SCOTLAND’S party leaders have paid tribute to those working this Christmas.

Nicola Sturgeon, Ruth Davidson, Kezia Dugdale, and Willie Rennie all used their own individual Christmas message to say that anyone having to do a shift tomorrow, be it in in the hospital or in a 24-hour garage, was deserving of our thanks.

In her message, the First Minister said: “Christmas is about spending time with those we love, and for thinking about friends and family at home and abroad. It is also a time to reflect on those less fortunate than ourselves.

‘‘So this Christmas I would encourage everyone to take the time to check on a friend or neighbour who is on their own. It’s important to spend some time over the next few weeks giving comfort, companionship and support to those who need it.

“We should also remember those working in our emergency services, those keeping our transport network running and the many more who give up time with their loved ones at Christmas in the service of others.”

In her message, Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson said she wanted to single out people working over the Christmas weekend.

“First and foremost, that’s the NHS staff, police and emergency services, who give up time with their own families in order to make sure ours are safe.

“But it’s also the assistant at the 24-hour petrol station, the pot-washer in the hotel kitchen, and the delivery worker on night shift, who are out there this weekend, earning a living, keeping the country ticking over. Doing their jobs so we can enjoy our break.

“Often, the work they do goes unnoticed or is taken for granted. Perhaps it’s only at Christmas and New Year that the rest of us really see it. So it’s time for a very overdue thank you.

“For Christians like me and for people of all faiths and none, Christmas is a time of hope and new life. It’s a time of comfort and celebration, and of new beginnings and looking to the future. “ Scottish Labour’s Dugdale said she hoped Scotland would have left the “arguments of the past behind us” by next Christmas.

This time of year was, she said, “a chance to reflect on where we are as a nation,” adding: “The constitution remains the defining issue in our politics and the divisions of recent years still remain. When our country is facing so many major challenges, now more than ever we need to unite and work together. My hope is that by next Christmas we will be more united as a nation, and can leave the arguments of the past behind us.”

She went on: “I want to pay tribute to those working in our emergency services over Christmas – the doctors and nurses, firefighters, police officers, and many others who devote their lives to serving others.

"There are countless others who deserved thanks – people going to work today in the hospitality industry, from restaurant staff to hotel staff, as well as clergymen and women and many, many others."

Rennie, Scottish LibDem leader, also thanked those who work at Christmas saying: “Our thoughts are with those who are unwell, alone or struggling. And our appreciation is with those who come to their aid.”

Turning to the world stage, he said: “There is little doubt we are in a more uncertain and dark place in global affairs.

“The election of President Trump and the decision to sever links with our friends in Europe have taken our society in the wrong direction.

“With attacks in Turkey, the conflict in Yemen, and the war in Syria with its awful reports from Aleppo, it is imperative we do not turn our backs, no matter how difficult the challenge.”

“Yet there is hope in the response to these conflicts and to the rise of divisive politics.

"The positive alternative of government and charitable international aid, combined with alternative voices that promote tolerance, optimism, openness and unity, means that there is light among this darkness. There is hope at Christmas.”