Christmas spirit - Let the bells ring out for peace and joy

FOLLOWING a year of natural disasters, it is appropriate to reflect on the relevance of Christmas as a time of rejoicing for families throughout Ireland and around the world.

Above all, this is a time of joy for children - a nostalgic, never to be forgotten time - but for many it is a sad time when absent loved ones are fondly remembered.

It is also a time to visit neighbours, particularly elderly people living alone in remote rural areas or in the heart of busy towns and cities. And it is a time for Christian tolerance towards immigrants and asylum seekers in an increasingly pluralist Ireland.