Praise Women everywhere at ‘Womens Christmas’

by Joanne Coffey from Fair Trade Organisation, Equal Exchange

Every year in the rush up to Christmas up to £8bn is spent in the UK on festive food, drink, fashion and frivolities. Why not take some time to thank the women in your life in 2012 by celebrating Womens Christmas with Fairtrade.

The streets are thronged with Christmas shoppers, the majority of whom are women. On average 4 million women take to the British High Street every day, that’s three times the male average, and during the seasonal spree this figure soars upwards with the women in our lives often running the gift gauntlet in the final weeks of December.

This Christmas I am thinking of another statistic that mirrors this acutely. The number of women farmers in this world who daily run the growing gauntlet to produce, as Oxfam recently released, over 75% of the food we consume. That’s the majority of the grapes that make up our mulled wine, the sugar that dusts our mince pies, the cocoa that casts our Chocolate Christmas Santa’s and Coins and the coffee we drink after our festive feasts.

That’s why at Equal Exchange we are celebrating the work of these female smallholder farmers that we work with, some of whom this year launched their new Fairtrade Coffee Grown By Women range, by celebrating Womens Christmas on January 6th 2012.

A little known tradition, it originates from my native South West Ireland. Womens or Little Christmas as it is know locally, marks the Epiphany; the visitation of the Three Wise Men to Jesus, in the Catholic Calendar. Nowadays it is an opportunity to give thanks to your mum, aunt, grandmother or sister and recognise their hard work over the Christmas period with a simple card, a cooked dinner, special treat a cup of coffee in bed first thing in the morning.

So this January 6th after all the feasting and fun is over, think of the special women in your life and show your appreciation for all their hard work with a Little Christmas Fairtrade Treat!

To find out more visit : www.equalexchange.co.uk/CoffeeGrownByWomen.asp

Equal Exchange are running a competition to give away a hamper to celebrate Little Womens Christmas. Email info@equalexchange.co.uk with your name, address and telephone number and 100 words on why you think a lady in your life deserves a pamper this festive season.