After the last couple of years with the pandemic, I am sure people across Moray will be looking forward to enjoying Christmas together once again.
While Covid has not gone, we are in a much better place than we have been in recent years at this time thanks to the UK’s world-leading vaccine scheme.
However, despite people looking to a much more traditional Christmas celebration once again, for many in Moray I know there will be one key difference.
It was with tremendous sadness that we said goodbye and paid tribute to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in September. Spending part of Christmas Day with Her Majesty and her annual message will have been something people across Moray will have done their whole life.
Many Moray residents will now tune in for the first Christmas address by King Charles while thinking about the grief they are still going through.
My thoughts are with not only the Royal Family but also those in communities across Moray who have lost loved ones in 2022 and are finding the Christmas period particularly difficult, as well as those who are spending it alone.
I also want to recognise our local emergency services and the Armed Forces, many of whom will continue to be hard at work and not be able to spend Christmas with their loved ones.
My thanks to everyone working during this period to keep us safe and ensure essential services continue to be there for our communities.
It has been another whirlwind year in the world of politics both locally and nationally and I know that I am certainly looking forward to spending time with my family and seeing our boy’s faces on Christmas morning.