[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 31, Number 51 (Monday, December 25, 1995)]
[Page 2214]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Message on the Observance of Christmas, 1995

December 20, 1995

    Warm greetings to everyone celebrating Christmas.
    The Christmas story is dear and familiar to us all--shepherds and 
angels, Wise Men and Kind Herod, Mary and Joseph, and, at the heart of 
it all, a Child. This Child was born into poverty in a city too crowded 
to offer Him shelter. He was sent to a region whose people had endured 
suffering, tyranny, and exile. And yet this Child brought with Him 
riches so great that they continue to sustain the human spirit two 
thousand years later: the assurance of God's love and presence in our 
lives and the promise of salvation.
    Each year at Christmas, we celebrate these gifts with family and 
friends. We place candles in the window as a sign that there is always 
room for Christ in our homes. We put angels and stars and twinkling 
lights on the Christmas tree to remind us of the glory and mystery of 
Christ's birth. We sing the old and beloved Christmas carols to express 
the joy filling our hearts, and we share special gifts with those we 
love, just as God shared His Son with us. And, in contemplating the 
nativity scene under the tree or in a neighbor's yard, we realize that 
children hold a special place in God's heart, since He sent His only Son 
to us as a little Child.
    With this simple truth in mind, let us observe Christmas this year 
by making a solemn commitment to the children of our communities, our 
nation, and the world. Let us pledge to love and nurture them and 
promise to give them strong values and a chance to make the most of 
their God-given talents. Let us resolve that they will grow up in a 
world that is free and at peace. By cherishing the children God sends 
us, we express our love and gratitude for the one Child He sent whose 
coming offers forgiveness and hope to us all.
    Hillary and I send best wishes for a blessed and joyous Christmas 
season and every happiness in the new year.
                                                  Bill Clinton