Although Yolf has only been on the market for a couple of months, you’re not imagining things if it sounds familiar to you. Pete Gubany invented the game, and if it wasn’t for the sales help of his friend Terry Pullaro, it might never have made it to market. With several thousand games sold, the game was wildly popular, says Bob Ament, the company’s ‘caddy.’

Creating good by giving back is a gift to yourself, local financial advisers say. But before making a major donation to support your favorite cause, heed the following pieces of advice to avoid scams, maximize that gift and leave a lasting legacy of philanthropy. 

You voted, we listened! Ladue News readers know what they like; and with this year's Platinum List, you've made your voices heard. This list compiles the best of St. Louis. 

The Kolman family loves the urban appeal and small-town friendliness of Kirkwood. Stephanie and Brian Kolman have four children, Charlotte, 10; Spencer, 8; Ethan, 7; and Chloe, 4. The family’s pets, Ashby and Murphy, are rescue dogs. Stephanie is a stay-at-home mom and freelance architectural designer, while Brian is VP of Brewer Machine and Gear. Their children attend Westchester Elementary and Kirkwood United Methodist Preschool. Stephanie filled us in on her family’s favorite things about their neighborhood.

The Baldwin Report

The year 2012 was tumultuous in many respects, so perhaps fittingly Wicked is the title of the production that brings down the curtain on the last 12 months. A record drought plagued the St. Louis area, temperatures sweltered in an elongated summer and the area’s economy staggered toward a slow but steady recovery. All of this took place in the face of impending doom predicted centuries ago by the Mayan calendar.

When I was a kid, we had some fun Christmas traditions. For one thing, Santa Claus brought the tree. That essentially meant that my parents pulled an all-nighter Christmas Eve to transform the living room into a Macy’s holiday window. What I now realize was a desperate attempt to get a few moments of precious sleep, my parents told my brothers and me that when we woke up Christmas morning, we could go downstairs on our own and open our stockings.

We love giving gifts of plant products to friends near and far. One of my favorite treasures to send is maple syrup from our relative’s farm in New Hampshire. It takes 100 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup, but don’t look for the romantic image of draft horses hauling a sleigh of sap. Today, sap is extracted from trees with a web of plastic tubing and a giant vacuum cleaner. You can find the result in gift-sized cans or bottles at many local retailers.

LN’s holiday collection to benefit NURSES FOR NEWBORNS runs until Monday, Dec. 24. Suggested items for donation include baby formula, diapers, boy/girl toys (newborn to age 8), clothing (preemie to size 8), non-perishable food items and grocery gift cards. Collection boxes are available at our offices, 8811 Ladue Road (Ladue and 170), Suite D. To see the complete Wish List, visit laduenews.com.

This season, Ladue News is collecting Wish List items for Nurses for Newborns. We invite you to stop by LN and contribute new or gently used items to this very worthy cause!

Play: Fully Committed

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, darn it! And if you’re not bursting with joy at the prospect of all the decorating, baking, gift-buying, card-sending and party-going packed into the next couple of weeks, then there must be something wrong with you.

With one-of-a-kind pieces collected from Vicenza, Italy and Basel, Switzerland, to Hong Kong and Brazil, Simons Jewelers strives to provide the most beautiful selection of fine jewelry throughout the world. Every piece of gold jewelry, diamond, strand of pearls and colored stone is hand-selected to meet the high standard of quality that St. Louisans have come to expect at Simons.

Be a part of goodwill and good cheer! LN’s Holiday Wish List Drive for NURSES FOR NEWBORNS continues through Monday, Dec. 24. The organization, which helps at-risk young mothers and their babies stay healthy, as well as offering other means support to their families, is experiencing even greater need this holiday season. Suggested donation items include boys’ and girls’ clothing (infant to size 8), toys (newborn to age 8), non-perishable food, diapers, infant formula, baby wipes and grocery/Walmart/Target gift cards. Collection boxes are available at our offices, 8811 Ladue Road (Ladue and 170), Suite D. For the complete Wish List, visit laduenews.com.

Joe Genovese finds inspiration for his jewelry in many places. The owner of Genovese Jewelers may purchase a certain stone, like his recent investment in a 16-carat tanzanite, and design a ring around it. Or, he may see a piece his daughter is wearing and can imagine it transformed into fine jewelry with diamonds and white gold. Whatever the inspiration, the results produce one-of-a-kind pieces made in-house, which will soon be offered under a new, branded line. “We’ve gotten so good at the design and manufacturing process that it was time to launch our own line,” Genovese explains. “Those custom pieces are only able to be found at our store, and they’re not just American-made, they’re St. Louis-made.”

Story: Sam is a struggling young actor in New York City. To make ends meet, he toils away taking reservations in the cramped, windowless basement office of a tony restaurant in Manhattan. A typical day for Sam is dealing with upper-class sorts making calls for the ‘best’ table at the trendy establishment, as well as taking myriad and maddening orders from the maitre d’, the executive chef and his co-workers. He also gets to listen to the sundry excuses offered by his talent agent for Sam’s meager acting assignments.

At this point in the holiday season, you are either a) giggling like a kid who just found a last-minute way to get off the ‘naughty’ list, or b) ready to rip the nose right off of Rudolph at the next sound of a jingle bell. Hopefully, like me, you’re somewhere in between. Don’t get me wrong, I love everything about Christmas; but c’mon, the decorations going up way before Halloween and Black Friday is now on Thursday? So to get myself properly in tune with all things merry, I made my way to Main Street in St. Charles, where every year, the city turns the old town into a living, Victorian-era Christmas village. It even feels a bit like Charles Dickens’ London town as I walk down the cobblestone street and hear the slow clip-clop of a horse and carriage. I pass the chestnut roasters huddled over on open fire and carolers singing. Jack Frost is here, and of course, nipping at someone’s nose. It’s a perfect scene, but I still can’t find the man I came to see, the one who will help me put things in perspective: Ebenezer Scrooge (aka actor Vince Wieck). I finally spot him; however, I must be brief. Mr. Scrooge is on a tight schedule, but has begrudgingly agreed to an interview with me.

We’re all familiar with the Norman Rockwell version of Thanksgiving dinners: grandma with the turkey, grandpa ready to carve, smiling faces, and children sitting expectantly—family bliss immortalized. I’m certain that all of your holiday celebrations are exactly like that, right? On the outside chance that you’ve experienced otherwise, here are a few tips for dealing with the stress that sometimes accompanies this time of year.

Story: It’s the holiday season, and an assortment of relatives and friends gather at the comfy, suburban English home of Neville and Belinda Bunker for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Neville’s tipsy sister Phyllis is there along with her husband Bernard, a plodding physician who insists each year on performing a puppet show to the boredom of the children and adults alike. There’s also Phyllis’ and Neville’s Uncle Harvey, a retired security officer with a penchant for absorbing himself in bloody flicks being shown on the telly.

It is beginning to look a lot like the holidays. This ‘most wonderful’ time of the year, however, also is a most distracting and stressful time of the year, especially if you are a kid.

Washington University has awarded filmmaker KEN BURNS with its 2012 International Humanities Medal. Burns was presented with the award for having a significant impact on American society with his contribution to the arts.

Deep within the coastal lowlands of Ecuador, Dave Owens recently discovered just the right beans for his next unique Bissinger’s confection. As chief chocolatier, Owens helps keep the renowned St. Louis-based company's roots in the past, with an eye toward the future.

With bountiful holiday gatherings taking place in the coming weeks, St. Louisans already are planning holiday menus and gifts for family and friends that reflect the traditions of their childhood—with some from lands far away.

“On Christmas Eve day, my husband Ray and I take all 24 grandchildren to the mall in the morning and meet in the food court. Then ‘Bud’ (what the grandchildren call Ray) gives each of them an envelope filled with their holiday money. They must then shop for whatever they want, come back and show off their purchases. It’s so much fun to see the kids (and now young adults) run off to shop and see what they can get. It’s even more fun to see how excited they are to show us their purchases! And, every now and then, Bud gets a call to ‘come quick!’ because a special purchase requires just a little more....”

Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate recently celebrated the opening of its new chocolate factory by hosting a party for friends, family and residents of The Hill, where the facility is located. A portion of the retail proceeds and all proceeds from a chocolate basket raffle went to the Shriners Hospitals for Children. Pictured: Shriners' director of public and community relations Tammy Robbins, owners of Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate Dan Abel, Sr., Rosalie Abel, Dan Abel, Jr., Christina Abel and Chris Abel, and Shriner David Dieckhaus