Had someone told me a year ago that I would be offering holiday wishes to many hundreds of warm-hearted, hilarious, glorious people who have become members of an online community run by me, I would have laughed and asked, “for what possible reason?” The clairvoyant might have replied, “all because of one remarkable young man.”

I won’t demur. I have been captivated by one or two remarkable young men in my time. But none have warranted (or deserved) the level of attention and consideration I have allocated here. And as I have said before: It almost doesn’t seem like a choice. It feels more like a calling. It is also undeniable that the perpetuation of this effort would have been impossible without the incredible support and participation of the notingDavid membership. I have such great respect and affection for the people who congregate here that I hardly know what I might do to continue to deserve your company.

Gratitude must also be conveyed even, and perhaps especially, to those members who have on occasion challenged me, sometimes with great fervor, in my beliefs and practices. Having to figure out how to be inclusive without sacrificing my principles has been an education. I have a great deal more respect for the difficulties involved in the politics of inclusion, and take this moment to wish our new president much wisdom and patience in his intentions to put into practice this lofty and demanding ideal.

David may never fully realize the degree to which his existence has and will continue to affect people in profound and remarkable ways. Such is the nature–the curse and the blessing–of the artist. Despite his immense love and passion for music, for his audience and for his fans, we need always to be aware that his ability to sing for us is built on a foundation of diligence, dedication, hard work, and sometimes great difficulty and sacrifice. Things are always pretty onstage because the sweat and blood has been spilled offstage. I have alluded before to the irony that his fans are in many ways much luckier than he is, for David is the only one in the world incapable of knowing what it is to be moved by the artistry of David Archuleta.

As I was watching what has become perhaps my favorite Christmas movie, one particular scene jumped out at me like an Archugaze. It refers to an association that has been made before, but which I think is particularly resonant here. I probably won’t be posting again until January, so please accept this little presentation as my holiday gift and New Year’s wish to all of you, fellow travelers in pursuit of a guiding star.

We saw strong indications of it Sacramento, but the fancams from last night’s Z100 Jingle Ball reveal a level of command over the stage that had me wondering… Who is this scarf-strewn rocker boy?!

Z100′s Jingle Ball 2008 at Madison Square Garden in New York City reportedly drew a crowd of almost 16,000, easily the largest audience David has ever performed for. But did the magnitude of the crowd or the importance of the venue overwhelm and intimidate little Archie, the kid who once had to be coaxed into singing in front of small groups of relatives and friends at backyard picnics and holiday parties? On the contrary. David (I think it was David) strutted around that stage like a Mick Jagger in-training, tossed off city shout-outs like a headliner, and powered through his pop repertoire with enough passion to reach the rafters of the premiere concert arena on the planet.

Like anyone on a steep learning curve, David’s trajectory will inevitably be subject to bursts of progress, plateaus, fall-backs, and more bursts. I think the exciting thing about last night is not that it was a burst, but that we might be seeing the arrival of a new plateau. David’s marked improvement with stage dominion–the biggest gap I observed during his summer performances–has been growing more consistent, even as he steps up his game.

It bears repeating that what is ultimately most exciting about this is that David is not a stage prodigy but a vocal prodigy. Most people who gain pop music fame as teenagers do so because of their stage performance talent more than their musical ability. The reason they are inevitably challenged in their capacity to evolve their career is bacause the power of presentation is fleeting; the work is more about style than substance. David is the opposite. The fact that he is really starting to kick it up stage style is gravy–just imagine the feasts to come.

Donations are now closed.

Most of you know that I don’t tend to initiate or participate in fan-driven efforts and projects, but there is a time of year for such gestures, and this is it. For 2008 especially, I think it behooves us to offer a small token of acknowledgement and appreciation to the Family Archuleta for bestowing upon a grateful world their son, whose presence has made a multitude of lives both deeper and brighter.

I have already made arrangements for a gift from “the Community at notingDavid.org” to be delivered personally to the family at their home. My intention is to build a custom basket from Dean & DeLuca based on how much money we raise by a week from today, Tuesday, December 16th. I will personally pay for expedited shipping.

Below you will find a donation form, which is connected to my PayPal account. You do not need a PayPal account in order to contribute. I have slated a default amount of $5.00. You may give any amount.

Use the comments field to compose a brief note to the Archuleta family, to be included as part of the package.

If you wish to remain anonymous in the gifting, simply leave the comments field blank. If you want your real full name to be included in the gift, please send me a note through the contact form.

All monies will go to the cost of the gift, and you can see a running total as soon as donations begin to accrue. I will email a receipt for the gift to any contributor who requests it. Click in for the donation form.

Happy Davidays!

Update: I have disabled the Recognition Wall pending information on how to disable just the amounts. I am also hearing that some folks want their comments to be private as well, so I’ll see if I can make that an option also. In the meantime, all your comments and information is still archived, and I will continue to receive all submissions.

Total donations from notingDavid members:
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Just in time to give thanks to all the passionate and creative Archies who contribute their own talents so that we can celebrate David’s talent, a set of wonderful new works from Rabid. Get a super XXL version of the above image here. Thanks, James!

Have a wonderful holiday weekend, everyone. I know you will all be joining me in giving thanks for the gift of music. May we have many more Thanksgivings accompanied by the feast that is David Archuleta.