Of the many factors that make small town living the most enjoyable, there is one that seemingly brings our community together more than any other: service!
In Panguitch we are very blessed to be surrounded by individuals, families, clergy and community leaders who are eager to serve others. To accompany the special connections that are already shared within our community, service brings joy, unity and love to those on both the giving and the receiving ends. Though service can be done at any point in the year, Christmastime is the perfect opportunity to reap the countless benefits of serving others.
During this holiday season, opportunities to serve are limitless! Big or small, take the time to reach out, share your light, show your love and serve others. A list provided by familylife.com gives us 10 different ways to use our light in order to brighten someone else’s holiday season this year.
- Deliver cookies to the employees at a fire station, police station or hospital on Christmas Day.
- Choose a child’s name off of a giving tree and pick out the gift together as a family.
- Pool together some money to buy a tank of gas for a friend or relative who can’t afford to go home for Christmas.
- Recruit several families and adopt a nursing home. Buy a simple gift for each resident (lotion, slippers, holiday throw blankets, etc.) and arrange a time to deliver the gifts.
- Send Christmas cards to military personnel overseas.
- Prepare a meal together as a family and take it to a sick or elderly friend.
- Deliver baked goods to your neighbors.
- Leave a Christmas card (and perhaps a little treat) in your mailbox (or on your porch) for the mail carrier.
- Go caroling at a nursing home.
- Volunteer to read a Christmas book aloud to your child’s class or to help with a class Christmas party. If possible, choose a book about the real meaning of Christmas.
We can also gain insight about service from church leaders. Each year, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints holds the First Presidency’s Christmas Devotional. This year, the insightful messages of each speaker shed light on this subject in particular. Elder Jose A. Teixeira emphasized the importance of service with the following: “When we keep the spirit of Christmas, we keep the Spirit of Christ. May we, this season, focus on Jesus Christ, the Light of the World, and may we let our own light shine this season by sharing with others our love, our compassion and our service.”
This season, seek out those who may need a helping hand, a hug, a phone call or even just the extra love and kindness you may offer. However, when the season has finished, it doesn’t mean we need to!
With 2023 right around the corner, make it a resolution to find ways that you can continue to serve. By taking advantage of service opportunities, you allow yourself to bring more joy into your own life while also expanding the joy of those you serve.
– by Hailee Eyre (18) Cedar City/Panguitch
Feature image caption: One great way to serve your neighbor at Christmastime is to make cookies and deliver them to a hospital, fire station or police station. Courtesy Jill Wellington.
Hailee Eyre – Panguitch
Hailee Eyre is a journalist at The Byway. She attended Southern Utah University in the fall and is pursuing a career in the medical field. Her favorite topics to write about are those that intend to inspire others, providing motivation as means to better yourself or the world around you. In her free time, Hailee loves to be outdoors, whether it be hunting, fishing, boating or hiking.
Hailee is currently serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Pennsylvania and New York Church History Sites Mission.