Christmas services: The Portsmouth United Methodist Church will begin its Christmas services at 5:30 p.m. Dec. 24 with a family service. Included will be a reading of the Christmas Story, singing hymns and the children will participate in building the manger. At 7:30 p.m., there will be a family candlelight service with music by the Chancel Choir. At 10:30 p.m., a family communion service with special music, candlelight and communion will be held.

The church his located at 2732 East Main Rd. Call (401) 683-4005 for information.

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Lessons in giving: Students in pre-kindergarten through grade eight at St. Philomena School help the needy every year during the Christmas season. Each grade has a special project and, while the very young pupils get help from Mom and Dad, the older students are asked to purchase the requested items with their own money that they have earned doing chores, babysitting or at other tasks.

This year pre-k is helping a local family, who recently lost their father, with donations of gift cards so the mother may purchase what her children need and want. Kindergarten classes are giving new books to Books are Wings to be distributed to needy Rhode Island families. Grade one is putting together Hospice Comfort Baskets with tea and cookies, toiletries and other items for Hospice workers and families of patients. Grade two is gathering diapers, wipes, t-shirts, baby shampoo and more for two local families with babies.

Residents of the Grand Islander Nursing Home will receive holiday candy and nut cups filled by St. Philomena third grade students. In addition, they will be helping fourth graders collect gift certificates, toys and clothes for children, teens and adults which will be distributed by My Brother’s Keeper, an organization located in Easton, Massachusetts.

Fifth grade students have put together personal hygiene kits for the St. Vincent de Paul Society to be distributed at St. Joseph’s Church Soup Kitchen in Newport. Paxton McLane was so moved to help that he e-mailed his neighbors and asked if they would make donations of toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap, deodorant, shampoo and other items for the kits. He then went around his Touisset neighborhood in Warren to collect a generous amount of toiletries from the residents. He filled over 30 bags, each with almost a dozen different items.

Amos House in Providence will receive hats, gloves, scarves, socks and toiletries for the homeless from sixth graders. The seventh grade has adopted families through the Women’s Resource Centers in Newport and Warren while eighth grade students will provide DCYF with gifts for teens. Not to be left out, the St. Philomena School faculty and staff, through Newport Child & Family Services, are fulfilling requests for specific gifts from a couple of local families.