I notice that as I grow older, Christmas makes me more nostalgic. Recently I was reflecting on my experience as a child receiving Christmas gifts from family members, especially my aunts and uncles. I remember my mother hovering over me and reminding me constantly to say 'Thank You'. In my excitement I tended to focus on the gift and take the giver of the gift for granted. I wonder how many mothers will be reminding their children to say 'Thank You' this Christmas?

As a result of this reflection, I thought it would be appropriate in this Christmas message to thank all gift-givers and not to take them for granted, more specifically, to express thanks to the people who give the gift of themselves for the common good by way of public service.

I would like to suggest that in this year of the 400th Anniversary of our Country we can be grateful to Her Majesty, the Queen, for honouring us with her visit. And we can extend that gratitude to the many people who facilitated the numerous celebrations of the Anniversary. These celebrations were a blessing and a joy for all of us.

In this holy season, I think it is fitting that we express appreciation to our Governor, Sir Richard Gozney; our Premier, Dr. Ewart Brown; all the Honorable Cabinet Ministers and Members of Parliament and the Judiciary for their public service to our Country.

Christmas thanks also go out to all Civil Servants: the Police Service, the Fire Service, the Bermuda Regiment as well as the directors and staff of all our Government Offices.

Certainly, the list could go on and on, but I think it is fitting to conclude with an expression of special thanks and appreciation to all teachers in both the public and private schools of Bermuda who give the gift of themselves and their teaching to our children in very trying times.

At Christmas it is good to remember that we are all beneficiaries of many kind and generous people. We are all gifted and it is good to appreciate the givers of gifts.

As members of the Catholic Church and of all the Christian Faith Communities in Bermuda, Christmas reminds us not to take the Giver of all good gifts for granted. At Christmas we celebrate our belief that God sent his Son, Jesus, into the world to save us from the power of evil and gifted us with the promise and hope of everlasting life. We believe that the Child born in Bethlehem is God's promised Savior. We celebrate that gift at Christmas and we sing: Deo Gratias, to God be all glory and thanks!

In the Christmas spirit of love and gratitude, we extend a prayer for God's blessing on all the people of Bermuda, people of all faiths and people of no particular faith. At this time we can be grateful for the gift of our common humanity and our capacity to work together, in mutual love and respect, for a better Bermuda. My hope is that we will be able to do this even more effectively in the New Year of 2010.

God bless Bermuda and a Merry Christmas to all!