Hello everyone, and Merry Christmas!
I love this time of year.
As the weather outside is increasingly cold, and as the world is at its darkest, we have this incredible season of warmth and light.
Warmth that comes as we gather with family and friends, to carry on long-held traditions, and even start some new ones.
And light that comes not only in colourful displays, but also through reflections on the past year, as we count our many blessings and look forward to what the New Year will bring.
I can’t wait to see my daughters, their eyes all lit up, as they take in all the wonder of Christmas.
Their laughter as they play with their cousins.
Their enthusiasm in giving and receiving gifts from under the tree.
And their big smiles as they drink mugs of hot chocolate after tobogganing outside.
I’m looking forward to gathering with family and friends, to enjoy traditional Norwegian food.
And I’m also looking forward to a few days away from the normal routine, to break out my cross-country skis and enjoy the scenery of this beautiful province.
For many of us, this is also a time to celebrate the Christmas story – a story of a baby, Jesus Christ, born in a stable, and rushed off to another country, as his family sought refuge from violence and tyranny.
Christ’s message was one of love, grace and peace.
A message that urges us to look out for one another, comfort those who suffer, feed the hungry, welcome the stranger, and give hope to the vulnerable.
In so many ways, those are Saskatchewan values – the kind of values that motivate me as a leader to do everything I can to ensure that all people in our province are doing well, and that all of us can get ahead and achieve our dreams for our children.
In this season, we also think of all those whose lives were overturned this year – through illness or loss of work; through the death of loved ones; through massive forest fires in Northern Saskatchewan; natural disasters and acts of violence around the world; and war in places like Iraq, Syria and Ukraine.
As we sing carols calling for peace on earth, joy to all the world, and the end of oppression and sorrow, we join with all those who yearn for a much brighter 2016.
Whatever meaning this holiday season has for you, and however you celebrate it, I hope it’s a great one for you.
On behalf of my wife, Ruth, our daughters, Ingrid, Clara and Gudrun, and all New Democrat MLAs – I wish you a Merry Christmas; holidays that are full of joy; and a New Year that is happy, peaceful and prosperous.
