    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2002, Book II)]
    [December 17, 2002]
    [Pages 2196-2198]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at the White House Children's Story Hour
    December 17, 2002

        Students. Merry Christmas.
        The President. Thank you. Third graders?
        Students. Yes.
        The President. Good. Where's your teachers? Thank you for teaching.
    Welcome. We're glad you're here. This is the Roosevelt Room in the White
    House.
        The First Lady. And this painting behind us
    is Teddy Roosevelt, up above.
        The President. He was one of our Presidents.
        The First Lady. He was one of our Presidents
    100 years ago--100 years ago.
        The President. Where's Burnie Elementary? Welcome.
        Saint Agnes? Glad you all are here. Thanks for coming.
        Laura and I thought we'd read a Christmas story to you, if that's
    okay.
        Students. Yes.
        The President. Glad you accepted it. [Laughter] That's what's going
    to happen. Have you heard the one that starts with, ``'Twas the night
    before Christmas''?
        Students. Yes.
        The President. And what comes next?
        Students. I can't see it.
        The President. Oh, I'm sorry. ``'Twas the night before Christmas,
    when all through the house''----
        The First Lady. ``Not a creature was
    stirring''----
        The President. ----``not even a mouse.''
        The First Lady. Mouse.
        The President. Nobody was stirring. It was kind of quiet, wasn't it?
        You had better read that, because I can't see it.
        The First Lady. [Laughter] ``The stockings
    were hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that Saint Nicholas soon
    would be there. The children were nestled all snug in their beds.''
    Don't they look snug?
        Students. Yes.
        The First Lady. ``While visions of sugarplums
    danced in their heads.'' What does that mean? Do you know what
    sugarplums are?
        Students. No.
        The First Lady. Candy. So they're thinking
    maybe their stockings will have candy in them, don't they?
        The President. You can't see? You come right over here.
        The First Lady. ``And Ma in her kerchief and
    I in my cap had just settled down for a long winter's nap.'' Do you all
    want to come up closer here?
        The President. It may be easier to see.
        The First Lady. Yes. Come on over here so you
    can see. These are really beautiful pictures, if you can see close.
        ``When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter, I sprang from my
    bed to see what was the matter. Away to the window I flew like a flash,
    tore open the shutters, threw up the sash. The moon on the breast of the
    new-fallen snow gave a luster of midday to the objects below. When what
    to my wondering eyes should appear''--do you all know?
        Students. Reindeer.

    [[Page 2197]]

        The First Lady. ``A miniature sleigh and
    eight tiny reindeer.''
        The President. Yes.
        The First Lady. ``With a little old man so
    jolly and quick, I knew in a moment it must be''----
        Students. Saint Nick.
        The First Lady. ----``Saint Nick.'' Do you
    like these pictures?
        Students. Yes.
        The First Lady. ``More rapid than eagles, the
    coursers they came, and he whistled and shouted and called them by
    name.'' Do you know the name of the reindeers? ``Now Dasher, now Dancer,
    now Prancer and Vixen! On Comet, on Cupid, on Donner and Blitzen.'' See
    all these reindeer?
        The President. Anybody in this room named Blitzen? [Laughter]
        The First Lady. Do you all remember all these
    names? Dasher and Dancer and Comet and Cupid----
        Student. And Rudolph.
        The First Lady. And Rudolph. That's right.
        The President. Right.
        The First Lady. He's not in this story,
    though. He came later.
        ``To the top of the porch, to the top of the wall! Now, dash away,
    dash away, dash away all!
        ``As dry leaves before the wild hurricane fly, when they meet with
    an obstacle, mount to the sky, so up to the housetop the coursers they
    flew, with a sleigh full of toys and Saint Nicholas, too.''
        This is pretty. You notice who is in every picture--well, not every
    one.
        ``And then in a twinkling I heard on the roof the prancing and
    pawing of each little hoof. As I drew in my head and was turning around,
    down the chimney he came with a bound.
        ``He was dressed all in fur from his head to his foot. And his
    clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot. A bundle of toys he had
    flung on his back, and he looked like a peddler just about to open his
    pack.'' See all those toys?
        Students. Yes.
        The First Lady. ``His eyes, how they
    twinkled! His dimples, how merry! His cheeks were like roses, his nose
    like a cherry. His droll little mouth was drawn up in a bow, and the
    beard on his chin was as white as the snow.'' Is this what we all think
    Santa Claus looks like?
        Students. Yes.
        The First Lady. With a white beard?
        Students. Yes.
        The First Lady. And a nose like a cherry?
        ``The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth, and the smoke, it
    encircled his head like a wreath. He had a broad face and a round little
    belly that shook when he laughed like a bowl full of jelly. He was
    chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf, and I laughed when I saw him,
    in spite of myself. A wink of his eye and a twist of his head soon gave
    me to know I had nothing to dread.''
        The President. Pretty exciting so far, isn't it? [Laughter]
        The First Lady. ``He spoke not a word but
    went straight to work and filled all the stockings, and then he turned
    with a jerk.'' And what's he going to do now? How's he going to get out?
    Back up the chimney, isn't he?
        ``And laying his finger aside of his nose and giving a nod, up the
    chimney he rose.''
        The President. That's kind of hard to do. [Laughter] Have you ever
    tried to crawl up your chimney?
        Students. No.
        The First Lady. ``He sprang to his sleigh and
    to his team gave a whistle. And away they all flew like the down of a
    thistle. But I heard him exclaim as he went out of sight''--what did he
    exclaim? Do you remember the very end of this? Do you? What?
        Student. Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.
        The President. Very good.

    [[Page 2198]]

        The First Lady. That's right. Exactly.
        The President. Very good.
        The First Lady. ``Merry Christmas to all, and
    to all a good night.''
        The President. And that's what we want to say to you all: Merry
    Christmas.

    Note: The President spoke at 1:15 p.m. in the Roosevelt Room at the
    White House.