Season's greetings from the mayor

Now the Christmas season is upon us, the lovely festival of light and peace. For most of us, Christmas is full of anticipation, hope and love. Christmas brings together family and friends, and with it comes the anticipation of enjoying peaceful days with those we hold dear.  Although many people are rushing around in the run-up to the holiday, it is Christmas itself that brings us the one true joy. It is important to hold on to it, to pause, to enjoy and to give of ourselves. 

Not everyone can have as happy a Christmas as they would like. Some have lost loved ones, whom they miss dearly over the festive period as on other days. Others are struggling with illness and ill health or are lonely. Let us think of those who are having a difficult time and try our utmost to make their lives easier, so that they may enjoy the light of Christmas. 

 Fortunately, for most people, Christmas is a wonderful time. The children's anticipation is often focused on presents and the festivities, but those of us who are older know that Christmas is, above all, about forgetting the hustle and bustle and finding inner peace and calm in the company of family and friends. The memories of pleasant times spent together at Christmas are the ones that stand out, bringing joy for years to come and being preserved in our hearts. They are the light of the festive season; the Christmas gift that stays with us for the rest of our lives. 

I would like to thank the staff of the City of Hafnarfjörður for the pleasant collaboration during the year that is drawing to a close, and send my warmest wishes to all the people of Hafnarfjörður for a Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year.

Rósa Guðbjartsdóttir
Mayor of the Borough of Hafnarfjörður

_{Photograph: The sun, the barges, the calm, the birds, the frost and the stones. Photographer: Olga Björt Þórðardóttir}