Give also the gift of play to refugee children this gift-giving season with The Body Shop Play for Peace gift sets

One of the companies which releases the biggest, most varied selection of Christmas gift sets is The Body Shop. They have quite literally something for every budget, and what’s nice is that they attach a cause to the gifting process. Last year, it was about saving the animals.

This year, in view of what’s been happening around the world, their focus is on our next generation – the children.

This year, with every seasonal gift you buy from The Body Shop, TBS will donate to the International Alert’s Peace Play Project. The Peace Play Project helps Syrian refugee children in Lebanon heal through therapeutic play, and perhaps, just for a few minutes, forget the horrors of war and strife that they’ve lived through, through daily play.

Proceeds from the sale of each gift will go towards funding the Peace Play Project for a year, and you can read more about this initiative here. This is an international initiative, and since you’d be buying a gift anyway, it is a good time to give towards a noble cause as well. The Peace Play Project initiative aside, what I’ve found more interesting about The Body Shop’s gift sets this year, is their packaging.

In keeping with the theme of play, The Body Shop has injected some fun into the packaging of their gift sets. So, on Christmas morning (or whenever gifts are opened) you can upcycle the gift packaging into simple games. Games some of you may remember from our childhood – not too long ago ;)

By way of an example, a boxed set like what you see in the picture, will have a word search game in the cover. This should keep the kids (and bored adults) busy for a little while, searching for the hidden words. Or, some boxes feature a maze where you can play “Find the Rabbit” or other similar games.

If you’re strapped for time (or funds) gifts that can be broken apart make a lot of sense! Some examples are these sets.

There are sets of lip balms in various flavours. So, you can keep one for yourself (for your troubles) along with the cute tin it comes in, and then gift the other 4 to friends. The Body Shop pot balms used to be my go-to in winter, back when I was a poor student. It was affordable and it kept my lips chap-free and it was a nice little treat for myself. My favourite flavour then was Satsuma for a tropical touch to a dull winter’s day!

Or the body butters always make a nice gift. This year, The Body Shop brings back their popular Christmas flavours – Vanilla Chai (it appeared last year), Frosted Plum, and Frosted Berries. I know Frosted Plum and Frosted Berries get a lot of love!

If you know of friends who might enjoy gourmand scents, then these make the perfect gift. There are lots of gift sets featuring these that start from just RM49 so it isn’t necessarily bank-breaking for a little treat. Personally, because the scent is quite strong and sweet, the smaller sizes make better gifts so they don’t overpower. Your friend can always buy the full size if they really love it :D

But I also have to show you my favourite gift set of all in this Play for Peace collection.

It is this adorable Robot Money Box set (RM129)! It comes with 3 deluxe travel sized shower gel and 3 lip balms. When emptied, the tin becomes a money box! I found it freakishly adorable, and you can use it to hold your spare coins, if saving is on your New Year Resolution list, or you can use it to teach a child how to save. I think money boxes make good gifts, because teaching children to save, never starts too early. More so, in this age of consumerism.

I do realise that we are in the home stretch for Christmas shopping, so this post might have come a little late. But I felt I had to highlight it anyway, simply for the cause that they are supporting this year. The world has been quite a mess, and I don’t personally forsee it getting any better in the short term.

But I’m glad that amidst this madness, there is a body who is looking out for the children, and perhaps even helping them heal from their mental scars. Play is underrated as a form of therapy and learning. I am all for children taking time to play, away from gadgets and books and enrichment classes, for it is through play that children learn and interact with one another, and build character. I feel all that is just as important as being able to read or write or score a string of A’s :)

Did you take a look at The Body Shop’s Christmas offerings this year?

There are literally, hundreds of gift sets to choose from! But my favourite remains that tin robot set. I think it’s the cleverest gift set of them all! :D

Paris B

The Body Shop Play for Peace Christmas 2017 gift sets are available online and in store for a limited time while stocks last.