The Mary Foundation has released a personal message from Crown Princess Mary of Denmark ahead Christmas. In it,Crown Prince Frederik’s wife reflected on the past year, calling time a “peculiar quantity.”

“The more years you have covered, the faster the next year seems to go by. At the same time, over time you become more and more aware of how valuable every moment – and every year – is,” she wrote (translated to English). “The transition to the new year is always an opportunity to stop and appreciate everything that has happened during the year.”

The Crown Princess went on to highlight her foundation’s work in 2023, including the launch of Lift, a program that ensures young people who feel lonely are seen and get the right help, as well as the launch of the Sammen Uden Vold initiative, which aims to detect violence in families with young children.

With Christmas five days away, Mary noted that her foundation “will soon close 2023 and go on Christmas break with gratitude for all that we humans can do when we do it together.”

“We need each other if we want to succeed,” the Crown Princess continued. “And this does not only apply to working life and to those of us who work to combat social isolation. It applies to all of us. People need people. With the warmest wishes for a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.”

Mary, who traveled to her native Australia ahead of the holidays, will celebrate Christmas Eve and Christmas with her husband and their four kids—Prince Christian, Princess Isabella, Prince Vincent and Princess Isabella—at Marselisborg Palace with Frederik’s mother, Queen Margrethe II. On New Year’s Day, Her Majesty will host a New Year’s levee and banquet at Christian VII’s Palace, which will be attended by the Crown Prince Couple and other members of the Danish royal family.