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Although a heavy cold prevented Queen Elizabeth from attending the Christmas morning church service in Norfolk, England, her annual Christmas message aired on Dec. 25.

Reflecting on the past year, Queen Elizabeth touched on the many ways she was inspired, including by the athletes at the 2016 Olympics and the “unsung heroes” of various charity organizations.

“But even with the inspiration of others, it’s understandable that we sometimes think the world’s problems are so big that we can do little to help,” she said. “On our own, we cannot end wars or wipe out injustice, but the cumulative impact of thousands of small acts of goodness can be bigger than we imagine.”

Read the Queen’s remarks in full below.

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Write to Mahita Gajanan at mahita.gajanan@time.com.

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