From the White House’s Website:
“Remarks by President Biden in
Christmas Address to the Nation”
THE PRESIDENT: Good afternoon. “How silently, how silently, the wondrous
Gift is given.” There is a certain stillness at the center of the Christmas
story. A silent night when all the world
goes quiet and all the glamour, all the noise, everything that divides us,
everything that pits us against one another, everything — everything that seems
so important but really isn’t, this all fades away in stillness of the winter’s
evening. And we look to the sky, to a
lone star, shining brighter than all the rest, guiding us to the birth of a
child — a child Christians believe to be the son of God; miraculously now, here
among us on Earth, bringing hope, love and peace and joy to the world. Yes,
it’s a story that’s 2,000 years old, but it’s still very much alive today. Just look into the eyes of a child on
Christmas morning, or listen to the laughter of a family together this holiday
season after years — after years of being apart. Just feel the hope rising in your chest as
you sing “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” even though you’ve sung the countless
times before. Yes, even after 2,000 years, Christmas still has the power to
lift us up, to bring us together, to change lives, to change the world.
The Christmas story is at the
heart of the Christmas — Christian faith.
But the message of hope, love, peace, and joy, they’re also universal. It
speaks to all of us, whether we’re Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist,
or any other faith, or no faith at all.
It speaks to all of us as human beings who are here on this Earth to
care for one another, to look out for one another, to love one another. The
message of Christmas is always important, but it’s especially important through
tough times, like the ones we’ve been through the past few years. The pandemic
has taken so much from us. We’ve lost so
much time with one another. We’ve lost so
many people — people we loved. Over a
million lives lost in America alone.
That’s a million empty chairs breaking hearts in homes all across the
country. Our politics has gotten so angry, so mean, so partisan. And too often we see each other as enemies,
not as neighbors; as Democrats or Republicans, not as fellow Americans. We’ve become too divided. But as tough as
these times have been, if we look a little closer, we see bright spots all
across the country: the strength, the determination, the resilience that’s long
defined America. We’re surely making progress.
Things are getting better. COVID
lon- — no longer controls our lives. Our
kids are back in school. People are back
to work. In fact, more people are
working than ever before. Americans are building again, innovating again,
dreaming again.
So my hope this Christmas season
is that we take a few moments of quiet reflection and find that stillness in
the heart of Christmas — that’s at the heart of Christmas, and look — really
look at each other, not as Democrats or Republicans, not as members of “Team
Red” or “Team Blue,” but as who we really are: fellow Americans. Fellow human beings worthy of being treated
with dignity and respect. I sincerely hope this holiway [sic] se- — this
holiday season will drain the poison that has infected our politics and set us
against one another. I hope this Christmas season marks a fresh start for our
nation, because there is so much that unites us as Americans, so much more that
unites us than divides us. We’re truly blessed to live in this nation. And I truly hope we take the time to look out
— look out for one another. Not at one
— for one another. So many people struggle at Christmas. It can be a time of great pain and terrible
loneliness. I know, like many of you
know. It was 50 years ago this week that
I lost my first wife and my infant daughter in a car accident, and my two sons
were badly injured, when they were out shopping for a Christmas tree. I know how hard this time of year can be. But
here’s what I learned long ago: No one — no one can ever know what someone else
is going through, what’s really going on in their life, what they’re struggling
with, what they’re trying to overcome. That’s why sometimes the smallest act of
kindness can mean so much. A simple
smile. A hug. An unexpected phone call. A quiet cup of coffee. Simple acts of kindness that can lift a
spirit, provide compo- — comfort, and perhaps maybe even save a life.
So, this Christmas, let’s spread
a little kindness. This Christmas, let’s be that — that helping hand, that
strong shoulder, that friendly voice when no one else seems to care for those
who are struggling, in trouble, in need.
It just might be the best gift you can ever give. And let’s be sure to
remember the brave women and men in uniform who defend and protect our
nation. Many of them — many of them are
away from their families at this time of year.
Let’s keep them in our prayers. You know, and I believe Christmas is a
season of hope. And throughout the life
of this country, it’s been during the weeks of December — even in the midst of
some of our toughest days — that some of the best chapters of our story have
been written. It was during these weeks back in 1862 that President Lincoln
prepared the Emancipation Proclamation, which he issued on New Year’s Day. At
Christmas 1941, in the week — weeks after Pearl Harbor, Franklin Delano
Roosevelt hosted Winston Churchill in this White House. Together, they planned the Allied strategy to
defeat fascism and autocracy. And it was 1968 that the most terrible year — of
years — a year of assassination and riot, of war and chaos — that the
astronauts of Apollo 8 circled the Moon and spoke to us here on Earth. From the
silence of space, on a silent night on a Christmas Eve, they read the story of
Christmas — Creation from the King James Bible.
It went: “In the beginning God created Heaven and Earth. And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there
was light.” That light is still with us, illuminating our way forward as
Americans and as citizens of the world.
A light that burned in the beginning and at Bethlehem. A light that shines still today in our own
time, our own lives.
As we sing “O’ Holy Night” — “His
law is love, and His Gospel is peace” — may I wish you and for you, and for our
nation, now and always, is that we’ll live in the light — the light of liberty
and hope, of love and generosity, of kindness and compassion, of dignity and
decency. So, from the Biden family, we wish you and your family peace, joy,
health, and happiness. Merry Christmas.
Happy Holidays. And all the best
in the New Year. God bless you all. And
may God protect our troops. Thank you.
^ This was nice. ^
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