If you've got the kind of friends and family who won't appreciate you buying them an Oxfam goat, for Christmas then at least make your 'conventional' gift as ethical as possible.
Sites like the newly-launched Litegreen come in handy by providing "an online information portal for consumers with a conscience that want to make an informed decision about the things they buy". It doesn't seem to sell anything in itself but claims that only products from companies with good ethical credentials make it onto its listings (you can look up the rating for a brand before you click through to the online shop).
Litegreen uses information from the Ethical Consumer Research Association (ECRA) and other sources. It looks at companies' scores in a number of categories (more information here) and "achieving a [Litegreen] rating is a sign that, in our opinion, a company has a track record of doing things the right way".
To be honest, Litegreen looks like a glorified list of affiliate links right now and could do with a bit more work, but they are promising to plant a tree on behalf of every person who registers with them before Christmas so it's worth signing up anyway, even if you're not going to buy anything through them.
From: BEST OF 2008: Eco-friendy and sustainable shoes