After the cruel months of the last year we all need some fun and relaxation at Christmas. I love the Carol services and the Christmas markets, the well decorated shops and the chance to buy presents for friends and family. I like cooking the Christams turkey – and taking a day or two off afterwards to recover. The colours, sights, sounds and smells of Christmas can still be magical if you let them. They can be wonderful long after your first enthusiasm at their novelty has passed with the passing of your own childhood.

Many of you have had a difficult twelve months. Businesses have strained to find customers, shops have been emptier than they wish, some have lost their jobs as the recession has bit. Our soldiers have faced a tough fight in Helmand and all too many have lost their lives or limbs. Christmas time is a time to say thank you to all those, in both the public and private sectors, who work hard to keep our essential services going. We thank those who supply our daily bread and water, who care for the sick and educate the young. We pay a special tribute to those who risked their lives or acted well beyond the simple call of duty.

The end of the year is also a time to take especial care of those who are elderly, frail, or lonely. The best Christmas present can often be some company or a kindly act. The Christmas holiday may just give busy people that extra time to stop and help, to spend time with a neighbour or provide some joy in the life of a lonely relative.

I hope all of you find comfort and entertainment by your hearth, around your festive table and with those who are closest to you. May the bells ring merrily, the glasses be charged, the plates brimming with piping hot food and the jokes and games flow. It’s time to bring some simple joy into our days. It’s time to let the children and grandchildren have fun. It’s time to remember some of those childhood pleasures for ourselves. A well lit tree, a well decorated house, a well furnished Christmas table can cheer us all up, especially if we can share it with others.