4 presidents’ thoughts on the wonder of Christmas

Christmas is the most wonderful time of year. It’s a holiday that has been celebrated through the years at the White House.

Through the centuries, many presidents have reflected on the true meaning of Christmas. Here are four examples of presidents, of different parties, reflecting on the season – even during times of war – when we celebrate the birth of the Prince of Peace.

We begin on a bleak note. In the winter of 1777-78, our American warriors spent those bleary months at Valley Forge. About 12 were dying each day. Their leader, commander in chief and later president, George Washington, noted the poignancy of them having to spend the holiday season in such miserable conditions, but such was the commitment of those who helped forge our country.

Wrote Washington: “To see men without clothes to cover their nakedness, without blankets to lay on, without shoes, by which their marches might be traced by the blood from their feet, and almost as often without provisions as with; marching through frost and snow, and at Christmas taking up their winter quarters within a day’s march of the enemy, without a house or hut to cover them till they could be built and submitting without a murmur, is a mark of patience and obedience which in my opinion can scarce be paralleled.”

Wow. As we snuggle up by the fireplace and enjoy a nice cup of hot chocolate, we should remember the sacrifices of those who made our freedom possible because of their dedication to liberty.

Jumping ahead to the mid-20th century, we see another wartime Christmas greeting from another commander in chief, our 32nd president. Franklin D. Roosevelt delivered a Christmas greeting to the American troops in 1944, including those in Europe engulfed in the Battle of the Bulge, Hitler’s last major counter-offensive.

FDR said: “Here, at home, we will celebrate this Christmas Day in our traditional American way – because of its deep spiritual meaning to us; because the teachings of Christ are fundamental in our lives; and because we want our youngest generation to grow up knowing the significance of this tradition and the story of the coming of the immortal Prince of Peace and Good Will.”

Then he added: “But, in perhaps every home in the United States, sad and anxious thoughts will be continually with the millions of our loved ones who are suffering hardships and misery, and who are risking their very lives to preserve for us and for all mankind the fruits of His teachings and the foundations of civilization itself.”

Within months FDR would be dead, and Harry Truman became the president. This Baptist from Missouri had some very powerful Christmas reflections. This is a portion of a Christmas greeting from our 33rd president during the 1949 holiday season – transmitted by radio to the nation from his home in Independence, Missouri: “Since returning home, I have been reading again in our family Bible some of the passages which foretold this night. It was that grand old seer Isaiah who prophesied in the Old Testament the sublime event which found fulfillment almost 2,000 years ago. Just as Isaiah foresaw the coming of Christ, so another battler for the Lord, St. Paul, summed up the law and the prophets in a glorification of love which he exalts even above both faith and hope. … In love alone – the love of God and the love of man – will be found the solution of all the ills which afflict the world today.”

He concludes, “In the spirit of the Christ Child – as little children with joy in our hearts and peace in our souls – let us, as a nation, dedicate ourselves anew to the love of our fellowmen.”

Jumping ahead to our times, we see Yuletide remarks from the 45th and soon to be 47th president. At the White House Christmas Tree lighting ceremony on Dec. 5, 2019, Donald J. Trump said: “More than 2,000 years ago, a brilliant star shone in the East. Wise men traveled far, far afield. … And they came and they stood with us under the star, where they found the Holy Family in Bethlehem. As the Bible tells us, when the Wise Men ‘had come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary, his mother, and fell down and worshiped him.’

“Christians give thanks that the Son of God came into the world to save humanity. Jesus Christ inspires us to love one another with hearts full of generosity and grace. … As one grateful nation, we praise the joy of family, the blessings of freedom, and the miracle of Christmas.”

It truly is the most wonderful time of the year – from your house, my house, to the White House. Merry Christmas!

(Hat tip to Bill Federer and his “America’s God and Country,” for help with this column.)