Here are some very Catholic–and very non-Catholic–gifts:
After Michelle Newcomb’s 4-year-old son said he wanted to be a priest, the Indiana mom decided to create a game just for him. Interest in her game grew, and now The Priest Game has been reproduced for sale. The matching game is not competitive and teaches young children numbers and colors, along with Catholic prayers and explanations of religious items and symbols.
Though Steve and Joni Abdalla have three girls, the first product of their new toy company, Wee Believers, is a Mass kit. “In speaking with priests and even a well-respected Bishop of the Church, we learned that it was a toy Mass Kit made in the early 40’s and 50’s that instilled their first calling to become priests,” the couple writes on their site. “We plan on following up…with more products, especially ones that our daughters will enjoy. We have a vision of building a comprehensive, faith-inspired line of toys.”
For girls, there are Christian dolls with the appropriate accessories. Instead of hosting a tea party, children can play “interfaith dialogue” with these dolls, as there are also Muslim and Jewish dolls.
Forgoing gifts this year? Then here are some rather interesting cards to send out: Atheist and Great Depression Christmas cards. Warning: Most of them are offensive, of course. Artist Andrew Shaffer admits in this article that the cards that declare "Have a Great Depression and a Subprime New Year" aren't as funny as when he first created him now that a lot of people are losing their jobs.
Still, he also says his customers include traditional Christians, and he is mocking the secular side of Christmas rather than the sacred. One cute example says the atheist snowman believed in evolution…"until he met his Creator," with a picture of a little boy putting a hat on the snowman.
Like them or not, these gifts are certainly unique.
