Trent Bates/UVU Review

I’m kind of a Scrooge when it comes to Christmas. I’m not a big fan of decorations or snow, and I despise Christmas music. Even worse than the freezing temperatures and tacky, overplayed tunes is the shopping.

I can barely bring myself to face the lines at Walmart to shop for groceries. You can only imagine the feeling I get when attempting to find some inane gift for a close friend or family member that is at once thoughtful, within my price range and not something they already have. It’s akin to holly, jolly Chinese water torture.

Last year, however, I found a solution to help beat the hyper-consumerist attitude that so often overcomes us during this time of year.

When asked by friends and family what I wanted for Christmas, I told them to look for someone in need, and then to help them. It changed my Christmas. Rather than getting a handful of unnecessary gifts, a friend bought gloves for a homeless man, and my brother arranged for us to deliver presents to a struggling family with two kids dressed as Santa and his elf.

Christmas doesn’t have to be full of commercialism. It can and should be full of opportunities for us to lift and love others. It is a great time to serve those in need, and give friendship and love to those who are lonely and suffering.

Maybe this year, the right gifts aren’t going to be a Wii or an iPhone. Maybe you can give the gift of helping someone else in the name of those you care about most.

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1,200 volunteers assembled beneath BYU’s LaVell Edwards Stadium early Sept. 10 for a pancake breakfast to kick off United Way’s Day of Caring. Pancake flippers included many local leaders such as LaVell Edwards, Provo and Lindon Mayors Lewis K. Billings and Jim Dain, County Commissioners, BYU President Cecil O. Samuelson and UVU President Matthew Holland.

After breakfast, volunteer teams drove to their assigned non-profit service locations throughout Utah County. Service included painting, landscaping, cleaning and minor repairs of area homes. UVU faculty and staff were assigned a Provo home in which they assisted an elderly resident with her landscaping by weeding and pruning. “UVU is happy to provide this service to the community,” said Mike Moon, program coordinator for Volunteer & Service-Learning at UVU. “As part of our mission, we are an engaged campus. The fact that so many faculty and staff members are willing to give part of their day to this Day of Caring gives manifest to our commitment to that mission.

Volunteers consisted mainly of employees from local companies whose employers encourage involvement in the Day of Caring annually. The Home Depot, Intermountain Healthcare, Lowe’s, UVU and BYU staff, Nordstrom, Novell, Nu Skin and Omniture were just a few of the companies represented.   Noting the increase in volunteers, Bill Hulterstrom, President and CEO at United Way, said, “I don’t think it’s a coincidence that when things are tough in the community, more people volunteer than ever before.” Volunteering is up 25 percent from last year.For a list of local volunteer opportunities with United Way of Utah, visit www.unitedwayucv.org/volunteer

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