For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6 (KJV)

Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year, as we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. It is the day that holds all time together; it is a time when we express our love and concerns most generously to one another, especially to those persons who are less fortunate than ourselves. It is the tenderness for the past, courage for the present and hope for the future. It is a fervent wish that every cup may overflow with blessings rich and eternal, and that every path may lead to peace.

Mankind is a great, an immense family; this is proven by what we feel in our hearts at Christmas. I wish we could collectively put up some of the Christmas spirit in jars and open a jar of it every month. I sometimes think we expect too much of Christmas Day. Sometimes we try to crowd into it the long arrears of kindnesses and humanity of the whole year. As for me and many others, we like to take our Christmas a little at a time, all through the year, and thus drift along into the holidays.

Christmas is not so much about opening our presents, as it is about opening our hearts. And, so, Christmas comes to bless us, comes to teach us how to find the joy of giving happiness, and the joy of being kind. In the old days, it was not called the holiday season; the Christians called it “Christmas” and went to church; the Jews called it “Hanukkah “and went to the synagogue. People passing each other on the street would say “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Hanukkah”.

For us Christians, the night that Jesus was born was a holy night, and we acknowledge that Jesus is the reason for the season, and he is our hope and the centre of our joy. May you have the gladness of Christmas which is hope; the spirit of Christmas which is peace and the heart of Christmas which is love! Wouldn’t life be worth living, wouldn’t dreams be coming true, if we kept the Christmas spirit the whole year through. I encourage you to give what is left of the rest of your life in service to wonderful, counsellor, the mighty God, The everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace — Jesus Christ our Lord.

We wish for Bermuda a merry Christmas and a happy, healthy and prosperous new year.