 Dear residents of Castries Central, I bring you warm Christmas greetings in this holy season. We have reason to be joyful as we welcome Christ Himself into our hearts and our homes. I say we have reason to be joyful and indeed it is so in spite of the many challenges we may face at this time of year. Jesus' birth in a stable reminds us that God always allows what is best for us even though we sometimes do not understand it. Jesus' birth gives us the hope that despite our own poverty in many respects that His glory is yet to be revealed in our lives. It is with this hope that I invite you to thank and praise God with me for our many achievements in Castries Central this year. We launched the Synergy Project which focuses on personal development, training and employment. This is a historic project for Castries Central and for St. Lucia and I thank you for your overwhelming participation in our programs. Your interest, commitment and performance gives me great hope for our success in the future. I hope that together we will tackle the social problems, in particular the crime and violence on our streets. Please pause with me to remember the families and victims of those who have died from violence this year. Let us keep those who are in mourning and sorrow this Christmas in our thoughts and our prayers. As your Member of Parliament, I am very concerned about the poor state of housing which so many families have been enduring. I wish to reassure you that I understand the need for adequate housing and that even as we continue to focus on job creation in the new year, housing will receive particular attention. I will be sharing my thoughts and plans for improving access to housing in the new year and I look forward to your continued support and cooperation. Till we speak again, I thank you for your love, dedication and support and from my family to yours, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.