As we rev up for hard-core holiday gift-buying, there’s an angle too often missed in the seasonal scrum: The chance to give back and “give forward.” Yes, it’s possible to find great presents that are vehicles of generosity to great causes.

One of my favorites is the new collaboration between Jill Martin, entrepreneur and Emmy Award-winning personality on NBC’s “Today Show,” and Boston ProShop. Following her breast cancer diagnosis in July 2023, Martin drew from her personal experience to launch By Jill Martin, her super comfy-yet-stylish clothing line that also advocates for women’s health issues and highlights the importance of testing. Now she’s launching her first-ever collaboration with Boston-based professional teams — the By Jill Martin x ProShop Sherpa Collection. So if you head over to Boston ProShop (84 Causeway St., Boston; bostonproshop.com) you can support the cause while snapping up gifts like sherpa loungers and hoodies featuring the logos of the Boston Bruins and Celtics for all the fans in your life — or yourself.

If a little R&R by the sea is what your loved ones need this winter, gift them a weekend on beautiful Cape Elizabeth in Maine, where community spirit and nature collide. A quick trip from Boston, it’s where you’ll find Inn By The Sea (innbythesea.com), and its “Books for a Booking.” For every hotel reservation made during the month of December, the Inn purchases books chosen from wish lists from school librarians. Guests may also make a meaningful contribution by purchasing a student-made bookmark for $10, which goes to buy more books and support literacy.

Speaking of books, local food lovers will eat up a gift copy of “A Taste of Boston: The Definitive Cookbook of the City We Love,” ($35.38 on alibris.com), a cookbook that brings together recipes from upwards of 50 of Boston’s best-known chefs, and seeing a portion of its proceeds go to The Greater Boston Food Bank. The book, assembled and co-authored by longtime Boston television and radio hosts Billy Costa and Jenny Johnson, has a foreword written by Mark Wahlberg, and includes dishes from chefs including Lydia Shire, Michael Schlow, Ken Oringer, Jodi Adams, Tiffani Faison, Steve DiFillippo and Jason Santos.

If there’s one thing we should all be toasting this holiday season, it’s to helping the environment. Do both at once by gifting someone the Joanna Buchanan Stripey Bee Cocktail Shaker Set ($198 on www.joannabuchanan.com). The high-style, stainless steel set includes a shimmering and hefty shaker, lengthy spoon, strainer, and jigger — each crowned with a single chic, regal (and yes, stripey) bee. When you purchase a set, 10% goes to Pollinator Pathways, which help create pesticide-free spaces in which bees can thrive.

And finally, what’s something everyone wants this chilly time of year? That’s right: socks. We all want warm tootsies. For every pair of cute Bombas socks you buy (https://bombas.com), the company donates one to someone who needs them — at places like overnight shelters, street outreach teams, rehab centers, and schools of low-income families. I can’t think of a faster way to simultaneously get warm feet and a warm heart.

The Bruins Jill Martin Classic Lounger. (Photo courtesy Boston ProShop)
Inn By the Sea in Maine offers “Books for a Booking” which purchases books for school libraries if you book in Dec.. (Photo courtesy Inn By the Sea)
“A Taste of Boston: The Definitive Cookbook of the City We Love.” (Photo alibris.com)