Those meandering downtown with visions of sugarplums might also get a glimpse of the true meaning of Christmas – and it comes with free hot cocoa.

An easy-to-find, bedecked tour truck will be the centerpiece of “The True Meaning of Christmas Tour” festivities from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Dec. 3 at AT&T Performing Arts Center on the northwest corner of Flora and Jack Evans streets.

The truck is hitting the road in 16 states this year as The United Methodist Church visits 21 cities to unwrap the true meaning of Christmas. First United Methodist Church of Dallas (FUMC), St. Paul UMC and Christ’s Foundry UMC will host the come-and-go event. The whole community is invited.

Giving back to the community is part of the package. There will be a collection of socks and gloves for Dallas Bethlehem Center as well as snacks or paper goods for the Wesley-Rankin Community Center to benefit children and families in need. Financial donations can also be made through FUMC’s FirstGifts Christmas Market that supports ministries and non-profit agencies.

“We want to offer our community a different type of gift: an opportunity to celebrate what Christmas is all about by engaging in service with neighbors, boosting joy and building relationships with others,” said the Rev. Holly Bandel with FUMC of Dallas. “We are also extending an invitation to attend a place of worship or become part of a faith community.”

A survey conducted by Pew Research Center in 2013 indicated that the activities that people least liked at Christmas time are the commercialism/materialism, money/expense, and shopping/crowds. What they most look forward to is spending time with family and friends (69%) and religious reflection/church (11%).

“This tour is a unique way for the church to reach out to people who are experiencing loneliness or who want to give back to the community at this significant time of year,” said Dan Krause, chief executive of United Methodist Communications, which is coordinating the month-long expedition. “More than 500 volunteers from local United Methodist churches are partnering with us to make this a multi-state effort.”

The True Meaning of Christmas tour will stop in 21 cities, Dec. 2 through Dec. 24. Follow the tour online at UnwrapChristmas.org and #UnwrapChristmas.

The search for DFW’S best young mathematicians has kicked off and Explore Horizons is once again looking for the best math students in North Texas.

The tutoring and enrichment center with locations throughout the DFW Metroplex kicks off its annual Young Mathematicians’ Award in early October. The competition, in its fourth year, is designed in conjunction with the NRICH Project at the University of Cambridge with the goal of stretching the mathematical minds of the young and gifted and uncovering the math stars of tomorrow. 

“The response to this competition continues to grow every year, it’s always a pleasure to see the ingenious ways the children are able to find solutions to the problems we give them,” said Belinda Southgate, Head of U.S. Marketing for Explore Horizons.  “Math is a fundamental part of everyday life. Our goal is to encourage gifted and talented young students to learn those problem-solving skills that they will use in school as well as in their future careers.”

In October, participating schools from around the Metroplex will select four top mathematicians from grades 4-6 to compete in a regional competition that will take place in mid-November. The winning team from each region will then advance to the finals in early December.

Last year 19 schools participated in the competition with the top five making it to the Grand Final. The final teams attended West Birdville Elementary, Richardson Classical Academy, Bedford Heights Elementary, Harrison Lane Elementary and Lakewood Elementary. The team from Lakewood Elementary were awarded the title of Best Young Mathematicians in DFW.

Explore Horizons is still accepting schools into the 2017 competition as well as any home school teams.

For more information, visit https://www.explore-horizons.com/schools/young-mathematicians-awards/