Merry Christmas everybody! Now, we're not going to take much of your time because today is about family and being together with the ones you love.

 

And luckily for me, that means I get a little help on the weekly address, too. The holidays at the White House are such a wonderful time of year.

 

We fill the halls with decorations,Christmas trees, and carolers-and this year, we invited morethan 65,000 people to join us. Our theme was "A Children's Winter Wonderland" -- and Americans young and old had achance to come together and celebrate the season.

 

And today, our family will join millions across the country in celebrating the birth of Jesus-the birth not just of a baby in a manger,but of a message that has changed the world: to reach out to the sick; the hungry; the troubled; and above all else, to love one another as we would be loved ourselves.

 

We hope that this holiday season will be a chance for us to live out that message to bridge our differences and lift up our families, friends, and neighbors and to reconnect with the values that bind¹ us together. And as a country, that also means celebrating and honoring³ those who have served and sacrificedfor all of us -- our troops, veterans⁴, and their families.

 

In just a few days, our combat⁵ mission⁶ in Afghanistan will be over. Our longest war will come to a responsible end. And that gives us an opportunity to step back and reflect upon all that these families have given us. We're able to gather with family and friends because our troops are willing to hug their goodbye and step forward to serve. After a long day, we can comehome because they're willing to leave their families and deploy⁷. We can celebrate the holidaysbecause they're willing to miss their own.

 

And so, as our troops continue to transition⁸ back home -- back to our businesses, our schools, our congregations, and our communities. It's up to all of us to servethem as well as they have served us.

 

You can visit JoiningForces.gov to find out how you can honor² and support the troops, veterans and military families in your communities. That's something we can do not only during the holiday season, but all year round.

 

So Merry Christmas, everybody. May God bless you all. And we wish you andyour family a happy and healthy 2015.

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