Every year, right around Christmastime, some new fad assumes a stranglehold on parents everywhere. They push, pull, stretch, and sometimes even kick and bite their way to the last Dancing Cabbage Patch Elmo Ruxpin doll on the shelf. It makes me wonder who the gift is really for. And I wonder how long it will take for that fad to fade into oblivion.

The best things about Christmas are classic: the aroma of Mom baking cookies, the twinkling lights on the tree, and Bing Crosby crooning in the background. And the best toys? They’re classic, too.

The National Toy Hall of Fame® (yes, there is one, and it’s in Rochester, New York) showcases a collection of some of the best toys ever. How many did you have as a child? The list of 31 is a who’s who and what’s what of the toy landscape.

In case you’re wondering, inducted toys are selected on the basis of the following criteria:

1. Icon-status: The toy is widely recognized, respected, and remembered.
2. Longevity: The toy is more than a passing fad and has enjoyed popularity over multiple generations.
3. Discovery: The toy fosters learning, creativity, or discovery through play.
4. Innovation: The toy profoundly changed play or toy design. A toy may be inducted on the basis of this criterion without necessarily having met all of the first three.

It’s hard to beat a classic. Every toy on the list has stood the test of time and, if I may say, kicks the butt of any fad that finds its way under the tree this year.

Tickle that, Furby.

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I always figured that I couldn’t possibly be the only one who had never outgrown my love of eating cereal. The more sugary, the better. I’m happy to report that my hunch was correct. Finally somebody has developed a place, (a piece of heaven on earth, if you will) where the primary item on the menu is…cereal. Cereality is a cereal bar and cafe where people in pajamas (I mean cerealogists) dish you up your favorite cereal with a topping of your choice (such as nuts, marshmallows, or malted milk balls), served in a container reminiscent of chinese takeout boxes. Jerry Shriver from USA Today says, “The latest fast-food concept is so absurdly simple, self-indulgent and reflective of one’s inner child that, well, how can it fail?”

Seems like a sure-fire success to me. Now they just need to open one up in Madison.

USA Today-A whole new bowl game.

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For the past few months, we’ve already begun making plans for the second annual Kim & Jason Benefit for the Make-A-Wish Foundation® of Wisconsin. Last year, we raised over $6,000, enough to fund two wishes for children with life-threatening medical conditions. We’re back at it once again, hoping to do even better this year.

We’ve settled on a date (Thursday, April 21, 2005), and a location (Madison Marriott West), and even a theme (Crusin’ For Wishes.) So we’re in sponsor searching mode now, as we hope to drum up some funds to pay for a cruise package, which we hope will be our grand raffle prize. Last year we were excited to have over 100 businesses contribute to the success of our event by donating cash, raffle prizes, and silent auction items. If you know a business who would be interested in having their name attached to a good cause, have them get in touch with me about being a sponsor. A donation of at least $250 will get them on the snazzy t-shirts I’ll be designing.

Or perhaps they’d be interested in sponsoring the whole cruise…(with mentions in all media spots, our web site, and on the raffle tickets themselves.

You can keep abreast of the latest event news at www.KimandJason.com/makeawish.

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It took about 75 million takes, but I put together a little holiday video message in which I reflect on the good old days of Kim & Jason Christmas Past (i.e. excruciatingly horrible holiday craft shows.) I also make a few shameless product plugs for your last minute holiday shopping. Is it a video blog? A commercial? An Academy award-winning piece of artistic filmmaking? I’ll leave that for you to decide.

I guarantee it’s pretty short and marginally interesting.

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I’ve been keeping busy corrupting the youth of America by teaching them how to draw better doodles during math class. In the interest of free press and because it’s important for the public to really know what’s going on inside their children’s classrooms, we allowed a reporter to be imbedded in one of my recent operations. You can read all about it in a story by the Wisconsin State Journal.

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I’ve known Hal since he was five. I’ve seen him grow up – really up. I’ve kept up to date on his progress in school and have had some of his drawings on my fridge at home. I’ve read letters from him, telling me what he got for Christmas, and how he enjoys playing soccer. Hal has been a part of my life for over seven years now. But I’ve never met him.

In person, at least. I’m not sure what Priceline can do on a flight to Ethiopia, which is where he lives. Hailemariam Eshetu (the nickname Hal just became evident, I’m sure) is a little boy (ok, not so little anymore) that Kim and I have sponsored since before we were married. We learned of Compassion International during the intermission of a concert we went to way back when. We learned that it cost 28 bucks a month, which seemed like 28,000 bucks a month to college kids. But we also learned that you could pool resources to sponsor a kid, and that couples, families, and even youth groups had chipped in to sponsor children in poverty-stricken areas all over the world. And what I liked best of all was how involved you could get in the child’s life. They send you photos of the child, and letters and pictures that they draw, just for you. And you can write them back, and send photos of you and that far off place called America. Compassion even offers the opportunity to arrange a trip to meet your sponsor child.

I think we were both impressed that this wasn’t some shady charity advertised in some commercial with hungry kids fending off flies. I wasn’t interested in throwing money at a problem, not even sure where the money was going. Compassion does so much more than just feeding hungry kids. Its aim is to break the cycle of poverty by serving as an advocate for children, releasing them from spiritual, economic, social and physical poverty and enabling them to become responsible, fulfilled Christian adults. It was founded in 1952 and helps more than 600,000 children in more than 20 countries.

Each year at Christmas, Kim and I try to find someone who would be willing to sponsor a child through Compassion. So without further ado, allow me to introduce Shington, a 3-year old little boy from Haiti. For fun, he enjoys playing with marbles. Please consider sponsoring Shington. I strongly believe that making a real and positive difference in the life of a child is one of the most heroic things you can do in life. I assure you that you will receive way more than you ever give with this program. It’s hard to imagine how $28 a month could be spent any better. It can be an awesome experience to share with your significant other, or an exemplary example of love you could model for your own family.

Kim and I both thank you for considering such an awesome and worthwhile commitment. You can find out more about Shington and Compassion by clicking here.

Think about it.

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