Building our Community

Shopping local this Christmas!

Christmas is in just over a month – have you started your Christmas shopping yet? If not, we’re here to save the day with some gift giving ideas available in the local area. 

While shopping local not only means you don’t need to play the guessing game of whether Aus Post will deliver on time it also has numerous other benefits too! Minimising the distance your gifts travel to get to you can reduce your carbon footprint, locally made, and purchased products often have less packaging and therefore less waste and many small businesses value high quality products and practices, ensuring that all workers are treated ethically.

Starting with the wonderful Popirie, our JP Learning Support Teacher, Rebecca Pirie spends her time outside of the classroom making earrings and hosting workshops. You’ll be able to shop her Christmas collection & other designs at our 50th Anniversary Celebration Picnic on Friday 24 November as well as the One Good Christmas Market on Thursday 7 December or via her website at any time!

Across the road from MECS, the Kuranga Native Nursery has been given a refresh in the last twelve months and its choice of products in the gift shop has something for everyone! Select from their expansive range of Pottery for the Planet products, pick up the latest Pete Cromer 2024 family calendar or peruse the range of Erstwilder and Nancybird products. 

Up the hill in the Mount Evelyn shops, Sweet Caroline Floral Design have an array of sweet gifting options; obviously bouquets of flowers but they also stock bright bon bon soaps, serving dishes and for the bloke in your life that you just have no idea what to buy, a log carrier from Wanderings and Co. Pop in and say hi to Cazz and her team, they’ll be sure to help you find the perfect Christmas present. 

Heading up Swansea Road into the Montrose shops, it’s worthwhile paying a visit to Posie Project. Don’t be alarmed by the pink façade and branding, not everything inside the store is pink… but a lot of it is! Whether it’s to stock up on some fun decorations for your own home, picking up an end of year teacher gift, purchasing a fun outfit for a little one in your life from Klee Handmade’s collection or grabbing a pair of earrings for your bestie (including our favourite, Popirie who is stocked here!), Shannon and the girls at Posie Project would love to see you in the lead up to Christmas. 

A bit further afield, Kim & Andi at Calla Collective in Warrandyte stock a huge range of children’s activities & books, Robert Gordon and Sage & Clare homewares. Kim is also the artist behind most of the prints available instore, ranging from petite sizes through to A2. For the person who has everything, you can purchase gift vouchers to one of the many workshops they run in collaboration with local creatives, including kid workshops that run through the school holidays. Kim & Andi are also the masterminds behind Mac & Pat candles, with a variety of scents and sizes, you won’t leave empty handed!

Lastly, we suggest attending the One Good Christmas Market hosted by The Good Marketplace and One Community Church in Blackburn. It features a curated roster of ethical artists, creators, and small businesses. 

Date/Time: Thursday 7 December, 4-9pm

Location: 184 Surrey Rd, Blackburn

FREE Entry

The team behind the market are mindful in the selection process of stallholders and engage businesses that are aiming to make a difference to people and the planet.

Their selection criteria includes the following ethical values:

- Fair Trade - Decent labour conditions, fair pay and empowerment of workers

- Eco-friendly - Designed to have minimal negative impact on the environment

- Homemade - Made by hand by you or others with love, using high quality materials

- Animal-friendly - No use of animal products and not tested on animals

- Social Enterprise - Income is used to intentionally tackle social or environmental issues

The Good Marketplace runs community markets centred around good products, good food, good music and good local people which sounds like just the event that families from MECS would want to attend. We recommend following them on Instagram & Facebook to stay up to date as they announce stallholders in the lead up to the market. 

We hope we have taken a little bit of the stress out of Christmas shopping while encouraging you to shop local this festive season! Let us know on social media if this has been a useful guide and we might be able to prepare one for all the dads in time for Mother’s Day next year…

Grace Sketcher

Teaching & Learning Executive Assistant, VCE Exam/VASS Coordinator