Best. Idea. Ever.

OK so maybe not ever... but definitely the best I've heard all day. There is a family living in Hawaii who is in the process of adopting a little girl from Ethiopia. They have a 13 year old son who would love to travel with his family to pick her up. He is raising money for his plane ticket by "contracting" with Santa. Here's the description:

Austin is my oldest son. He’s 13. And he’s super cool! He plays the guitar and ukelele, he dances hula, he has a big heart, and he desperately wants to go to Ethiopia with me to pick up his baby sister. The problem is the cost. Tickets will be about $2500 each. So, he is planning a few things to raise some of the money so that he can go.

We all know that Santa vacations here in Hawaii. He sits on the beach in his beach chair wearing his bright flowery Hawaiian board shorts sipping a pretty umbrella drink. I’ve seen him. Really.

Well... he’s here right now. I imagine that he’s here trying to relax before getting
into full blown Christmas mode. While he’s here in Hawaii, he picks up postcards and sends them to little girls and boys, reminding them to be nice and that soon he will be checking his list again. He also has some really cool stories to tell about Hawaii - the beaches, sea turtles, humpback whales, surfing. I bet he’ll include at least one little bit on each postcard, too.

Be sure to let us know the child(ren)’s name(s) and address(es). In a few short days your child will receive a personal note on a Hawaiian postcard... postmarked from Hawaii, too.

In addition, you get to feel good about your purchase, because it’s helping a 13 year old be creative and work his way to get something he really wants... a trip with his Mom to pick up his new baby sister from Ethiopia.

SO cool, huh? Here's the link to the Etsy store: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=30036303

My kids will be so stoked! Go check it out!