FANCY being doubly generous this Christmas? Then do some of your Christmas shopping from the charity catalogues. Friends and family get their presents, the charity makes some money - and you can do it all by phone, post or internet.

Winners all round.

Although the catalogues are still great places to shop for gifts that are a bit different, there is a slight air of restraint around this year's collection. Not quite so many weird and wonderful choices as normal and some catalogues - RNLI and The National Trust, for instance - are much slimmer and more mainstream than usual.

But there is still plenty of choice. Many of the catalogues carry much the same basic range, so it's always worth picking a favourite charity to see what they have in their own special line.

RSPCA and WSPA, for instance, are strong on anything with a doggy theme - towels, £14.99; fleeces embroidered with pictures of different breeds, £45; dog shaped doormats (could dog lovers really bear to stand on it?) £14.99, dogs holding sensor-triggered lanterns, £29.99; even dog and cat Christmas tree ornaments, £12.99 for three.

The RNLI have wonderful traditional Guernsey sweaters at £60, ideal for sailors or landlubbers alike.

Save the Children Fund have jewellery from Brazil, salad servers from India and a proper Panama hat, made from palm fibre by a women's collective in Ecuador, £24.99.

They also let you buy presents that are donations in other people's names, if you see what I mean. Ideal for the person who has everything. You pay £15 for tarpaulins to go to a disaster area and your auntie or whoever gets a certificate saying what's been done on her behalf. Probably better than yet another tin of talc.

Arthritis Care has heated waistcoats - clearly to help with aching backs - but could be a good idea for anyone who has to be out and about in cold weather. They work by battery, £27.50. There are heated gloves, too, at £14.95.

Bird lovers are easy to buy for from the RSPB catalogue, whether they're passionate and knowledgeable or just like looking out of the window at the garden birds. Bird watching binoculars from £70, a DVD to learn what you're looking at - and to help recognise the bird's song. Or a huge range of feeders, treats and nest boxes from bijou residences to the bird equivalent of Buckingham Palace.

CHILDREN

These are well catered for in most of the catalogues. Many of them have a large range of personalised items, such as a wooden chair, £19.99; small rocking horse, £29.99; fleecy blanket, £14.99; cutlery, £9.99 (BHF. Mencap, Cancer Research, Alzheimers and others).

We also like the animal finger puppets that moo, cluck, oink or whatever, £14.99 for five, and the beach towel that's a snakes and ladders board (£19.99, NSPCC and others).

The National Trust has a good selection of Beatrix Potter items. We like the boxed set of tiny books, £14.99; porcelain spoons with Jemima Puddleduck, Peter Rabbit or Mrs Tiggywinkle on top, £8.99. A packet of thank you notes "From Peter and me", £3.99, might make the post Christmas duty a lot easier too.

NOSTALGIA

Grown-ups who want to relive their teenage past might swoon again over the Beatles, Elvis and Cliff. Beatles calendar, £9.99; Beatles, Elvis and Cliff mugs, £12.99 (BHF, Diabetes UK and others).

Historical headlines take you through the last century from the sinking of the Titanic up to 9/11 in the pages of 12 newspapers, £19.99. Or you can do it on DVD, an hour's documentary per disc for the years from 1930 to 1989 (Cancer Research UK and others).

Slightly out of living memory, you can look at old maps of London in 1843 and 1902 and marvel at how things have changed, £14.99 (NSPCC, BHF and others).

Christmas Day needs games - ideally simple games that can be played by everyone, from small children to tiddly grannies. Most of the catalogues had a Family Games Night collection for £19.99, soft skittles made in animal shapes from padded velour (won't do much damage when they go flying) £17.99. 3D wooden noughts and crosses, £10.99 (NSPCC, Mencap and others), add a nice twist to an old favourite. And Prickly Pile Up, using little wooden porcupines, is a variation on the jenga games (£8, Leprosy Mission). If you can face a kick about in the garden, a fair trade football is £9.95 from Amnesty International and the New Internation alist.

For those with a greater concentration span, there's The Times electronic crossword, £44.99 (most) or the build your own clock jigsaw, £29.99 (most) - which should keep them occupied until at least New Year.

* With many thanks, as always, to Harry Bilton of Witton Gilbert who gets us organised with all the catalogues.

ADDRESSES

Alzheimer's Society, PO Box 40, Burton on Trent, DE14 3ZY. Tel: 0870 112 5244. www.alzheimerssocietyshop.co.uk

Amnesty International. Tel: (01709) 888333. www.amnestyshop.org.uk.

Arthritis Research Campaign, James Nicolson Link, Clifton Moor, York, YO30 4ZZ. Tel: 0800 389 6692.

British Heart Foundation, PO Box 40, Burton on Trent, DE14 3ZY. Tel: 0870 112 5324. www.bhfcatalogue.co.uk

British Red Cross, PO Box 220, Tombridge, TN12 6ZQ. Tel: 0845 053 2005. www.redcross.org.uk/seasonal

Cancer Research UK, PO Box 40, Burton on Trent, DE14 3YE.

Tel: 0870 112 5332. www.cancerresearchuk-mailorder.co.uk

Diabetes UK, PO Box 40, Burton on Trent, DE14 3ZY. Tel: 0870 112 5343. www.diabetesshop.co.uk

Help the Aged, PO Box 377, Witney, OX28 9AS. Tel: 0870 770 0441. www.helptheaged.org.uk

The Leprosy Mission, PO Box 212, Peterborough PE2 5GD. Tel: 0845 166 2253. www.tlmtrading.com

Leukaemia Research, LRF Trading Ltd, Yorke Road, Croxley Green, Rickmansworth, WD3 3TP Tel: (01923) 779181. www.leukaemiacards.org.uk

Mencap, PO Box 40, Burton on Trent, DE14 3ZY. Tel: 0870 112 5379. www.mencap-shop.co.uk

NSPCC, PO Box 40, Burton on Trent, DE14 3ZY. Tel: 0870 112 5413. www.nspcc.org.uk/shop

The National Trust, PO Box 40, Burton on Trent, DE14 3YE. Tel: 0870 112 5384. www.nationaltrust-shop.co.uk

New Internationalist. Tel: (01709) 513999. www.newint.org/shop

RNLI, Freepost BH1654, Poole, BH15 1BT. Tel: 0870 600 1824. www.rnlishop.org.uk

RSPB, PO Box 54, Burton on Trent, DE14 3XS. Tel: 0870 112 5421. www.rspbshop.co.uk

RSPCA, PO Box 40, Burton on Tent, DE14 3ZY. Tel: 0870 112 5423. www.rspcashop.co.uk

Save the Children Fund, PO Box 40, Burton on Trent, DE14 3ZY. Tel: 0870 112 5425. www.savethechildrenshop.co.uk

The Woodland Trust, Autumn Park, Grantham, NG31 6LL. Tel: (01476) 581111 www.wt-christmas.org.uk

WSPA, PO Box 40, Burton on Trent, DE14 3ZY. Tel: 0870 112 5458. www.wspashop.co.uk

www.thisisthenortheast.co.uk

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