Christmas is the season of giving, and it is time to give credit to a few people and organisations who have achieved good things in recent months.

Tourism Minister David Allen receives a good deal of criticism, some of it justified, for his management of his Ministry and the state of the industry.

But the Minister and his civil servants deserve praise for putting on the second annual tourism symposium last month, which received praise from virtually all who attended. The symposium, which brought in top speakers from home and abroad, was thought provoking and innovative, and should contribute to helping tourism to recover.

The cliche that giant oaks grow from tiny acorns is entirely apt when applied to the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute's Christmas Boat Parade. This parade, put on entirely by volunteers, has become a fixture on the Christmas calendar and is one of the biggest spectator events of the year.

It shows what can be done when a good idea is combined with enthusiasm. Long may it continue.

Young Bermudians find themselves being criticised fairly frequently. But John Barry Nusum, who has been named an all American for soccer for the third year, shows what can be achieved when talent is combined with hard work. The fact that he plans to finish his degree at Furman University before pursuing his professional career is all the more to his credit.