hristmas seems to have come early this year. No sooner had most of the blue tarps disappeared from Bermuda's rooftops than the multicoloured Christmas lights were strung over Hamilton's city streets. There's no doubt that Hurricane Fabian interrupted the rhythm of our personal lives and our calendar year. And although the holiday season has now arrived like a party guest showing up 20 minutes early, it does provide a welcome opportunity to reflect on what's really important in our lives, our community and the world.

We should focus on what we have, rather than what we have lost. As we come together for traditional family gatherings, Christmas celebrations and church services, we can direct our attention to our friends and loved ones and reaffirm those precious connections.

We can give generously to those in need of assistance and a helping hand. The sharing, the giving, the caring ? these things don't change. They carry us forward through whatever the world ? or Mother Nature ? sends our way.

In fact, Hurricane Fabian and Christmas couldn't be more different in their impact on our lives, but, in their own separate ways, they deliver strong messages of hope and possibility. The real story of Fabian, after all, was not the hurricane itself but how we responded to it. The men and women serving on the front lines during the storm's aftermath have received well-deserved praise for their extraordinary effort. Just as important to the story are the ordinary citizens who voluntarily pitched in with the cleanup and shared their homes with their families, friends and neighbours.

Hurricane Fabian reinforced the power of possibility and hope in our lives by confirming that Bermudians can achieve remarkable success when we work together as a community for the common good. When confronted with adversity, the people of Bermuda-men and women, young and old, black and white-worked unselfishly and side-by-side to help each other and move ahead.

For Christians, the story of Christmas also includes a powerful message about possibility and hope. At the heart of the bible story about Jesus' birth is the fact that, in the most unlikely of circumstances, God became man in order that man might be saved. This is the simple message that infuses the Christmas season and captures the heart.

As we celebrate the holiday season in Bermuda, we should take the time to reflect upon the message of hope and possibility inherent in our diverse community. Our Bermudian Christmas traditions embrace everything from cassava pie to Portuguese sweet bread to plum pudding, and these multicultural customs serve to enrich our enjoyment of the holiday season. How much more interesting our lives become when we embrace our differences and use them to create an inclusive definition of what it means to be Bermudian.

We can use our individual strengths to make a collective difference in our community, to do a better job for our seniors, our young people and those less fortunate than ourselves. The strength that comes from unity provides us with powerful possibilities and gives us the hope we need to move forward.

On behalf of my colleagues in the United Bermuda Party and my family, I extend our best wishes to each and every one of you for a happy and safe holiday season and a prosperous and healthy New Year.