The Obamas have delivered their final Christmas message for families all over the United States and the world.
The President and the First Lady have continued with their yearly tradition of celebrating the holidays in Hawaii where they will be until next year. In their message, Michelle provided a throwback to a 2009 Christmas video in which Mr. Obama’s hair was visibly less gray than it is now.
She said: “Celebrating the holidays in the White House over these past eight years has been a true privilege. We’ve been able to welcome over half a million guests, our outstanding pastry chefs have baked 200,000 holiday cookies and Barack has treated the American people to countless dad jokes.”
“Although a few got a frosty reception,” the president added.
Mr. Obama took time to extend gratitude to the U.S. troops for protecting the nation and asked people to show support to them throughout the festivities.
“Merry Christmas everybody!” The President said. “One of the best parts of the holiday season is spending time with the special people in your life. And for me, that means getting some help from my best friend for our annual Christmas Weekly Address.”
White House Holiday Theme
The First Lady said that “This year’s White House holiday theme is “The Gift of the Holidays,” and our decorations reflect some of our greatest gifts as a nation: from our incredible military families, to the life-changing impact of a great education,” with Mr. Obama adding that
“The greatest gift that Michelle and I have received over the last eight years has been the honor of serving as your President and First Lady. Together, we fought our way back from the worst recession in 80 years, and got unemployment to a nine-year low.”
He did not shy away from applauding the progress his administration has made, particularly in the health sector. “We secured health insurance for another twenty million Americans, and new protections for folks who already had insurance. We made America more respected around the world, took on the mantle of leadership in the fight to protect this planet for our kids, and much, much more.”