Be The Magi

It seems that every grocery store and coffee shop in my neighborhood is doing a toy drive this season. Big bins, everywhere, with festive signs saying drop unwrapped toys and gifts for kids here. Which got us thinking: how, exactly, does a family go about giving in a manner that takes into consideration all the recent scares around pretty much every toy on the shelves? You don't want to pass on to less fortunate families toys for which a recall is going to be issued, say, next month, do you? It's no longer as simple as just going to the toy store and buying one or two things to donate to the local drive. And if you just cut a check - well, that doesn't really involve the kids, does it?

So we want to know - how are you going to go about charitable giving this season, beyond just writing a check or two? And how are you going to get your kids involved? Come up with a great idea for spreading cheer the charitable way and write a post about it (drop a link in to LMJ so that we can find you, and/or leave us a comment with the url), and we'll pull them all together and link them all up in a big share-the-great-ideas-share-the-joy post. Maybe we'll even whip up a brand new, 2007 Gifts Of The Magi button, for sparkles.

Our ideas:

* Take your kids to some local shops, or a local crafts fair, and let them pick out something locally made to donate to a toy drive (or shelter or other worthy organization).

* Books don't contain lead! Have your kids pick their favorite titles from a local bookstore, and donate those.

* Time doesn't contain lead, either - consider putting in some family volunteer time at the local toy drive or food bank or whatever cause is most important to you.

* And please go sign the Consumer Product Safety Commission Reform Act of 2007 (S. 2045) to petition congress on increasing imported product safety!

What are your ideas? Share them, put them into action, write about them - and spread the word. Let's spread some joy!