Merry Christmas - John Buchanan

Merry Christmas everyone.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank two special groups of people who will not be with their families today. Please bear a thought for them as you sit down with your families or friends.

For all those serving with the Armed Forces, whether at home or abroad thank you, my thoughts and prayers are with you.

I would also like to thank all those serving with Sea Shepherd’s Operation Relentless in the Southern Ocean.

The following poem is an account of one of the best demonstrations of what can be achieved at Christmas; I would like to reiterate the sentiments of the last two lines.

Once again, happy Christmas and peace and goodwill to all.

A Carol From Flanders - Frederick Niven (1878-1944)

In Flanders on the Christmas morn
The trenched foemen lay,
the German and the Briton born,
And it was Christmas Day.

The red sun rose on fields accurst,
The gray fog fled away;
But neither cared to fire the first,
For it was Christmas Day!

They called from each to each across
The hideous disarray,
For terrible has been their loss:
"Oh, this is Christmas Day!"

Their rifles all they set aside,
One impulse to obey;
'Twas just the men on either side,
Just men — and Christmas Day.

They dug the graves for all their dead
And over them did pray:
And Englishmen and Germans said:
"How strange a Christmas Day!"

Between the trenches then they met,
Shook hands, and e'en did play
At games on which their hearts were set
On happy Christmas Day.

Not all the emperors and kings,
Financiers and they
Who rule us could prevent these things —
For it was Christmas Day.

Oh ye who read this truthful rime
From Flanders, kneel and say:
God speed the time when every day
Shall be as Christmas Day.

Frederick Niven (1878-1944)