our family. It was dark and stormy (and I am talking of the weather not the drink) and as usual the central heating was on the blink. But we had a fine if frosty time.

If anyone had told me then that a year later I would be sitting here in Government House, giving a Christmas message to the people of Bermuda I would have thought he had taken leave of his senses. But here we are and we are still amazed at our good fortune in being sent here -- to one of the most beautiful places in the world with some of the nicest people. We cannot thank the people of Bermuda enough for their kindness since we arrived. Everyone has bent over backwards to make us feel at home. Some have been so eager to do so that they have even tried to teach us golf and sailing in our declining years.

Christmas is a family time and we are lucky enough to have some of our family with us. And it is a time when people will pack the numerous churches in Bermuda to give thanks to God for his many blessings. One does not have to look far to find them in Bermuda.

Christmas is also a time for remembering those less fortunate than ourselves, particularly those hereabouts who are facing difficulties, and for doing what we can to help them. And then we will be thinking of and praying for those in other parts of the world where there is famine and civil strife. In particular we pray that the international community will be able to bring relief to those suffering in Somalia and the former Yugoslavia.

One of the first things that impressed me about Bermuda was the great number of people involved in charitable activities in helping others. The other thing which has struck me forcibly has been the quality of the young people here. I have seen quite a lot of them. I have gone round schools taking to them, I have given certificates to those who have been taking part in the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme and I have met most of the youth leaders up at Government House while we have sat planning together an event which is going to be held in the garden of Government House in Spring next year. And the young people I meet are bright, fun-loving and caring, mature and articulate too! They are not slow to say what they are up to and what they want out of life. With young people like these Bermuda has nothing to fear for the future.

Lastly, I want to say this. You, all of you, have every right to be proud -- enormously proud of your Country. Your efforts have enabled Bermuda to provide for its people a standard of living which is the envy of others. And your institutions together with your links with the Commonwealth and your ties with Britain provide a firm guarantee of the liberties you treasure. Those ties with Britain I am proud to represent today.

So a Happy Christmas to you all. And may 1993 be a great year for you and for Bermuda. Governor Lord Waddington PREMIER My fellow Bermudians, as we celebrate this Yuletide season, let us be mindful of what it is all about -- the most important event to modern men -- the birth of the Christ Child, a symbol and a commitment given to humanity that it must, and should, care for its fellow men.

So as we celebrate this season in our small island, let us commit ourselves to one another. Let us commit ourselves to the members of our family, our loved ones, those we care for, but more importantly, often those that we have so little contact with but who are so important in our community -- those that need special caring and sharing during this season, particularly at a time like this when there has been so much hardship as a result of this recession.

We have seen the world go through change. We have seen suffering. We have seen pain and agony across the globe. In some ways we have seen it here because we are not used to what we have experienced. Let us hope though, that we have learned and that we are going to be better people for it, so that when we move into 1993, we can take the experience and the wisdom that we have gained and make good use of it. If we have to change, let's change for the better and in the interest of all our people.

I think the lessons learned should be the foundation that will give us truly an opportunity, a unique opportunity, in 1993 to move this Country ahead, to put the recession behind us, to put some of the pain and agony behind us and truly be a beacon in a world of turmoil and conflict; a beacon that can demonstrate that when people come together and work together, when they share and when they love and care for each other, circumstances can be mitigated and progress can be made. The partnership that we have had all year has truly been one that has worked and I'd like to thank you on behalf of my colleagues in Government, my wife and family for the tremendous support in this whole process of serving that has been so important at a time like this. And I'd like to wish all of you a joyous Christmas and a healthy and a Happy New Year.

Premier the Hon. Sir John Swan THE PLP Christmas has arrived and I am pleased to greet you once again.

1992 has been a very different year for us as we try to ride out the devastation of the recession and share the grief of our brothers and sisters around the world who have suffered the pain of natural disasters in the Bahamas and Florida, the pestilence of war and famine in Africa, especially in Somalia and the tragedy of civil war in the former Yugoslavia. Yet despite the gloom and doom, the year has brought some happy moments. For us in the PLP, we were able to formally open our restored headquarters at the Alaska Hall and we now have a thriving community centre there.

The Bermuda World Cup Football Team brought togetherness and joy to all of the residents of Bermuda and lifted our spirits.

We all followed the American elections with interest and were pleased when Bill Clinton won and gave America and the world new hope with his message of change.

We look forward to our elections here in Bermuda in the near future and hope that you will examine our team and give them an opportunity to lead Bermuda into the next century because we know that it is truly our time.

The greatest joy for us is the Christmas season when we celebrate the Birth of Christ in our Bermuda way. I hope that the recession has caused us to place more value on our personal relationship as opposed to materials benefits. As we enjoy the festivities we must remember the true meaning of Christmas and rededicate ourselves to work together as a Country next year to rebuild our society so that it is more caring and compassionate.

On behalf of my family, the Parliamentarians, Officers and Members of the PLP -- I wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous New Year. Frederick L. Wade Opposition Leader THE NLP In this Christmas message I would like to urge all Bermudians and residents to set aside the materialistic values, very often emphasised during this special time of the year, and instead focus on why we celebrate this occasion.

Let us give thinks to God, for the birth of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who has given us hope and the opportunity for eternal life.

The exchanging of gifts is a part of our tradition, but let us not make it the sole highlight. Hopefully our holiday season will be spent sharing friendship and love with family and friends.

As 1993 draws near, I call on all Bermudians to re-evaluate the state in which our Country is in both socially and politically. We are at a crossroads of change, over some of which we have only partial control. Some areas where we have full control and responsibility are labour relations and education reforms. The only way to move forward positively and for the betterment of the country is in unity and compromise.

We all need each other. Management needs labour and labour needs management.

Black and white, male and female can not survive without each other.

As leader of the National Liberal Party it is my hope that we have met the expectations and needs of our community. I hope that members, spokespersons including myself, have been intelligent constructive and wise as we have participated in the leadership of Bermuda.

On behalf of the members and supporters of the NLP, I wish everyone a wonderful and spirit filled Christmas and a prosperous New Year. Mr. Gilbert Darrell Leader, National Liberal Party ANGLICANS How you view life and what happens around you is deeply influenced by your personal make-up and beliefs.

If you are a pessimist you see doom and gloom all around you. The world is in a bad way. There is economic recession, and no way out of it. People are starving as a result of famine, and it's no use trying to help because bandits steal the food and relief supplies. Life is short, and your own abilities are limited, so try to avoid trouble and anxiety. If you try to help people you will only be misunderstood.

If on the other hand you are an optimist you see the bright side of everything. The clouds may be threatening, but it's not raining yet. The economy may be in a bad way, but somehow everything will turn out fine in the end. Keep smiling, and everybody will love you. Don't worry -- bad things can't go on forever.

Most people fall somewhere between these two extremes. They experience moments of great joy and elation as well as times of deep gloom and depression. Most of us learn that it is good to be thoroughly realistic about people and about the world we live in. We are pleasantly surprised by the good things, and we cope with the bad.

The Christian takes both a positive and a realistic view.

We believe that his world in which we live is God's world. He made it, and He sustains it. He has a good plan for it and for us. He sent His Son Jesus into the world as a human being like us to show us how to live and to show us Himself at work among us.

Ordinary people loved Jesus, and could see God working through Him, but the religious authorities didn't. They put Him to death, to get rid of Him. But three days later he was gloriously raised to life. Sin and death could not overcome Him. He was -- and is -- alive! And He offers to us His followers that same power for our daily living which raised Him from the dead.

No wonder Christians take a positive and realistic view of this world! And we look ahead to life with Jesus for eternity.

As we celebrate Christmas we think with joy and gratitude of the birth of Jesus in a cattle shed; of God coming among us in a way we could see and understand; and of God with us now.

May His peace and joy fill your heats.

A very happy Christmas to you all. William Bishop of Bermuda CATHOLICS As we celebrate the coming of Christ into our midst as an infant on that joyful night many years ago, we must remind ourselves of the purpose of his coming.

About the year 1140, St. Bernard wrote: "There are three distinct comings of Christ: His coming to us, his coming into us, and his coming against us.'' Modern theologians express the same concept when they say, "The Lord comes in history in grace and at the end of time.'' In the early Church there was such heavy emphasis on Jesus' final coming at the end of time, as our judge, his coming "against'' us, that Paul had to assure the people of Thessaly that the time was not necessarily near, and that they could spend their time more profitably than just sitting around waiting.

At Christmastime our emphasis is on the first of Jesus' comings: his birth at Bethlehem, his coming "to'' us. We welcome the fulfillment of the promise God made through the prophets: "A child is born for us, a son is given us, and he shall be called Mighty-God, Prince of Peace.'' Yet scripture grants little space to this mystery: in fact, Mark and John omit it entirely. In the gospels the emphasis is on Jesus as teacher, as healer, as saviour -- his coming "into'' us, and, by his grace, changing our lives entirely. If we are open to this coming, if we heed and follow his teachings, then we need not fear his final coming as judge, and an truly celebrate his first coming as a child.

May the peace and joy of Christ come into your hearts and remain with you forever! Bishop Hennessy Bishop of Hamilton MINISTERIAL ASSOCIATION It seems like yesterday when the rush to get one of those, oh so scarce, Christmas trees was on. Yet, here we are again.

The past year has been filled with bleak messages of recession, cut-backs, layoffs, redundancies and hard times. As we approach the last days of shopping, words of economic despair continue. Shoppers talk of cutting back this year. Retailers discuss the impact of soft sales. These messages fill the air at this festive season.

As I sit to write this brief Christmas message, I wonder, "What should I say?'' What words will have meaning in these times? I ask myself why many seem so disheartened. Is it that they cannot afford to give as they would like; or is it more a concern that they will not receive as they would like? For some, and I pray for all, it is the former and so it should be.

The message of the first Christmas, according to John the apostle, is, "God so loved the world that he gave ...' Giving is the true meaning of Christmas.

We can still celebrate the true meaning of Christmas without spending next month's salary.

Let me briefly suggest a few ways to give without spending money. First, you can give time to your family. How much a little extra quality time will mean to your children, your spouse and your parents! Secondly, you can give love, unconditional love. Lastly, you can give encouragement by magnifying accomplishments and paying a little less attention to failures.

My prayer is that each one will have a blessed Christmas and joyous new year.

Rev. Harlyn Purdy President, Bermuda Christian Ministerial Association.