 Greetings, fellows and lutions. It is this time of the year where we come together to celebrate the birth of Christ and show gratitude and share with loved ones and with each other a time filled with joy and feelings of gladness for many of us. It also marks the end of the year and therefore also represents a time for reflections of things past and envisioning of the future. My friends, 2021 has not been easy for any of us. Some of us have faced the loss of loved ones, others the loss of jobs and livelihoods and even restrictions on gathering with those we love. As a nation, we witnessed the crippling effects of COVID-19 on our economy and the negative consequences on our social landscape. As the Minister for Equity, Social Justice and Empowerment, I fully understand the difficulties that many households face throughout the year as it often confronts me here on both at the ministry and within my constituency. Indeed, it has been a challenging year for all of us filled with lots of ambiguities and uncertainty. Yet through it all, we rallied with each other to get us supporting one another and join on each other's strength. Undoubtedly, we are an amazing people with an amazing spirit and despite the dark periods we demonstrated resilience and focused on moving forward towards the light. For this, I applaud you. And so as we celebrate and look forward to a new year, to new beginnings, it is my prayer that we embrace the caring and sharing character of the Christmas season and extend this beyond our immediate circles to the vulnerable and those less fortunate than us. Let us make our contribution to the development of our fellow men and the advancement of our community and nation. Let us make this season an enjoyable one for everyone, to my constituents in Castry's South West. Thank you for your prayers, love, encouragement and support. Thank you for the trust and confidence in me and I commit to working with you for the continued development and improvement of the constituency. Merry Christmas everyone and best wishes for a joyous Christmas filled with love, happiness and prosperity. May all of you experience all that is beautiful, meaningful and brings joy to you and others around you. God's grace and blessings for a peaceful and safe holiday season and a prosperous 2022. Thank you very much.