Talking about gift giving with loved ones can be awkward. Christine Langdon, the founder of ChildFund partner The Good Registry, shares some tips on how to broach the subject when you would rather do some good in the world than end up with items you don't want or need.

We don't have a culture where you feel okay about asking for gifts but the reality is that often people are going to buy you a gift anyway and they actually really appreciate a bit of advice. 

It can be tricky to find gifts for others, so remember that by creating a gift registry you're actually doing your friend or whanau member a favour because you're taking the pressure off of them. You're doing yourself a favour too as who really wants to receive things things you don't need or want, plus of course you're doing some good by supporting a charity.

So think about setting up a gift registry as giving friends and family a choice. You could say to them 'I've created this register for this special occasion  and if you want to give me a gift to celebrate this then here's a way you can do this that has meaning for me and makes a positive difference in the world'.

Remember too, it's important not to assume that family members or friends will feel the same way as you do. For some people buying physical gifts at Christmas, is the way they really want to show their love and that's okay.

I've found that sharing why a donation to a charity is important to me and asking people to gift me less new 'stuff' year by year is more realistic and sustainable than making huge change instantly. One year I asked everyone to try to only give me gifts which were homemade, preloved or an experience, this can be a great way to start.