*** When we first came up the drive to Government House in the summer of 1992, I thought it looked quite enormous and I wondered whether we would ever make it feel like home. Four and a half years on, it is very much home to us and the thought of packing up and leaving is not a happy one.

Before coming to Bermuda my wife and I had never lived abroad and coming to Bermuda was an adventure and a slightly worrying one at that. How would we get on with people? Would we be condemned to live very much on our own up at Government House in splendid or not so splendid isolation? Well, we need not have worried. Almost from the word go we were put at our ease and experienced at first hand the warmth and friendship of Bermudians.

Our daughter Victoria had come out with us to fill in time before going back to college at the end of September, and on our first Saturday afternoon, she and I left my wife behind to do the unpacking, and set off with my ADC to see St. George's. At Tobacco Bay we were introduced to Jennifer Smith, now Leader of the Opposition, who was holding court outside the Beach Pavilion; and then, before we knew what had hit us, we were guests at a birthday party on the beach. That was our first taste of Bermudian hospitality and we have experienced plenty more since.

It won't be long before we are back in a grey and damp Lancashire. We will be back with old friends and the family, but I know we will miss enormously the very many new friends we will have left behind.

Four or five times a year, the Governor is required to dress up in uniform for formal duties -- on the Queen's Birthday, the opening of Parliament, Armistice Day and for the Peppercorn Ceremony in St. George's. But his duties are not only ceremonial. He has other responsibilities, quite important ones, some of which can involve him in controversy and disagreement with either the Government or Opposition or both. I can, however, say that when there have been differences, they have never stood in the way of friendship.

Since coming to Bermuda, I have been very much on my guard against giving unnecessary advice: but there is one thought I would leave with you. Bermuda is not perfect and it is right that we should strive to make it a better place and do our best to help the less fortunate members of society. At the same time we really should count our blessings. Almost every day we see on our TV screens pictures of misery in Bosnia, and civil war and genocide in Central Africa.

Surely, when we see what is happening in less happy lands, we should be immensely grateful to be living in Bermuda. And we should not be forever harping on about our relatively minor differences but rejoicing in all things we hold in common -- the privilege of living in one of the most beautiful places in the world with the right to determine our own future through the ballot box; the opportunity our children have to attend excellent schools and be taught by immensely dedicated teachers; the spiritual guidance given by our pastors and parsons; the protection afforded by the rule of law and the presence of an efficient Police Service. Yes, we should be grateful indeed for the protection the Police give us, and it is our duty to give them not carping criticism, but active support. They are entitled to expect society as a whole to join in the fight, particularly the fight against those who seek to blight the lives of our children through the peddling of drugs and those who risk the reputation of this Island and the livelihoods of thousands of Bermudians by dreadful and shameful attacks on visitors.

My fervent wish this Christmas is that in the coming year you will all work together to make Bermuda an even better place. When we have left Bermuda, you will never be far from our thoughts. We will look back on our years here with great thankfulness, and on the people of Bermuda with gratitude, love and affection.

THE PREMIER DAVID SAUL *** It gives me great pleasure at this festive time of year to bring greetings to everyone living in Bermuda.

Christmas is a special time of year and most of all it is a time when families come together in love and harmony.

Over the years, historians have remarked that it is strong families that help create a strong society; as the family unit goes, so does the Country itself.

Few will deny that well-ordered families are the true foundation of a country's stability, prosperity and greatness.

The value of the family unit in Bermuda and our respect for family values have unquestionably made a great contribution to the enviable way of life all of us have come to accept and enjoy. Over the years those principles have helped Bermudians build an international reputation for kindness, consideration for others, for treating our visitors as friends, and for sharing with those less fortunate.

However, today some argue that this reputation is being tarnished. Still others feel that it was much easier to put those values into practice when life was far simpler than it is today.

I am much more optimistic. I do not believe that our exposure to a more complicated lifestyle has caused anything near a total collapse of family values in Bermuda. I do accept however, that these values are coming under siege and many families, as a consequence, have drifted away from those basic values and standards of behaviour that have made Bermuda such a special place to live in and visit.

As a result, many children are not having life's golden rules automatically passed on at home as they used to be.

Whereas I know it might be too much to ask that the whole community to accept the responsibility to nurture, protect and guide each and every one of the 15,000 children who live on this Island, a pledge by each of us this Christmas to accept such a challenge would truly be a worthy objective for us all.

Let us start by setting an example in our own homes by pledging to work to strengthen our own family unit and then go on to encourage our friends and colleagues at work to do the same. Such a practice could become infectious.

We can begin by accepting the fact that family togetherness requires a year-round commitment, not just a flash-in-the-pan each Christmas. We must appreciate that material presents alone cannot replace the most precious gift -- yourself, your time, your good example.

At Christmas we are reminded that God sent his only son to earth to be born and raised within a family unit, to be taught by His parents to respect those values that He then passed on to us through the teachings in the Bible. As we celebrate the birth of the Christ child, may we make a collective commitment to raise our children with the same kindness, patience, discipline and love that He taught us.

Only then can we be certain that those values that were the bedrock of our society will be passed on to future generations of Bermudians, thereby ensuring that Bermuda will remain a special place in which to grow up and in which to grow old.

This Christmas I invite you to join with me in making a personal vow to do everything possible to help build well ordered, happy families in Bermuda because such families are surely the springs which will nurture our Country's future greatness.

Wouldn't such a commitment by each of us be a wonderful Christmas present to our fellow men and to future generations! Let me close this message by wishing each and every one of you, on behalf of my wife and myself, a Happy Christmas and a New Year full of love, peace and prosperity.

JENNIFER SMITH Opposition Leader *** In this my first Christmas message as the Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the Bermuda Progressive Labour Party, I wish you all the blessings of the season.

During this time of celebration of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, we must spare a thought for then not-so-fortunate; and pledge to use the fruits of this Christmas spirit to mount a vigorous attack on the social issues that confront us.

We, in Bermuda have so much to be thankful for -- in spite of a year characterised by joblessness, hopelessness, violence, crime and drug abuse.

It is my fervent hope that the special expressions of love, care and concern shown to the less-advantaged during this season will give birth to programmes that will ensure their well-being throughout the coming year.

Enjoy the family gatherings and the good cheer that surrounds this special holiday and may this be a prelude to a new year of promises filled and goals realised.

I believe we must all be ready to face the challenges of the new year with courage and determination; and with the wisdom and integrity to do what is right for all Bermudians.

Let us resolve to make this day a celebration of family, love, joy, peace and goodwill towards all; which continues on through a bright new year.

On behalf of the Parliamentarians, officers and members of the Bermuda Progressive Labour Party, I wish you all a glorious season and a peaceful and prosperous New Year.

CHARLES H. JEFFERS NLP Chairman *** Christmas is a most special time of the year. There's excitement in the air as people hurry from store to store to make their Christmas purchases. The Christmas lights, the smell of the Christmas pine trees, the sounds of beautiful Christmas carols and songs and the giving and receiving of gifts all add to this excitement.

However, to those of us of the Christian faith, the season is most significant for it is during this time that we reflect on and celebrate the birth of Jesus whom we proclaim as the greatest gift of all. Even among our families and friends and many who do not believe as we do, there seems to be a sharing of wishes for peace and joy during this festive time. People seem to be persuaded by the Christmas spirit to remember and share their blessings with those less fortunate than themselves.

We are blessed to be able to live in Bermuda. Never-the-less, there are still a number of serious social, educational, and economic challenges that we face.

But, if we apply the Christmas spirit throughout the year, as we do so well during this special season, I am certain that we will be successful in finding and implementing solutions to many of our present and future challenges. The goodwill to all people that we demonstrate with a great deal of enthusiasm during this one time of the year should become a part of us each and every day of our lives.

On behalf of the National Liberal Party of Bermuda, I wish a blessed and joyous Christmas to all of those in the political arena, the Premier, David Saul and the Government of Bermuda, the Leader of the Official Opposition, Ms Jennifer Smith and her parliamentary colleagues, and to all those who work for the good of Bermuda in the political sense. To the people of Bermuda, residents and visitors alike, it is my hope and prayer that blessings, prosperity, joy, and health will be yours, not only during the Christmas season but throughout the coming year.