Can I wish everyone who serves, and the families of all those who serve, a very, very happy Christmas and a very good and hopeful 2014.

First of all, I want to say how much it is we admire all the things that the military and armed services do for our country.

Here in Afghanistan, once again, I've had the immense privilege of seeing that at first hand.

But as important as what you do, it's what you stand for.

It is those values of courage, of service, of putting others before yourself, of putting into your community.

Those values are values that run right through our military and through service families, they're great values for you, they're great values for our country.

So let's celebrate both what you do and what you stand for, and at this Christmas time above all, thank you.