Tired of giving gifts that end up in a cupboard forgotten about or on a shelf gathering dust? Here’s our guide to some of the options now available for people who want to give a gift with a difference. And if you have any other ideas, please add them to the list below...

• A cow, a vegie garden or a well? A growing number of Australian-based humanitarian aid agencies are offering you the chance to impact the life or lives of people in the Third World in a big way by making a donation with a specific purpose in mind. World Vision offer a range of gift packages including the ‘Healthy at School’ package ($146) which provides a child with basic school supplies and helps build sanitation facilities at schools damaged by war and the ‘Clean and Flush’ package which helps to construct boreholes, latrines and hand washing stations in Africa, TEAR, through its ‘(Arguably) The World’s Most Useful Gift Catalogue’, offers the chance to buy everything from a mosquito net ($10) to a toilet ($70) and a bee-keeping kit ($150), while the Oxfam Unwrapped website offers everything from soap ($10) to school fees ($50) and a bridge ($675).

• Thinking of putting together a hamper for someone? Why not make it a Fairtrade hamper? Under the fairtrade banner, growers in countries like Tanzania, East Timor, Sri Lanka and Guatemala are guaranteed a fair price for their goods so they can improve their standard of living and working conditions. The growing list of certified fairtrade goods available include coffee, tea and chocolate. The Fair Trade Association has a searchable database with where goods can be bought in Australia or they can be bought directly through aid organisations like World Vision and Oxfam.

• Bless your children by helping them to learn the wonders of giving. Gifts of such things as toys can be donated directly to local charities like the Salvation Army or at Kmart Wishing Trees (where gifts are donated to a range of different charities depending on which state). Gifts can be donated right up until Christmas Eve.

• Help our farmers survive the drought by adopting a lamb. For $35, the Adopta Lamb website will provide 100 days of food for a lamb or help to drought-proof a property. There’s also the option of buying a ‘Sustaining Sponsorship’ of $140 a year. And you get a certificate to give someone.

• Of course, it’s not all about money. Instead of buying somebody a gift this year, why not offer them something that costs that most precious resource - time. This could include everything from offering to babysit their children for free or weeding their garden. There’s also the opportunity to give people something that you’ve produced yourself - maybe some fruit, vegies or herbs you’ve grown (it might pay to check they’re not heading away from the Christmas holidays first). Why not take it a step further and volunteer to work for a charity organisation?

Come up with a good Christmas gift idea? Why not share it with others below...