated to showcasing the unique flavours of Palestinian olives through their premium olive oil. Sourced directly from small-scale Palestinian farmers, the collective uses traditional and organic methods to produce olive oil of the highest quality and authenticity.

TNA’s recommended buys: , a limited-edition oil made from Kalamata olives grown in Nazareth’s special climate, offering a unique taste from carefully ripened olives, and , known for its smooth, buttery flavour with a peppery finish, thanks to ancient olives and cold-press extraction in Aboud, Palestine.

Located in Notting Hill, London, Akub is a Palestinian restaurant that celebrates the region's diverse culinary traditions, using locally sourced British ingredients.

This Christmas, they’ve curated a selection of gift , with TNA’s top pick being Akub’s .

Inside the hamper, contents include luxury Nabulsi soap, embroidered chocolate boxes by , Palestinian sumac spice, Maramiya (sage), freshly ground Arabic coffee, Fadi's Teta Julia's cake, and like extra virgin olive oil, Medjool dates, and green wheat freekeh.Ìý

For the ones who see the world in colour

The Mosaic Rooms is a non-profit arts organisation in London dedicated to supporting contemporary Arab culture. They also have a physical and online bookshop, accompanied by a small gifts section selling a variety of art-related items.Ìý

TNA’s recommended buy: The , honouring the resistance to the 1967 Israeli ban on the Palestinian flag’s colours, and designed by Palestinian artist . Currently based in Ramallah, Khaled created the design for the in 2007 and subsequently waved it at many exhibitions worldwide. Then, in 2021, during the Palestinian uprisings, the flag was produced as an effective alternative,

MalakArtStore is run by renowned Palestinian artist Malak Mattar, who uses her art to express the violence and trauma her family and community have endured since the Nakba.Ìý

Earlier this year, Malak shared with TNA how Israel's genocide in Gaza "stole her joy for colour," causing her to shift from her signature use of vibrant colours to a black-and-white palette that reflected her deep sense of loss and grief.

TNA’s recommended buys: The painting, inspired by lateÌý, and the painting, inspired by the tragic story of .

*All or part of the proceeds from these brands/companies will be donated directly to Palestine

Zainab Mehdi is °®Âþµº's Associate Editor and researcher specialising in governance, development, and conflict in the Middle East and North Africa region

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