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Mistletoe Guy Hosts 'Kissmas' For Charity

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- If the 12 days of Christmas are too pricey for you (and, at last check, they probably were), you could always opt instead for the 12 days of "Kissmas."

It's a fundraiser for charity. Instead of donating money, all people have to do is kiss someone who goes by the name "Mistletoe Guy."

For a dozen days in December, he goes wherever he can begging to be kissed.

"Some people are a little skittish, they don't want to get too close," said Owen Nitka, "but once they find out we're raising kisses for charity, usually they're happy to oblige us."

For each kiss, Marketing Lab donates $1 to charity. The goal is to collect 100 smooches each day for 12 days. The proceeds will go to the Jeremiah Program, which helps single mothers and children by providing safe affordable housing and help with education.

Jeremiah Project helps 77 families between their Minneapolis and St. Paul campuses. A representative said that they are assisting 81 children.

Marketing Lab has collected kisses for charity for three years now, donating thousands of dollars. While the money does help, if you ask Mistletoe Guy, he says it's more about the connection.

"That donation that we get is nice and important, but the donation is relatively modest compared to the attention and conversation we can bring to the charity," said Nitka.

Pictures are taken of each of Mistletoe Guy's kisses and Marketing Lab posts them on Facebook. For each "like" the pictures get, Marketing Lab donates another dollar.

This year, Mistletoe Guy showed up to a lot of events and at one he tried for a world record for most kisses under the mistletoe.

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