Happy Holidays Bermuda! It's December for heaven's sake already. I have to encourage those who can to buy Bermuda. It's been a tough, rough year on many businesses and the laws of economics do not support buying in Bermuda if one is already planning on travelling. However, when we can, we should buy Bermuda. But at the same time, there is a better, bigger type of joy that one can derive from Christmas and indeed all year round. More on this after the top 20.

Advancing to #1 is

Teenage Dream by Katy Perry. I was talking to some dudes at the gym the other day and to a man we all agreed that Katy Perry is hot!! Jumping to #2 is

Just The Way You Are by Bruno Mars. Still climbing, to #3 is

DJ Got Us Falling In Love by Usher featuring Pitbull. Falling to #4 is

I Like It by Enrique Iglesias featuring Pitbull. What a track. Loads of energy and it makes you want to dance.

And now the hottest artist on the circuit. Improving to #5 is

Only Girl In The World by Rihanna. She is without question a superstar. Up to #6 is

Just A Dream by Nelly. Slipping to #7 it's

Hello, Good Morning by Diddy.

On the way up to #8 is

Bottoms Up by Trey Songz featuring Nicki Minaj. Down to #9 is

Ride by Ciara featuring Ludacris. Tumbling to # 10 is

Deuces, by Chris Brown featuring Tyga and Kevin McCall. Slipping to #11 is

Dynamite by Taio Cruz. Taio Cruz is growing in popularity every day.

Up one spot to #12 is

To Paris with Love by Donna Summer, who is still doing it years later. Up to #13 is

Can't Be Friends by Trey Songz, a former essential new track. Improving to #14 is

Holding You Down by Jazmine Sullivan. Who doesn't like Jazmine Sullivan? She is unique and a truly soulful singer.

Up to #15 is

Dirty Picture by Taio Cruz featuring Ke$ha. Ke$ha's other single

We R Who We R improves to #16. Ke$ha also a hottie. The industry does find the cute ones. Climbing to #17 is

Champaign Life by Neo. This guy writes some beautiful songs. The kind you keep singing. Go Neo! Advancing to #18 is

Like a G6 by Far*East Movement featuring Cataracs & Dev.

Tumbling to #19 it's

I Love The Way You Lie by Eminem featuring Rihanna.

Now this week's essential new track. Entering at #20 it is

Raise Your Glass by Pink.She's still kinda hot and cute and has always produced hits. This one is doing well in pop charts worldwide.

Now back to this week's word buying Bermuda at Christmas. The economist, entrepreneur and sympathiser in me wants to encourage folks to support local businesses to the extent that sensible thinking permits. The believer in me wants to encourage my people (that's all of you, my fellow Bermuda residents) to not spend like crazy this Christmas and focus on the real meaning of the Christmas season. I'm not a politician but I will try to strike a balance.

If you have to buy stuff; go ahead, shop around, get good deals (there are deals to be had in Bermuda if you look around) and support local businesses. It doesn't really make sense to plan a trip to go away just to shop! You do ultimately spend more money, once you add up the airfare, hotel, food, car, gas, duty (and let's be real most of us don't declare everything!) and all the other extra stuff you wouldn't need to purchase if you stayed in Bermuda.

But if you were already planning a trip or have to be away for business, medical or other reasons, take advantage of the opportunity by hitting Walmart, Target, etc. You simply cannot beat the prices and sensible logic supports purchasing in these stores.

Load up and come back with all your Christmas shopping done. But don't go overboard. This leads me to my final comment on the subject and the one I would like for all of us to ponder.

Perhaps we should get away from gift giving and the material side of Christmas for a change. Most people have less disposable income this year anyway; a good reason to cut back. But an even better reason is to allow us to remember that the real meaning of Christmas is to celebrate the birth and life of Jesus Christ; our Saviour, Redeemer, Lord and Friend; who gave his life so that we might have everlasting life! We forget that to our peril.

When we remember the real meaning of Christmas, we realise that the gift giving and shopping is really a cop-out. A better gift to give people is the gift of our time and our talent. A better mission for Christmas is to help out those who are less fortunate than us. A better use of some of that Walmart, Gorham's, Masters or AS Cooper's money is to feed the hungry and house the homeless. Has anyone noticed the increase in homelessness in Bermuda over the past five years?

So this year, instead of having to give gifts to all and sundry; try giving a person the gift of your unhurried, undistracted, uninterrupted time.

Spend a morning with a person wherein you are not talking to someone else on your BlackBerry, BBMing someone, texting someone or distracted in some way. Also spend that time doing something that they need or enjoy. That's a great gift. Do this for as many as possible and tell them that instead of a gift wrapped up in something nice with a bow; the gift you are giving them this year is the gift of your time and talent.

If you have a talent that someone else needs; give it to them for free and let that be your gift to them. For example, one year I tiled the floor of my aunt's kitchen. She bought the tile and I supplied the labour. Saved her hundreds of dollars had she needed to pay a professional tiler to do the job. I can't think of a better gift. She certainly appreciated it and I can tell you that I enjoyed giving her that gift probably more than she enjoyed receiving it. It is better to give than to receive. The joy you get from giving is unspeakable joy. The joy from being more like Christ. So, this Christmas, seek that unspeakable joy that only a cheerful giver can feel. Joy to the world! Joy to Bermuda! Happy holidays and may we all seek to be more like Christ this Christmas. But don't think that you have to wait for Christmas to have this type of joy. You can have it all year round, simply by giving of yourself, your time and your talents. Peace ... DJLT.