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The President: Hello everybody, and happy holidays.
Mrs. Obama: We know how busy this time of year is for
everyone, so we're not going to take much of your time.
But we did want to take a moment to wish you all
a Merry Christmas, from our family to yours.
The President: This is a season for millions of Americans
to be together with family, to continue long-held holiday
traditions, and to show our gratitude to those we love.
And along the way, some of us might even watch a little
basketball or eat some Christmas cookies, too.
Mrs. Obama: Here at the White House, over the past few weeks,
we've had about 70,000 people from all across the country come
visit us and look at our holiday decorations.
This year's theme was "Gather Around: Stories of the Season."
And in every room of the house, we tried to tell a story about
who we are as Americans and how we celebrate
the holidays together.
And we made certain to highlight some of the most powerful
stories we know - the stories of our outstanding troops,
veterans, and military families and their service and sacrifice
for our country.
The President: Our extraordinary men and women in uniform are
serving so that the rest of us can enjoy the blessings
we cherish during the holidays.
But that means many of our troops are far away from home
and far from family.
They're spending some extra time on the phone with their loved
ones back home.
Or they're setting up video chats so they can watch
as the presents are opened.
Today, we want all of our troops to know that you're in our
thoughts and prayers this holiday season.
And here's the good news: For many of our troops and newest
veterans, this might be the first time in years that they've
been with their families on Christmas.
In fact, with the Iraq war over and the transition
in Afghanistan, fewer of our men and women in uniform are
deployed in harm's way than at any time in the last decade.
Mrs. Obama: That's something we all can be thankful for.
And with more and more of our troops back here at home,
now it's our turn to serve - it's our turn to step up and
show our gratitude for the military families who have given
us so much.
That's why Jill Biden and I started our Joining Forces
initiative - to rally all Americans to support our
military families in ways large and small.
And again and again, we have been overwhelmed by the response
we've gotten as folks from across the country have found
new ways to give back to these families through their schools,
businesses, and houses of worship.
The President: That's the same spirit of giving that connects
all of us during the holidays.
So many people all across the country are helping out
at soup kitchens, buying gifts for children in need,
or organizing food or clothing drives for their neighbors.
For families like ours, that service is a chance to celebrate
the birth of Christ and live out what He taught us - to love our
neighbors as we love ourselves; to feed the hungry and look
after the sick; to be our brother's keeper
and our sister's keeper.
And for all of us as Americans, regardless of our faith,
those are values that can drive us to be better parents
and friends, better neighbors and better citizens.
Mrs. Obama: So as we look to the New Year,
let's pledge ourselves to living out those values by reaching out
and lifting up those in our communities who could
use a hand up.
The President: So Merry Christmas, everyone.
And from the two of us, as well as Malia, Sasha, Grandma, Bo...
Mrs. Obama: And Sunny, the newest Obama...
The President: We wish you all a blessed and safe holiday season.
Mrs. Obama: Happy holidays everybody, and God bless.