[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1998, Book II)]
[December 9, 1997]
[Page 2148]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks on Lighting the National Christmas Tree
December 9, 1997

    Thank you very much. Thank you, John. I want to thank you and all 
the people responsible, again, for this wonderful, wonderful evening. 
I'd like to thank our performers: Tony Bennett, Leona Mitchell, Jose 
Feliciano, the ``Cats'' crew, the Paul Hill choir, Al Roker, who has 
been a great Santa Claus tonight. I'd like to thank our Brownie and Cub 
Scout, Jessica Scott and Edgar Allen Sheppard. And of course, I'd like 
to thank Sammy Sosa and Mrs. Sosa for joining us tonight. We're 
delighted to see them all.
    Hillary and I look forward to this every year, and this, as you may 
know, is the 75th anniversary of this Christmas tree lighting. For us, 
Christmas always starts with this Pageant of Peace. Tonight we celebrate 
the beginning of this season of peace and hope, of sharing and giving, 
of family and friends. We celebrate the birth of the child we know as 
the Prince of Peace, who came into the world with only a stable's roof 
to shelter him but grew to teach a lesson of love that has lasted two 
millennia. ``Blessed are the peacemakers,'' he said, and his words still 
call us to action.
    The lights we illuminate tonight are more than the flickering bulbs 
on a beautiful Colorado blue spruce. They represent millions of 
individual acts of courage and compassion that light our lives. Like the 
Star of Bethlehem, these lights shine the promise of hope and renewal. 
Like the candles of Hanukkah, they stand for freedom against tyranny. 
Like the lamps that will soon light the mosques in the coming months of 
Ramadan, they evoke a call to community.
    We light this tree in Washington, but all over the world we thank 
God that the light of peace is glowing as never before in Northern 
Ireland, in Bosnia, in the Middle East. In the coming year, let us 
rededicate ourselves to building the bonds of peace on Earth. Let those 
of us who are Americans express our appreciation to those who serve us 
in uniform, represented tonight by the United States Air Force Band, who 
help to preserve peace for us.
    Now I'd like to ask Sammy and Jessica and Edgar to come up here and 
join me as we light the Christmas tree, our national tree. Let the 
spirit of the holidays, of peace and good will, be our beacon all year 
long. Merry Christmas. Happy New Year. May God bless you all.
    Now put your hands on the switch, and I'll count down to one. Three, 
two, one. Light the tree!

Note: The President spoke at 5:50 p.m. on the Ellipse during the annual 
Christmas Pageant of Peace. In his remarks, he referred to John J. 
Betchkal, president, Christmas Pageant of Peace; and baseball player 
Sammy Sosa, National League Most Valuable Player, and his wife, Sonia.