An alternative gift-giving fair that aims to embody the true spirit of the holiday season is again offering some ideas of a different kind to Livingston County residents.

The 13th annual Care and Share Fair event is coming back to the Community Unitarian Universalists in Brighton (CUUB) church on December 8th. Following a special service tailored to what the Unitarian Universalists believe at noon, Care and Share attendees will have the chance to do some fair trade merchandise shopping with Ten Thousand Villages. Thousand Villages is a nonprofit that markets handcrafted products that are made by disadvantaged artists.

Reverend Julie Brock said that rather than going out to big box stores, there will be handcrafted items for people looking to make a more economically and ecologically sustainable choice in their holiday shopping. Brock said the Fair will also be attended by, and benefiting the Sierra Club and Severe Weather Network. Brock said this is gives shoppers an option to make a gift in the form of a donation in someone’s name to provide love, care, and comfort for someone in need during the holiday season.

This year, the Fair will also feature the Empty Bowls program. Potters will use the CUUB’s pottery studio and make bowls that will be filled with soup donated from local businesses. Then afterwards, people can take home their bowl. Brock invites everyone out to come and share a bowl of soup with someone you don’t know and help support people who might not have as much as they need to make the holidays as special as they would like.

The CUUB is located at 3333 South Old US-23, in Brighton. (Photo- CUUB Facebook) (MK)