I got my kids (10 and 7) a Wii for Christmas. Extra wiimote and nunchuk. also grabbed Dragonball Z game for Wii. They love it. I have not been big into games the past few years either, but keep finding myself playing Wii Sports. Can't wait to go grab a few other titles, particularly the new Zelda and Call of Duty 3.
It's not the most powerful system and really may not be all that much better then the Gamecube (I don't know the specs), but the control system is simply amazing in how it makes the games "fun" again.