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Friend,

There is something comforting about December, about the season of patient waiting. 

Christmas is, after all, the ancient story of hope reborn in a humble manger. The turning of the year at the solstice is an incremental shift that hints at warm summer days ahead.

Our family did not observe Advent growing up and I did not understand it all. The paper doors in Advent calendars with their miniscule chocolates taunted me. I was tempted to open up them all up at once and rob them of their tiny prizes.

These days, I find hope in the waiting itself. Comfort lies in the ability to accept with gratitude the humble gifts of each day. After all, the prize in both these ancient stories is small—an infant, a few more moments of light at the end of the day.

I have come to love the holiday season and its daily rituals, the lighting of candles in community at Hanukkah, Advent, winter solstice, Christmas Eve.

Patience is a good gift as we move through a difficult December. We have a vaccine, which hints a better days ahead. There is a transfer of political power in our near future which offers us hope that we can clear out the authoritarian strains that have infected our democracy. 

I prize the spiritual capacities the season invites us to nurture. This is faith, the ability to place our trust in today’s measure of hope, to appreciate it.

The UUA will be closed for the winter break starting Monday, December 21, and re-opening on Monday, January 4, 2021.

Stewardship and Development staff will be available via email (development@uua.org) and phone (888-792-5885) to assist with year-end giving questions from 9am - 5pm Eastern Time between December 21-23 and December 28-30, and from 9am-4pm Eastern Time on New Year's Eve.

Remember that the last day for making a 2020 donation is next Friday, December 31. We suggest you make year-end gifts online to avoid any mail delays. Thank you!

UUA Volunteers Needed: Apply by Jan. 15

More than 150 volunteers serve across 25 UUA boards, commissions, committees, and panels annually.

We’re actively recruiting to fill openings on the several volunteer bodies—Board of Trustees, Commission on Appraisal, General Assembly Planning Committee and others—to be elected into position at General Assembly in June 2021. Applications of interest are due by January 15, 2021.

Other volunteer roles—such as Audit and Risk, Presidential Search, Retirement Plan, and more—accept applications on a rolling basis. If you’d like to serve, but are unsure of where your skills would be of best use, you can also complete a general interest form. 

Giving Tuesday Results

Thanks to a generous match from the UU Veatch Program at Shelter Rock, Giving Tuesday raised nearly $60,000 in total. 

Giving Tuesday gifts support the UUA's three core mission priorities: equipping congregations for vital ministry; supporting and training lay and professional leaders; and advancing UU values in the world.

Holiday Gift Ideas from Beacon Press 

Save 30% on everything at Beacon.org through Dec. 31 with code HOLIDAY30!

Odetta receives Audiofile Earphones Award

Save the Date: 30 Days of Love, January 17, 2021 - February 15, 2021. Weekly playlights coming soon.

Seasons of Giving is the e-newsletter from the UUA's Stewardship and Development Office. Questions can be directed to Suzanne Murray at development@uua.org or (617) 948-4392.

Check UUA.org and UUWorld.org, as well as UUA regional websites, for the latest updates. You can also follow the UUA on Facebook.