It’s that time of year when I post a Christmas wish list and hope to find some goodies from my list under my tree.

This year I want to try something new. I want everyone to take whatever money they’d spend on a Christmas gift for Drew or me and donate the amount to their local food bank, soup kitchen, or favourite local charity. Once you’ve done that send us a card letting us know which charity you’ve donated to. We don’t need to know the amount.

After Chrismas I’ll post a list of all the charities our friends and family donated to over the Christmas season. I hope it’ll be a lengthy one.

As lovely as gifts under the tree are, many of us still have a job and a roof over our heads. Not everyone has been as fortunate. I’m asking our friends and family to adopt the true spirit of the season and understand why we’ve chosen not to buy or send presents this year.

Over the next few days I’ll be picking the local charities Drew and I will be donating to and start working on my Christmas cards. We’ll be eagerly awaiting your cards.

UPDATE: I’m challenging the world – friends, family & strangers – to do the same this holiday season. Put a little less under your own tree in order to help provide for someone else.

UPPERDATE: Unsure who to donate to? Think local or pick a cause that supports something near and dear to your heart. Love to read? Choose Kids Need to Read or your local library. Love animals? Pick a local animal shelter or rescue league. Know what it’s like to go hungry? Donate to a soup kitchen or foodbank.

Still not sure? Feel free to follow in our footsteps. Last year Drew was in Afghanistan over Christmas and I chose to support a number of charities rather than buying gifts for most of the people on our Christmas list. Then, I chose Kids Need to Read, Central Asia Institute, Edmonton Foodbank, Edm Humane Society, WIN House, Canadian Cancer Society, Salvation Army and World Vision Alternate Gifts. This year I suspect the list of beneficiaries may be a wee bit smaller so that we can donate a larger amount to the charities we select. Just remember, there’s no right or wrong way to participate in the Christmas Wish List Challenge.

For the past few months some friends and I have been working towards incorporating a non-profit society. I’m pleased to announce that today I have the completed paperwork in my hot little hands. We exist.

Please join me in celebrating the incorporation of the Alberta Browncoats Society.

The Alberta Browncoats Society is non-profit society formed in 2009. We are dedicated to doing good in unexpected ways while upholding the main goals of CSTS: raising funds for Equality Now and other locally based charities. While Can’t Stop the Serenity is our main fundraising event in 2010 we hope to branch out in future; hosting small gatherings or fundraisers with a more local focus on a semi-annual basis.

For the moment we’ll be using our Edmonton Can’t Stop the Serenity event site as our main presence on the web. You can also follow @ABbrowncoats on Twitter.

After a day off to re-think my fundraising strategy – I’m back. I’ve decided that my personal goal is to try and reach $880 before anyone else on the team. In order to get there I’m going to need every one of you, my loyal blog readers (that’s at least 5 people, right?), to donate a few shekels to the cause. I’d ask my “Facebook friends” but apparently they’re already sick of my daily #movember status updates and not as friendly as they make out to be.

I’m also silly enough to agree to wear a fake moustache at work at the end of the month (or perhaps even while at a convention in LA in a few weeks) if I surpass the goal.

There might even be pictures.

Highlights of today’s begging post:

1. My goal is to raise $880 (more is always welcome) for Movember before the end of the month.
2. If I raise the $880 before any other member of my team, I’ll get a fake moustache and wear it to work.
3. If I raise the $880 before Nov. 20, I’ll wear the fake moustache at a convention in LA where friends and strangers will have ample opportunity to heckle me.
4. If you haven’t already please donate to the cause. Help in the battle to wipe out prostate cancer.

I’m going to pretend the glass is half-full today and assume I can make the goal. Cause I know y’all love me and support my charity works. That said, anyone know where I can get a fake moustache in Edmonton?

Some would say I’ve yet to meet a charity I didn’t like. While that may not be 100% accurate, I do seem to be getting involved in fundraising and volunteer work more often these days.

This month my efforts will be focused on Movember. What’s Movember you ask?

Movember is an annual, month-long celebration of the moustache, highlighting men’s health issues – specifically prostate cancer.

The money raised in Canada goes directly to Prostate Cancer Canada. Prostate Cancer Canada will use the money raised by Movember for the development of programs related to awareness, public education, advocacy, support of those affected, and research into the prevention, detection, treatment and cure of prostate cancer.

– Blatently stolen from the Movember website at http://ca.movember.com/about/

Like most women, I have no desire to grow a moustache. We pay good money to get rid of even the suggestion of a moustache. And, like my follicle challenged team leader, Landon, my husband is equally unable to grow a decent moustache. Not for lack of trying on his part. I believe the end result of his most recent attempt was nicknamed the “70’s porn ‘stache” for good reason.

You can donate to moi or my Movember team using your Credit Card or Paypal account. All donations are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law.

Let the men wear their moustaches with pride and send me all your cashy money 😉