The decorating of the green – as in Christmas tree – has long been a holiday tradition for many families. This year, however, a few FAO Schwarz shoppers may add the dispensing of the green – as in money – to their list of cherished activities.

What FAO Schwarz describes as a "personal ATM" appears on page 159 of the company's "Ultimate Toy Catalog," which was launched at a press conference last week.

Triton distributor Access to Money, which has made a habit of deploying ATMs at high-profile locations such as at the Woodstock '99 music festival and at Giants Stadium, will outfit a Triton 9600 with a customized topper and install it at the location of a holiday shopper's choice – perhaps under the family tree.

On page 159 of FAO Schwarz's annual Ultimate Toy Catalog is a Triton 9600. Triton distributor Access to Money will customize the machine to order and install it under the family tree.

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Access to Money will also provide 10 ATM cards, which can be used to distribute either real or play money. If a customer wants to use real cash, Whippany, N.J.-based Access To Money will provide processing and support services for any location in the continental U.S. or Hawaii.

The FAO Schwarz deal originated not with a high-powered negotiation in a corporate boardroom but with an offhand comment made at a party. Charlie Samons, Access to Money's vice president of sales and marketing, was a guest at an event hosted by his sister, who is a manufacturer's representative for a company that sells toys to FAO Schwarz and other retailers.

"One of my sister's friends was saying we ought to call (upscale purveyor of quirky gift items) Hammacher Schlemmer to see if we could sell ATMs as a novelty gift," Samons said. "A bell went off, and my sister made a beeline to her CEO. He loved the idea, and the rest is history."

According to FAO Schwarz spokesman Bob Friedland, the company will distribute six million copies of the catalog through its retail outlets, direct mail and to those who request copies via the Internet.

First produced in 1876, the annual holiday catalog has earned a reputation for featuring unusual, high-ticket gifts for kids – much like Neiman Marcus does for adults. Items featured this year in addition to the ATM include a miniature Mercedes 500SL sedan, an African safari travel package and a life-size stuffed horse.

Priced at $20,000, the Triton costs $8,000 more than the Mercedes and $10,000 less than the safari.

Despite the depressed economy, Samons said Access to Money expects to make a few sales. "With everything that's happened so far this year, I think people will really want to go overboard with Christmas," he said.

The ATM is being featured as a gift for the whole family, Friedland said. "For the most part, we expect it to be used as a way for parents to distribute money to their children for allowances, gifts and other occasions."

Samons has other ideas. "I can see somebody like Hugh Hefner (who is, after all, a father several times over) getting this for the game room," he said. "Maybe he could use it to distribute Bunny dollars."