So I'm really considering taking advantage of the One Laptop Per Child program, which has a special running through the end of the year. 

The OLPC project is the result of an effort to develop a laptop durable enough and cheap enough for children in developing nations to have access to.  The goal was to create a laptop that could be sold for $100 - theoretically making it cheap enough for developing nations to purchase for their citizens, and allowing the next generation of citizens to acquire education and computer skills.  The computers can be recharged with a hand crank, use very little power to begin with, have a swivel monitor, and built-in wireless networking capability.  The user interface (operating system) is custom designed to be intuitive and simple for a child to use. 

Now through the end of the year (the offer originally ran through the end of November, but has been extended) purchasers in the US and Canada can pay $399, for which they will receive one laptop, and a second one will be sent to a child in a developing nation.  It's a form of philanthropy, but you have the added benefit of getting one of these devices for yourself.

My oldest boy is old enough to begin messing around with a computer, and this might be just the combination of philanthropy and practicality for this Christmas.  I think the special offer is a great idea, providing added impetus for folks who might not otherwise shell out a chunk of money to send a computer to a kid someplace across the world.