Pope Francis has called on people to celebrate Christmas not “by devouring and hoarding, but by sharing and giving”.

You don’t have to be a Catholic or a Christian to take that message to heart.

Underneath the gifts and Christmas lunches and dinners, the best part about Christmas is reuniting and celebrating with family and friends.

Of course, not everyone in society is lucky enough to have plenty of loved ones, or even other people at all, with whom to celebrate Christmas.

Christmas can be a distressing and isolating time for those who, for whatever reason, cannot experience the type of Christmas shown in dozens of carols and films.  

Organisations like Saint Michael’s Parish in Wagga provide an invaluable service in making sure that everyone has the chance to feel included at Christmas.

As the Pope’s Christmas message noted, inequality and the gap between rich and poor seems to be growing wider.

However, just walking around Wagga on Christmas Day could reveal that there are plenty of residents who, even on the year’s biggest holiday, continue to give up their time to help others.

Wagga’s firefighters are still at the ready to save lives and property, its police and Highway Patrol officers are still out protecting the community and reinforcing a road safety message.

Doctors, nurses and hospital staff are still ready to assist with everything from holiday related mishaps to the miracle of birth.

For farmers affected by drought, some in the Riverina and many in areas further north, hopefully Christmas brings some respite to the struggle to stay on the land.

“This year, what does Australia want as a Christmas present? Well, we want rain,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison said in his Christmas message.

Regardless of your political leanings, that’s a message most people would have no trouble getting behind this Christmas.