[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 29, Number 49 (Monday, December 13, 1993)]
[Page 2555]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks on Lighting the National Christmas Tree

 December 9, 1993

    Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to begin my remarks by asking that we 
recognize the years of devotion that Joe Riley has given to this Pageant 
of Peace. Let's give him a big hand. [Applause]
    This has been a wonderful night for Hillary and for Chelsea and for 
me. I thank Sandy Duncan for doing such a wonderful job in her tennis 
shoes; I think she looked sort of graceful limping out there. The DC 
Choral Kaleidoscope was wonderful. And I think Willard Scott is a 
perfect Santa Claus. You know, he will take any excuse to wear hair. 
[Laughter] But he looked beautiful. I'm especially glad to see my 
friends Charley Pride and Phil Driscoll. I thank them for being here. I 
thought they were terrific, as was the Air Force Band that I'm proud of 
as the President very, very much. Thank you all so much for what you've 
done.
    In this Pageant of Peace we come together in the spirit of our 
better selves, wishing that somehow, some way, we could feel the way we 
feel tonight and in this Christmas season, every day, all year long. We 
are joined by simple and universal convictions: a shared faith, a shared 
joy, a shared commitment now to follow the directions of our faith, to 
love our neighbors as ourselves, to be grateful for what we have, to 
wish that others had it, and to take some time to give more of ourselves 
to others.
    I ask tonight that all of us, each in our own way, express our 
gratitude to the men and women of our Armed Forces who are overseas in 
this Christmas season, to all those who serve us here in the United 
States, to our families and friends, and to all those to whom we could 
give a little something extra.
    But most of all, because of all the difficulties we have had in the 
United States in these last couple of years, with violence in our own 
land affecting not only adults but more and more of our children, I ask 
tonight, at this Pageant of Peace, that we pray in this Christmas season 
that we be given the wisdom and the courage, the heart, the renewed 
sense of common humanity, to do what we can to bring more peace to the 
streets, the homes, and the hearts of our own people and especially our 
children. That is something that would be perfectly consistent with the 
faith and the life we celebrate tonight, something we could take out of 
this Christmas season that would be the greatest gift we could ever give 
to ourselves, to our children, and to our beloved land.
    Thank you. God bless you all. And now I'd like to ask my family to 
come up and help me to light the Christmas tree.

Note: The President spoke at 5:50 p.m. on the Ellipse. In his remarks, 
he referred to entertainers Sandy Duncan, Willard Scott, Charley Pride, 
and Phil Driscoll.