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Christmas gifts for last-minute shoppers
COLORADO SPRINGS. Looking for ways to help kids learn the true meaning of Christmas? Check out these gift ideas, which are designed not only to help kids have fun but teach them about the Catholic faith.
‘Action Saints’ figures
Stephen Baker takes the Catholic faith seriously, but he has one problem with many of the religious objects sold for families with children — kids can’t play with them.
Baker and his wife Marthie are the parents of four children. The family attends Holy Ghost Parish in Denver.
“There are many dangerous and breakable glass, metal and ceramic statues, but none that children can play with,” he told the Herald.
So Baker, an architect by trade, took matters into his own hands and started Action Saints, which he hopes will become a line of child-friendly, poseable action figures of Catholic saints that kids can play with like other toys. The figures stand about 4 inches high and have moveable arms, heads and hips, he said.
“Action Saints engage children in imaginary play and remove the child’s fear of breaking something,” Baker wrote in a Sept. 12 press release.
The first item produced by the company is a figure of St. Michael the Archangel. Pre-orders for the toy are being taken on the Action Saints website, www.actionsaints.com. The figure will retail for $11.99, with discounts for multiple items, Baker said.
The next two saints scheduled to be made into action figures are St. Maximilian Kolbe and St. Therese of Lisieux.
Prior to starting Action Saints, Baker and his partners started Kolbe Film School, a provider of online training in 3D computer animation. The school’s mission is to train artists to create media that inspires a culture of life.
Baker also offers “The Kings of Christmas,” an animated cartoon that is also available for purchase on the website for $15. Baker said that, although he has spoken with some retailers, he expects online sales to account for the bulk of Action Saints’ revenues.
“Our primary marketing strategy is selling online and through Amazon.com,” Baker said.
‘The Further Adventures of John Cross’ book for youths
In the second installment in “The Adventures of John Cross” series, titled “Kidnapped!”, the young sleuth is nabbed by a notorious villain and eventually goes on a mission to save his kidnapped friend. The journey takes him around the world in a tale that educates not only about the Catholic faith but also teaches youth about problem solving, history and geography.
Author Patrick Henry, a member of St. Peter Parish in Monument, said that, in the second book, he wanted to highlight other countries across the Atlantic, particulary Russia — home of Cross’ nemesis and thief Vladimir.
“Reading should not just be enjoyable for children, but educational in a fun and exciting way,” he said. “That is why I put maps along with historical information in my books. When I was younger, the illustrations made the stories come alive.”
Henry’s overseas experience includes “a fascination with Russia.”
“My grandfather came from Poland and spoke Russian. I studied the Russian language in college, besides French and German, going to Russian restaurants and enjoying some of the culture,” he said.
Henry said he is interested in the cultural differences between the various Slavic countries.
“I’ve visited Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina and appreciated their more simple lifestyles centered around the family,” he said. “There was a family closeness that I’ve tried to incorporate in my books.”
Henry said the second installment of the series is “more meaningful” than the first because Cross “has to find ways to make things work out in more hostile and dangerous situations, but still keeping his Christian morals intact.”
In “Kidnapped!”, Cross travels from Egypt to Russia, at one point becoming a captive in the Russian circus, and tours various other countries as he tries to escape his own captor, rescue a friend and find his way back to his family. He finds himself in the middle of a crime syndicate at one point and eventually ends up aboard a pirate ship in Scandanavia.
Henry said the book is “packed with adventure and intrigue” and is appropriate for ages 8-13.
Henry said he is working on a third installment, where he goes on another adventure with his father, allowing the two to strengthen their bond. in the first book, the family’s adventure took place in the Australian Outback.
“The Adventures of John Cross” books retails for $8.99 and can be found at johncrossbooks.webs.com, mothershousepublishing.com and guardianangelstore.com.
Playful Saint Doll Collection
For the Catholic girl on your Christmas list, the Playful Saint Doll Collection may be worth a look. The 18-inch, soft-bodied dolls with molded rubber heads are available in a wide variety of men and women saints ranging from St. Elizabeth Ann Seton to Blessed John Paul II. The dolls are made in America and retail for $98 on www.catholicchild.com.
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