Barry Manilow is a giver. And this month, a slew of local charities are going to reap big benefits from his generosity. They’re going to have a very merry Christmas. Or should that be a very ‘Barry’ Christmas? Either way, Manilow’s got a philanthropic plan for the holidays that’s a definite win-win for the desert community.

The pop music icon and Coachella Valley resident, together with the Manilow Fund for Health and Hope, recently presented “A Gift of Love…,” a five-night holiday concert series at the McCallum Theatre in Palm Desert. The series kicked off on December 4, and continued December 5, 7, 8 and 9, and focused on 25 desert charities—each night benefiting five selected non-profits.

Manilow performed his popular hits in addition to special holiday songs featured on his new Christmas album, In the Swing of Christmas, released this past fall, as well as from earlier holiday collections, Because It’s Christmas and A Christmas Gift of Love.

Although he’s quite proud (and rightfully so) of all three holiday albums, Manilow says he’s thrilled about his most recent release. “This one’s got a jazzy influence,” he explains during a recent interview, sitting on the McCallum stage a few weeks before his show. “It’s different. I tried some new things, and I’m really excited about it.”

There’s definitely some warm and fuzzy synergy when you think ‘Barry Manilow’ and ‘the holidays.’ So it’s not surprising that Manilow says he’s particularly fond of ‘the most wonderful time of the year.’ The man loves him some Christmas!

“It’s a time when people don’t scream at each other for at least a couple of days,” he says jokingly. Then, in a more serious timbre, Manilow identifies the positive qualities of the holiday as a time for giving, a time for joy, a time for love, and a time for celebration.

It’s a music-filled holiday, he observes, then adds with a big grin, “And I’m really good at it! Maybe it’s because I just really love this time of the year.”

In addition to the holiday concert series and recently released Christmas album, Manilow just performed his first ever solo concert at the Hollywood Bowl in October. And for all you hopeless (and hopeful) romantics out there, the man who writes the songs that make the whole world sing will be releasing an epic album, The Greatest Love Songs of All Time, in January 2010, a perfect musical accessory come Valentine’s Day.

For his performance at the McCallum, Manilow took great care in choosing the 25 organizations that would benefit from this magnanimous offering of time and talent. “We tried to cover everything, from Desert Paws to the Stroke [Recovery] Center,” he says.

But this is not the first time Manilow has thrown his gilded hat into the philanthropic ring. His devotion to charitable endeavors is legendary, even though much of it is given discreetly without much much fanfare. When asked why he’s so driven to give back to the community, Manilow laughs and says, “Jewish guilt.”

Non-profits are really struggling because of the economy, he adds after a moment. “Not only are people not buying things, they’re not donated to charities,” he says. “And they’re really hurting. I’m hoping that by giving something to 25 charities, it will help.” Manilow is quick to point out that “A Gift of Love...” is only a drop in the proverbial bucket when it comes to organizations in need, and praised others in the valley willing to take out their checkbooks.

One of the causes near and dear to his heart, Manilow admits, is Guide Dogs of the Desert. He recalls how moved he was when he visited the organization during a graduation ceremony where puppies who had been living with foster families for the first year of their lives were given back to Guide Dogs to begin their training. “It’s so emotional!” he says emphatically.

AIDS is another area in which Manilow’s fierce passion to make the world a better place is clearly evident. After all, he says, he lived it.

“I was there from the beginning,” he remembers. “A lot of young people weren’t there at the beginning of it. I was there in the ’70s when suddenly this very strange thing started happening to friends of mine. Even though I was on the road most of the time, I was very much aware of it. By 10 years into it I had lost half my phone book. All these people that I had worked with and that I knew were gone, and at a relatively young age. I had never thought that I would be that close to death; it was shocking ... So whenever anybody asks me to do something for this disease, I’m there.”

But it’s not just the AIDS community that has benefited from Manilow’s quiet generosity. In 2008, he donated over $500,000 in musical instruments to schools in the Coachella Valley as part of the Manilow Music Project, which was created under the umbrella of his larger non-profit Manilow Health and Hope Fund in response to the needs of local schools and their depleted music programs.

“I don’t know what I would’ve become without music in my schools,” he says of growing up in Brooklyn. “If I didn’t have music classes, I don’t know what I would’ve done. I was pretty average in my studies; didn’t have that many friends ... then I found band classes. I found where I wanted to be, but also I became a better student. And I know that whether or not these kids are going to become famous musicians, it makes them better people; makes them better students. It helped me become the person I am today.”