As the holiest day of the year for Christians fast approaches, I wish each of you a very Merry Christmas. In today’s politically correct society, many people and businesses refrain from wishing each other “Merry Christmas” instead preferring the more generic “Happy Holidays.” I believe that each of us should remember the true meaning of December 25. It is the day of the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and Christians everywhere celebrate the day according to their own traditions.
Our world faces many problems. As we in America deal with some of the most important issues of our lifetime, such as a struggling economy, health care reform, rising taxes and an expansion of the federal government, As Americans, even with all of our problems, we have much to celebrate. We live in the greatest country the world has ever known.
I hope that each of us will take the time to contemplate and celebrate the true meaning of Christmas. On this day, our Savior was born. Because of his birth, mankind has received the promise of eternal life.
My family and I wish each of you a very Merry Christmas. To our non-Christian friends we say Happy Holidays. Please remember to pray for our troops, as they serve thousands of miles away from home. May they be safe and return to their families soon.
Since we're on the topic, here's a fun vid showing Barack Obama reading The Polar Express to some kids, and then, courtesy of David Brody, some strong evidence that he isn't the anti-Christ (or if so, isn't too good at being one).
THE PRESIDENT: I think one thing that's important to remember is that, even though there's a lot of fun at Christmas, you know, you got -- especially when it's snowy like this, so it's pretty outside, you got the Christmas tree, you got the Christmas cookies, you've got presents. You know, I think that the most important thing is just to remember why we celebrate Christmas.
CHILD: I know!
THE PRESIDENT: Do you know?
CHILD: The birth of baby Jesus.
THE PRESIDENT: The birth of baby Jesus, and what he symbolizes for people all around the world is the possibility of peace and people treating each other with respect. And so I just hope that spirit of giving that's so important at Christmas, I hope all of you guys remember that as well. You know, it's not just about getting gifts but it's also doing something for other people. So being nice to your mom and dad and grandma and aunties and showing respect to people -- that's really important too, that's part of the Christmas spirit, don't you think? Do you agree with me?
CHILDREN: Yes.
THE PRESIDENT: You do? Do you have an interesting observation?
CHILD: I know why we give gifts to other people.
THE PRESIDENT: Why is that?
CHILD: Because the three wise men gave gifts to baby Jesus.
THE PRESIDENT: That's exactly right.
To get to the exchange, you'll have to sit through the Polar Express first.
About 12 mins into the vid.
