Now that Thanksgiving is behind us, we can turn our attention to the next Great American holiday ritual: buying lots of stuff in order to keep our consumer economy going (thereby creating bad service industry jobs, and enriching companies like Wal-Mart, who enrich the Chinese at the expense of American workers, who have no recourse but to take bad service industry jobs).

But why focus on the negative? Just because our economy is trapped in a death spiral of crappy jobs, huge Federal deficits, and overwhelming consumer debt (keep financing those plasma TV's people - China needs those jobs you're creating!), doesn't mean that we should forget the children.

The holidays are all about the children... right?

Unfortunately, due to the vagaries of the global economy (see above), some children are left out of the gluttonous orgy of consumption that we call Christmas. While their peers unwrap Xbox 360's and PSP's, they consider themselves lucky to receive the 21st century equivalent of a lump of coal: a woefully outdated analog information distribution device, formerly known as a "book".

These unfortunates are left behind, Halo-less, adrift in a sea of Wi-Fi without a network card, lacking even dial-up fer Chrissakes. But you don't have to let that happen. You have the power (and the high credit rating) to do something about it.

Max out your credit cards for the kids. Buy that ridiculously overpriced hunk of cutting edge technology you've been salivating over since last year's E3. Take it to one of the following locations and donate it to the children. Write the whole thing off as a charitable donation.

Everybody will be happy, from the CEO's and stockholders of the credit card companies to the lowliest peasant in China.

Especially the kids.

- The DWP Festival of Lights will, as always, have collection boxes at either end of the Festival route. Bring your unwrapped toys (or consumer electronics) and drop them off, all without getting out of your car!

- The LAFD Spark of Love Toy Drive is in full swing, as well. Gift collection boxes are located at area Sav-On stores, on Metrolink's Holiday Toy Express Train, and at your neighborhood fire station.

- Councilmember Tom LaBonge will be holding a Holiday Reception on Friday, December 2nd at the CD4 HQ. You can twist the good councilmember's ear about those potholes on your street, sample the wares of the Toluca Lake merchant community (refreshments will be served!), and drop off an unwrapped toy.

For the kids.  ¶ 10:10 AM