As the nation joins in celebration of Christmas Day, it is also imperative that its core values, including that of hard-work and a commitment to family and country be observed.
This was the message from acting President Christine Kangaloo.
President Anthony Carmona and his family are vacationing in the Cayman Islands.
Kangaloo, who described the story of Christmas as nothing short of magical, said it was also one filled with messages and images that teach and inspire.
“The birth, in the lowliest of circumstances and of places, of an outcast child who would one day redeem the very world which prosecuted him, remains one of the most remarkable stories ever told. For T&T, it is a story whose relevance is perhaps greatest at this time in our country’s history,” Kangaloo said.
She said as in the midst of an understandable anxiety over the future, particularly as unfriendly economic skies gather, people ought not to be afraid as according to the Christmas story, in the midst of a storm there is salvation.
“As we celebrate Christmas this year, let us drive out fear with the faith which inspired Mary to open herself up to and to face head-on the uncertainties before her.
“T&T is truly a ‘Christmas nation.’ We are a nation of wise men and women, having been abundantly blessed with our share of magic.
“Throughout our history, there has been a divinity that has guided us and shaped our ends and there have been countless guiding stars that have shone and that will continue to shine in whatever is the darkness that might overshadow us from time to time,” Kangaloo said.
And as the New Year approaches, Kangaloo also appealed that the Christmas story take root in people’s hearts, calling for constant companion to be the guiding star.
“May we join hands and walk assuredly into the future, confident that we will yet create the nation our forefathers dreamed of and, in so doing, redeem our collective aspirations and find our salvation,” Kangaloo said.