Dear friend,

This time of year is usually very hectic. Things to wrap up before the end of the year at work, Christmas dinners, New Year's parties, gifts to buy, cards to write. (try adding a newborn to all of that!) It's also a time that reminds me how lucky I am to have the wonderful family I have, for my health, for living a beautiful life in an amazing city like Amsterdam. But it's also a reminder of people who aren't as lucky as I am, so I think it's very important to give back, especially (but not only) around Christmas time.

As you might know, we asses charities in Kinder based on their effectiveness, their transparency and more (you can read more about how we do our research here). So if you, like me, want to donate before the end of the year here's a list of 10 charities that are doing great work that passed our initial screening.

Christmas is also a time of great excess. All those gifts, all that food, the trees, decorations... We're getting more and more conscious about our ecological footprint, why not approach Christmas with the same logic. It is indeed to still have a great Christmas without destroying the planet. Here are five tips for a greener Christmas.

Are you done with your holiday shopping? If you're still clueless about what to get your friend with a burgeoning career, or the one who's really into the outdoors or the one with a newborn baby, (ahem..) we've made a great list for last minute gift ideas you can match with donations.