Christmas is an ideal time to express love and good wishes. It is a season of hope and joy, a time to give thanks for the blessing of Christ’s birth and for the blessings that surround us every day of the year.{{more}}

We have much to be thankful for in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and we continue to have a responsibility to help those in need during this season of giving. Jesus calls us to help others, and acts of kindness toward those less fortunate fulfill the spirit of the Christmas season.

The birth of the Son of God is one of the greatest events in history. Each Christmas, we celebrate that first coming anew, and we rejoice in the knowledge that Jesus Christ who came to Earth that night in Bethlehem is with us and will remain with us forever.

As families and friends gather to celebrate Christmas, we remember all the blessings that fill our lives, beginning with the greatest blessing that came on a holy night in Bethlehem. This holiday season, as we share in the spirit of giving and enjoying familiar Christmas traditions, we must give thanks for the wonder of God’s love which invites us to rededicate ourselves to helping those in need.

Why should we have joy? We have this joy because the Christ of Christmas has been good to us individually and collectively. In the midst of the impacting global economic challenges and downturns in the international economy, God has enabled us as a people to stand resolutely.

God has once again spared us from the potential ravages of hurricanes and other disasters. He has provided the opportunities for sound investment in our economic development. He has blessed us with abundant showers of rain during the year, and we are all grateful. Our farmers are counting their blessings. Our tourist arrivals have been holding steady, and the prospects in 2009 appear to be very encouraging. St. Vincent and the Grenadines as a nation and Vincentians as a people have a lot to thank God for. This is cause for joy; therefore, I invite us to share our joys this season.

The year 2008 has brought the usual mixture of successes and disappointments, joys and sorrows. Some families experienced tragedy while others celebrated the birth of a child.

It will be a challenging year for us in 2009, but the God of Jacob and Abraham will be with us. Therefore, I am confident that with God’s grace and guidance and with the support of all our social partners that our dreams would be realised. We must be our nation’s keeper.

I encourage all fellow Vincentians to join each other as we strive to build a society where each individual can reach his or her truest potential and live to uplift one’s dignity and prosperity.

It is my prayer that the love of God and His power will envelop us throughout 2009, so that lives may be changed to bring hope to our troubled world. May hatred be replaced by love, may our failures be turned to successes and may our fears be lifted.

On a lighter note, wherever the capitalist sees a means of exploiting a situation for profit, I guess that they will always have a slice of the cake, even the Christmas cake. Shopping for gifts for your loved ones will always play an important role in shaping the way we express ourselves during the Season. Some call it the over- commercialization of the Season, others say it is just Christmas, and that is the way we know it.

Notwithstanding your view, careful and prudent spending must at all times be advocated during this Season. Many have over- spent in the past and ended up on the wrong side of the debt collector for the New Year. Oh what a way to spend a January, being not able to meet your bills! The advice is to spend sensibly.

The message of the Christmas tree, it is said, is that life is always green if you give, not only with material things, but with blessings obtained through friendship and sincere affection, through help and forgiveness, by spending time together and listening to each other.

A Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year to all!

Saboto Caesar is a Lawyer and Unity Labour Party Senator.