Ah! The holidays are here...finally!

Joy to the world, right?

Here's the reality, though, of Christmas in our world: America spends around $500 billion a year on Christmas gifts. That's more than $600 a person. We also spend another $8 billion on decorating for Christmas.

I'm totally down with gift giving to the extent that it's a meaningful tradition, and not yet another source of stress in our already stressed out lives.

My family has been involved in some type of giving each Chrismas for the past several years. We even bought a *cow* (moo) for a village in Africa on year. That was hot!

This Christmas, I want to invite my friends, family and colleagues to get involved too.

I want to help people by giving more than gifts that fit in boxes. I want to give people life.

If that sounds melodramatic to you: good. But here's a reality check:

More than a billion people are living without water on our planet. Some walk miles every day to get to the nearest source: a stagnant, parasite-infested stream or pond. They lug it back to their families. They suffer from diarrhea, worms and skin diseases because they can't wash themselves. 45,000 people die each day from waterborne illnesses.

My mission is to raise $2500 by Christmas this year. 100% of every penny I raise will go directly to the water projects. And every project is "proved" using GPS technology and photos and put on Google Earth. Together, we'll be able to see the impact we've made.

One billion people, one cause. The least we can do is give one Christmas.

Please join me by donating, and then: forward this to your friends. And then enjoy your holiday. And then...


...no and then.

Merry Christmas.