Just once a year, Members of Parliament of all stripes can lay down the sharp tools of politics and transcend the trench warfare that permeates the House of Commons.

My recent trip across the country and into parts of Europe with the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security is a reminder that all M.P.s share a common purpose. We may not agree with the tactics and policies brought forth by other political parties, but that vast majority of M.P.s are sincere in their quest to make Canada a great place to work and play.

As the daylight becomes scarce and winter solstice takes hold, many of us head for the home fires to get reacquainted with family and friends. Christmas is a two-fold celebration that pays solemn tribute to the Christ child, as well as having good old-fashioned fun with gift giving and Santa. Christmastime has evolved to combine both religious respect and merrymaking to warm us on these cold winter nights.

It is also a time when many of us recall our first Christmases as children. For most of us, these recollections fill us with cheerful visions of yesteryear and the nostalgia that comes with it. For others, however, childhood is not fondly remembered. We can only hope that those people can create traditions of their own based upon newfound optimism and positive thoughts.

Christmastime has a way of underscoring hardship for people who live without the basic comforts. Those of us who enjoy good fortune can share with the less fortunate by helping fill the shelves at food banks and giving generously to shelters and charities. And, helping others is not just about providing material goods.

Volunteering time to read to a child or chatting with residents in a seniors centre are also acts of charity that can be fulfilling for all who are involved. Perhaps giving of oneself at Christmastime will become a year-round activity.

Sometimes we strive to do so much preparing for the perfect Christmas that we can’t meet our own expectations. Rather than raising the bar too high, let’s make this a magical time of year to enjoy with family and friends. Just as we think back on those early Christmases when our traditions were being created, this Christmas can mean the same thing to our children and grandchildren. It is really about them, and the celebration of that other child born all those centuries ago in a manger. It is an apt reminder that there is cause for merriment, however humble our surroundings.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and yours from me and mine.

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The audio version of Garry's December 21, 2009 op-ed column can be heard by clicking here