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National Christmas Tree Lighting 12/14/89 [OA 3540]
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administrative marker by the George Bush Presidential
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George H.W. Bush Presidential Records
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Speechwriting, White House Office of
Series:
Speech File Draft Files
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Chron File, 1989-1993
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13514-006
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National Christmas Tree Lighting 12/14/89 [OA 3540]
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6
6
6
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
December 14, 1989
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
AT LIGHTING CEREMONY OF THE NATIONAL CHRISTMAS TREE
The Ellipse
5:50 P.M. EST
THE PRESIDENT: Well, my special thanks to Santa Claus.
That Santa mold will never be the same again. (Laughter.) But to
Loretta and -- first, to Willard Scott, and then to Loretta and
Peggy, Tommy Tune, Marilyn McKoo and Billy Davis, the great Air Force
Band, and this marvelous team from Roanoke.
This is the Christmas that we've awaited for 50 years.
And across Europe, East and West, 1989 is ending, bright with the
prospect of a far better Christmastime than Europe has ever known. A
far better future than the world dared to imagine. And 50 winters
have come and gone since darkness closed over Europe in 1939 -- 50
years. But last month, as Lech Walesa was coming to the White House,
the Wall in Berlin came tumbling down.
And another winter descended across Europe. Spring
returned to Prague, an unconquerable people, unquenchable dreams.
And today there's a new sound at the Wall -- new sound rings out.
Not the hammer and sickle, but the hammer and the chisel. The glad
sound you hear is not only the bells of Christmas, but also the bells
of freedom.
And in this new season of hope, the triumph looms. It's
just like the joy of Christmas; not a triumph for one particular
country or one particular religion, but a triumph for all humankind.
The holidays are, as we've seen here tonight, a time of laughter and
children and counting our blessings. A time when songs fill the air
and hope fills our hearts for peace on Earth, goodwill to men.
And we've worked hard this year, all of us, all of you,
to help build a better America, help someone else, help make this a
kinder and gentler nation. But there remains a world of need all
around us. In this holiday season, reach out to someone right where
you live, because from now on in America there's no room at the inn
-- that's simply not an acceptable answer -- from now on in America,
any definition of a successful life must include serving others. For
Christmas is measured not by what's beneath your tree, but by what's
inside your heart.
And so this year, the spirit of the holidays is at long
last matched by the spirit of the time. And it's the beginning of a
new decade at the ending of an old century. And whatever your dream,
whatever star you're following, the future is bright with
possibility.
So Barbara and I want to wish all of you a very merry
Christmas. And now, with simultaneous tree lightings from coast to
coast, in Charleston and Santa Cruz, let's show our "thousand points
of light." Let's turn on the National Christmas Tree.
(The tree is lit.) (Applause.)
END
5:55 P.M. EST
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
December 14, 1989
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
AT LIGHTING CEREMONY OF THE NATIONAL CHRISTMAS TREE
The Ellipse
5:50 P.M. EST
THE PRESIDENT: Well, my special thanks to Santa Claus.
That Santa mold will never be the same again. (Laughter.) But to
Loretta and -- first, to Willard Scott, and then to Loretta and
Peggy, Tommy Tune, Marilyn McKoo and Billy Davis, the great Air Force
Band, and this marvelous team from Roanoke.
This is the Christmas that we've awaited for 50 years.
And across Europe, East and West, 1989 is ending, bright with the
prospect of a far better Christmastime than Europe has ever known. A
far better future than the world dared to imagine. And 50 winters
have come and gone since darkness closed over Europe in 1939 -- 50
years. But last month, as Lech Walesa was coming to the White House,
the Wall in Berlin came tumbling down.
And another winter descended across Europe. Spring
returned to Prague, an unconquerable people, unquenchable dreams.
And today there's a new sound at the Wall -- new sound rings out.
Not the hammer and sickle, but the hammer and the chisel. The glad
sound you hear is not only the bells of Christmas, but also the bells
of freedom.
And in this new season of hope, the triumph looms. It's
just like the joy of Christmas; not a triumph for one particular
country or one particular religion, but a triumph for all humankind.
The holidays are, as we've seen here tonight, a time of laughter and
children and counting our blessings. A time when songs fill the air
and hope fills our hearts for peace on Earth, goodwill to men.
And we've worked hard this year, all of us, all of you,
to help build a better America, help someone else, help make this a
kinder and gentler nation. But there remains a world of need all
around us. In this holiday season, reach out to someone right where
you live, because from now on in America there's no room at the inn
-- that's simply not an acceptable answer -- from now on in America,
any definition of a successful life must include serving others. For
Christmas is measured not by what's beneath your tree, but by what's
inside your heart.
And so this year, the spirit of the holidays is at long
last matched by the spirit of the time. And it's the beginning of a
new decade at the ending of an old century. And whatever your dream,
whatever star you're following, the future is bright with
possibility.
So Barbara and I want to wish all of you a very merry
Christmas. And now, with simultaneous tree lightings from coast to
coast, in Charleston and Santa Cruz, let's show our "thousand points
of light." Let's turn on the National Christmas Tree.
(The tree is lit.) (Applause.)
END
5:55 P.M. EST
McNally/Simon
December 13, 1989
Draft SIX (B:X-MAS)
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: NATIONAL CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTING
THE ELLIPSE
THURSDAY, DEC. 14, 1989, 5:45 P.M.
This is the Christmas we've awaited for 50 years. 333
Across Europe -- East and West --- 1989 is ending bright with
the prospect of a far better Christmas than Europe has ever
known, a far better future than the world dared to imagine. 33
Fifty winters have come and gone since darkness closed over
Europe in 1939. 33 But last month, as Lech Walesa came to
America, the Wall in Berlin came tumbling down. And as another
winter descended across Europe -- spring returned to Prague. 333
Unconquerable people. 33 Unquenchable dreams. 33
Today at the Wall a new sound rings out. Not the hammer and
sickle -- but the hammer and chisel. The glad sound you hear is
not only the bells of Christmas -- but also the bells of freedom.
And in this new season of hope, the triumph that looms is
like the joy of Christmas. It is not a triumph for one
particular country or one particular religion -- but a triumph
for all humankind. 333
The holidays are a time of laughter and children and
counting our blessings. A time when songs fill the air, and hope
fills our hearts for peace on Earth, good will to all.
We've worked hard this year to help build a better America,
to make this a kinder; gentler nation. But there remains a world
of need all around us. This holiday season, reach out to someone
right where you live. Because from now on in America, "there's
2
no room at the inn" is simply not an acceptable answer. From now
on in America, any definition of a successful life must include
serving others. 33
For Christmas is measured not by what's beneath your tree,
but by what's inside your heart. 333 This year, the spirit of
the holidays is at long last matched by the spirit of the times.
33 It is the beginning of a new decade -- and the end of an old
century. Whatever your dream, whatever star you're following --
the future is bright with possibilities. 33
Merry Christmas to you all. And special Christmas thanks to
Willard Scott, Loretta Lynn, Tommy Tune, the Air Force Band and
all of you who helped. And now -- with simultaneous tree
lightings from coast to coast, in Charleston and Santa Cruz,
let's show you the "Thousand Points of Light." Let's turn on the
National Christmas Tree. 3333
#
#
#
097228SS
Document No.
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
12/12/89
NOON, WED., DEC. 13
DATE:
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY:
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: NATIONAL CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTING
THE ELLIPSE
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 14, 1989
SUBJECT:
5:45 PM
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE N/C
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER N/C
DARMAN
ROGICH
BATES N/C
UNTERMEYER
CARD
ROGERS
CICCONI
WINSTON
PINKERTON N/C
DEMAREST
PORTER ROSE
FITZWATER
GRAY N/C
PETERSMEYER
HAGIN
REMARKS:
Please provide comments/edits on the attached directly
to Chriss Winston, Room 122, x2930, NO LATER THAN
12:00 NOON, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 13. Thank you.
RESPONSE:
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
McNally/Simon
1989 DEC 12 PM 6: 40
December 12, 1989
Draft Four (B:X-MAS)
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: NATIONAL CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTING
THE ELLIPSE
McNAlly
THURSDAY, DEC. 14, 1989, 5:45 P.M.
I
insert
Like every house, the White House is alive with holiday
traditions, traditions that endear, traditions that endure. And
though tonight's tradition, the lighting of the tree, is an old
one, this is no ordinary Christmas. III
This is the Christmas we've awaited for 50 years. \\\
across Europe- - Eastand west-
From the Atlantic to the Urals, 1989 is ending bright with
the prospect of a far better Christmas than Europe has ever
imagine
known, a far better future than the world dared to dream.
\\
Half a century ago there began in Central Europe a struggle
that left as its legacy a divided Berlin, a divided Germany, a
divided Europe. World War II also became the great divide for my
generation, a touchstone against which we would forever measure
time and change. \\\
I think of Christmas Eve 1944. More than 10 million
Americans in uniform. President Roosevelt lit the National Tree
with the same electric switch I have here tonight.
As Roosevelt spoke I was aboard a train. 20 years old.
Crossed an ocean and a continent to get home. We stopped outside
New York, and my fiance, Barbara, climbed on board. And when we
joined my parents there was laughter and tears, hugs and joy, the
love and warmth of family during the holidays.
For us the war was over. \\ But for half of Europe, the
haunt
war and its aftermath was to consume three generations. 11
2
Christmas 1948 saw the Berlin Airlift. In 1955, Radio Free
Europe broadcast President Eisenhower's message behind the Iron
Curtain. He told them: "During the Christmas season, I want you
to know that the American people share your faith that right,
in the end, will prevail -- to bring you once again among the
free nations of the world."
And on Christmas Eve 1981, we kept a candle burning all
night in the White House, in solidarity with the Polish people.
suce descuss closed over European 1939.
Today fifty winters have come and gone And But last month,
as Lech Walesa came to America, the Wall in Berlin came tumbling
down. And as another winter descended across Europe --
spring returned to Prague.
Unconquerable people. Unquenchable dreams.
Today at the Wall a new sound rings out. Not the hammer and
sickle -- but the hammer and chisel. The glad sound you hear is
not only the bells of Christmas -- but also the bells of freedom.
And the triumph that looms is like the joy of Christmas. It
is not a triumph for one particular country or one particular
religion -- but a triumph for all humankind.
\\\
Tradition has it that the Christmas tree began almost 500
years ago, when Martin Luther was walking through the snowy woods
and was struck by the sight of brilliant, winter-white stars
twinkling through the snowy branches of a live evergreen.
And so it is especially appropriate that we gather this year
to light a living tree, a tree whose branches are hung with a
thousand stars, a thousand points of light.
3
The holidays are a time of laughter and children. A time
when songs fill the air, and hope fills our hearts.
We've worked hard this year to help build a better America,
to make this a kinder, gentler nation. But there remains a world
of need all around us. And when we say the times present
opportunities for great and historic change, it's not only in
Eastern Europe. It's right here at home, where "People Power"
can also do a world of good, in places like Charleston and Santa
Cruz, where thousands pitched in when disaster struck, and where
trees will be lighted simultaneously with the National Tree here.
This holiday season, reach out to someone right where you
live. The hungry and the afflicted. The lonely, the aged and
the young. Those who are illiterate. And those who, like Mary
and Joseph, simply have no place for their family to sleep.
Because from now on in America, "there's no room at the inn"
is simply not an acceptable answer. And from now on in America,
any definition of a successful life must include serving others.
For Christmas is measured not by what's beneath your tree,
but by what's inside your heart.
In the deep December dusk of Christmas Eve, as the churches
and the streets empty out into the night, a winter stillness
descends gently across the land. Driving by the farms and the
cities, the windows all look the same. But inside each house and
apartment there are people with stories to tell, there are
families bound together in hope and love.
4
And in the still of the night, in the fading glow of the
family Christmas tree and the rich, warm-wax smell of candles
just gone out, parents stand alone beside their sleeping
children. With hope in their hearts, a whispered prayer on their
lips, they brush the hair from the eyes of the innocents. And in
that moment, perhaps, we see what is eternal in Christmas -- and
in ourselves.
This year, the spirit of the holidays is at long last
matched by the spirit of the times. And tonight the Star of
Bethlehem and the candles of the menorah still cast their light
in every corner of the world, with a timeless message of hope and
renewal that radiates to people of all faiths.
It is the beginning of a new decade -- and the end of an old
century. Whatever your dream, whatever star you're following --
the future is bright with possibilities.
Merry Christmas to you all. And now, let's turn on the
National Christmas Tree.
#
#
#
097228SS
Document No.
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
12/12/89
NOON, WED., DEC. 13
DATE:
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY:
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: NATIONAL CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTING
THE ELLIPSE
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 14, 1989
SUBJECT:
5:45 PM
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
ROGICH
BATES
UNTERMEYER
CARD
ROGERS
CICCONI
WINSTON
PINKERTON
DEMAREST
PORTER ROSE
FITZWATER
PETERSMEYER
GRAY
HAGIN
REMARKS:
Please provide comments/edits on the attached directly
to Chriss Winston, Room 122, x2930, NO LATER THAN
12:00 NOON, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 13. Thank you.
RESPONSE:
No Comments 12/13/89
25 : Olv
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
McNally/Simon
1989 DEC 12 PM 6: 40
December 12, 1989
Draft Four (B:X-MAS)
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: NATIONAL CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTING
THE ELLIPSE
THURSDAY, DEC. 14, 1989, 5:45 P.M.
Like every house, the White House is alive with holiday
traditions, traditions that endear, traditions that endure. And
though tonight's tradition, the lighting of the tree, is an old
one, this is no ordinary Christmas. 111
This is the Christmas we've awaited for 50 years.
From the Atlantic to the Urals, 1989 is ending bright with
the prospect of a far better Christmas than Europe has ever
known, a far better future than the world dared to dream.
11
Half a century ago there began in Central Europe a struggle
that left as its legacy a divided Berlin, a divided Germany, a
divided Europe. World War II also became the great divide for my
generation, a touchstone against which we would forever measure
time and change. III
I think of Christmas Eve 1944. More than 10 million
Americans in uniform. President Roosevelt lit the National Tree
with the same electric switch I have here tonight.
As Roosevelt spoke I was aboard a train. 20 years old.
Crossed an ocean and a continent to get home. We stopped outside
New York, and my fiance, Barbara, climbed on board. And when we
joined my parents there was laughter and tears, hugs and joy, the
love and warmth of family during the holidays.
For us the war was over. 11 But for half of Europe, the
war and its aftermath was to consume three generations.
2
Christmas 1948 saw the Berlin Airlift. In 1955, Radio Free
Europe broadcast President Eisenhower's message behind the Iron
Curtain. He told them: "During the Christmas season, I want you
to know that the American people
share your faith that right,
in the end, will prevail -- to bring you once again among the
free nations of the world. "
And on Christmas Eve 1981, we kept a candle burning all
night in the White House, in solidarity with the Polish people.
Today fifty winters have come and gone. And last month,
as Lech Walesa came to America, the Wall in Berlin came tumbling
down.
And as another winter descended across Europe --
spring returned to Prague.
Unconquerable people. Unquenchable dreams.
Today at the Wall a new sound rings out. Not the hammer and
sickle -- but the hammer and chisel. The glad sound you hear is
not only the bells of Christmas -- but also the bells of freedom.
And the triumph that looms is like the joy of Christmas. It
is not a triumph for one particular country or one particular
religion -- but a triumph for all humankind.
Tradition has it that the Christmas tree began almost 500
years ago, when Martin Luther was walking through the snowy woods
and was struck by the sight of brilliant, winter-white stars
twinkling through the snowy branches of a live evergreen.
And so it is especially appropriate that we gather this year
to light a living tree, a tree whose branches are hung with a
thousand stars, a thousand points of light.
3
The holidays are a time of laughter and children. A time
when songs fill the air, and hope fills our hearts.
We've worked hard this year to help build a better America,
to make this a kinder, gentler nation. But there remains a world
of need all around us. And when we say the times present
opportunities for great and historic change, it's not only in
Eastern Europe. It's right here at home, where "People Power"
can also do a world of good, in places like Charleston and Santa
Cruz, where thousands pitched in when disaster struck, and where
trees will be lighted simultaneously with the National Tree here.
This holiday season, reach out to someone right where you
live. The hungry and the afflicted. The lonely, the aged and
the young. Those who are illiterate. And those who, like Mary
and Joseph, simply have no place for their family to sleep.
Because from now on in America, "there's no room at the inn"
is simply not an acceptable answer. And from now on in America,
any definition of a successful life must include serving others.
For Christmas is measured not by what's beneath your tree,
but by what's inside your heart.
In the deep December dusk of Christmas Eve, as the churches
and the streets empty out into the night, a winter stillness
descends gently across the land. Driving by the farms and the
cities, the windows all look the same. But inside each house and
apartment there are people with stories to tell, there are
families bound together in hope and love.
4
And in the still of the night, in the fading glow of the
family Christmas tree and the rich, warm-wax smell of candles
just gone out, parents stand alone beside their sleeping
children. With hope in their hearts, a whispered prayer on their
lips, they brush the hair from the eyes of the innocents. And in
that moment, perhaps, we see what is eternal in Christmas -- and
in ourselves.
This year, the spirit of the holidays is at long last
matched by the spirit of the times. And tonight the Star of
Bethlehem and the candles of the menorah still cast their light
in every corner of the world, with a timeless message of hope and
renewal that radiates to people of all faiths.
It is the beginning of a new decade -- and the end of an old
century. Whatever your dream, whatever star you're following --
the future is bright with possibilities.
Merry Christmas to you all. And now, let's turn on the
National Christmas Tree.
#
#
#
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
December 13, 1989
MEMORANDUM FOR CHRISS WINSTON
FROM:
ROGER B. PORTER
RBP
SUBJECT:
Presidential Remarks: National Christmas Tree
Lighting
Another fine job by the speechwriting staff. The remarks
are very nicely done and evoke the true spirit and meaning of
Christmas. We have no suggested changes from a policy
standpoint and approve of the draft in its present form.
CC: James W. Cicconi
25 : Olv №103068
097228SS
Document No.
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
12/12/89
DATE:
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY: NOON, WED., DEC. 13
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: NATIONAL CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTING
THE ELLIPSE
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 14, 1989
SUBJECT:
5:45 PM
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
ROGICH
BATES
UNTERMEYER
CARD
ROGERS
CICCONI
WINSTON
PINKERTON
DEMAREST
PORTER ROSE
FITZWATER
PETERSMEYER
GRAY
HAGIN
REMARKS:
Please provide comments/edits on the attached directly
to Chriss Winston, Room 122, x2930, NO LATER THAN
12:00 NOON, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 13. Thank you.
RESPONSE:
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
McNally/Simon
1989 DEC 12 PM 6: 40
December 12, 1989
Draft Four (B:X-MAS)
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: NATIONAL CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTING
THE ELLIPSE
THURSDAY, DEC. 14, 1989, 5:45 P.M.
Like every house, the White House is alive with holiday
traditions, traditions that endear, traditions that endure. And
though tonight's tradition, the lighting of the tree, is an old
one, this is no ordinary Christmas.
This is the Christmas we've awaited for 50 years.
From the Atlantic to the Urals, 1989 is ending bright with
the prospect of a far better Christmas than Europe has ever
known, a far better future than the world dared to dream.
Half a century ago there began in Central Europe a struggle
that left as its legacy a divided Berlin, a divided Germany, a
divided Europe. World War II also became the great divide for my
generation, a touchstone against which we would forever measure
time and change.
I think of Christmas Eve 1944. More than 10 million
Americans in uniform. President Roosevelt lit the National Tree
with the same electric switch I have here tonight.
As Roosevelt spoke I was aboard a train. 20 years old.
Crossed an ocean and a continent to get home. We stopped outside
New York, and my fiance, Barbara, climbed on board. And when we
joined my parents there was laughter and tears, hugs and joy, the
love and warmth of family during the holidays.
For us the war was over. 11 But for half of Europe, the
war and its aftermath was to consume three generations. \\
2
Christmas 1948 saw the Berlin Airlift. In 1955, Radio Free
Europe broadcast President Eisenhower's message behind the Iron
Curtain. He told them: "During the Christmas season, I want you
to know that the American people
share your faith that right,
in the end, will prevail -- to bring you once again among the
free nations of the world.'
And on Christmas Eve 1981, we kept a candle burning all
night in the White House, in solidarity with the Polish people.
Today fifty winters have come and gone. And last month,
as Lech Walesa came to America, the Wall in Berlin came tumbling
down.
And as another winter descended across Europe --
spring returned to Prague.
Unconquerable people.
Unquenchable dreams.
Today at the Wall a new sound rings out. Not the hammer and
sickle -- but the hammer and chisel. The glad sound you hear is
not only the bells of Christmas -- but also the bells of freedom.
And the triumph that looms is like the joy of Christmas. It
is not a triumph for one particular country or one particular
religion -- but a triumph for all humankind.
Tradition has it that the Christmas tree began almost 500
years ago, when Martin Luther was walking through the snowy woods
and was struck by the sight of brilliant, winter-white stars
twinkling through the snowy branches of a live evergreen.
And so it is especially appropriate that we gather this year
to light a living tree, a tree whose branches are hung with a
thousand stars, a thousand points of light.
3
The holidays are a time of laughter and children. A time
when songs fill the air, and hope fills our hearts.
We've worked hard this year to help build a better America,
to make this a kinder, gentler nation. But there remains a world
of need all around us. And when we say the times present
opportunities for great and historic change, it's not only in
Eastern Europe. It's right here at home, where "People Power"
can also do a world of good, in places like Charleston and Santa
Cruz, where thousands pitched in when disaster struck, and where
trees will be lighted simultaneously with the National Tree here.
This holiday season, reach out to someone right where you
live. The hungry and the afflicted. The lonely, the aged and
the young. Those who are illiterate. And those who, like Mary
and Joseph, simply have no place for their family to sleep.
Because from now on in America, "there's no room at the inn"
is simply not an acceptable answer. And from now on in America,
any definition of a successful life must include serving others.
For Christmas is measured not by what's beneath your tree,
but by what's inside your heart.
In the deep December dusk of Christmas Eve, as the churches
and the streets empty out into the night, a winter stillness
descends gently across the land. Driving by the farms and the
cities, the windows all look the same. But inside each house and
apartment there are people with stories to tell, there are
families bound together in hope and love.
4
And in the still of the night, in the fading glow of the
family Christmas tree and the rich, warm-wax smell of candles
just gone out, parents stand alone beside their sleeping
children. With hope in their hearts, a whispered prayer on their
lips, they brush the hair from the eyes of the innocents. And in
that moment, perhaps, we see what is eternal in Christmas -- and
in ourselves.
This year, the spirit of the holidays is at long last
matched by the spirit of the times. And tonight the Star of
Bethlehem and the candles of the menorah still cast their light
in every corner of the world, with a timeless message of hope and
renewal that radiates to people of all faiths.
It is the beginning of a new decade -- and the end of an old
century. Whatever your dream, whatever star you're following --
the future is bright with possibilities.
Merry Christmas to you all. And now, let's turn on the
National Christmas Tree.
#
#
#
R PART OF TWO YEARS, MOTHERS AND FATHERS ACROSS
McNally
LED TO TELL THEIR KIDS WHAT THE HECK THE
,HEN HE SAYS "A THOUSAND POINTS OF LIGHT." 11
comments
WELL THERE II IS! 1111
McNally/Simon
December 12, 1989
Draft Four (B:X-MAS)
EMARKS: NATIONAL CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTING
THE ELLIPSE
THURSDAY, DEC. 14, 1989, 5:45 P.M.
se, the White House is alive with holiday
ons that endear, traditions that endure. And
adition, the lighting of the tree, is an old
one, this is no ordinary Christmas.
This is the Christmas we've awaited for 50 years.
From the Atlantic to the Urals, 1989 is ending bright with
the prospect of a far better Christmas than Europe has ever
known, a far better future than the world dared to dream.
\\
Half a century ago there began in Central Europe a struggle
that left as its legacy a divided Berlin, a divided Germany, a
divided Europe. World War II also became the great divide for my
generation, a touchstone against which we would forever measure
time and change.
I think of Christmas Eve 1944. More than 10 million
Americans in uniform. President Roosevelt lit the National Tree
with the same electric switch I have here tonight.
As Roosevelt spoke I was aboard a train. 20 years old.
Crossed an ocean and a continent to get home. We stopped outside
New York, and my fiance, Barbara, climbed on board. And when we
joined my parents there was laughter and tears, hugs and joy, the
love and warmth of family during the holidays.
For us the war was over. \\ But for half of Europe, the
war and its aftermath was to consume three generations.
And today that lone candle has grown to fill the
cobbled squares of ancient Europe, and give light to
this new season of 2 hope.
Christmas 1948 saw the Berlin Airlift. In 1955, Radio Free
Europe broadcast President Eisenhower's message behind the Iron
Curtain. He told them: "During the Christmas season, I want you
to know that the American people share your faith that right,
in the end, will prevail -- to bring you once again among the
free nations of the world.'
And on Christmas Eve 1981, we kept a candle burning all
night in the White House, in solidarity with the Polish people.
Today fifty winters have come and gone.
And last month,
as V Lech Walesa came to America the Wall in Berlin came tumbling
down. And as another winter descended across Europe --
spring returned to Prague.
11
Unconquerable people. Unquenchable dreams. 11
Today at the Wall a new sound rings out. Not the hammer and
sickle -- but the hammer and chisel. The glad sound you hear is
not only the bells of Christmas -- but also the bells of freedom.
And the triumph that looms is like the joy of Christmas. It
is not a triumph for one particular country or one particular
religion -- but a triumph for all humankind. \\\
Tradition has it that the Christmas tree began almost 500
years ago, when Martin Luther was walking through the snowy woods
and was struck by the sight of brilliant, winter-white stars
twinkling through the snowy branches of a live evergreen.
And so it is especially appropriate that we gather this year
to light a living tree, a tree whose branches are hung with a
thousand stars, a thousand points of light.
3
The holidays are a time of laughter and children. A time
when songs fill the air, and hope fills our hearts.
We've worked hard this year to help build a better America,
to make this a kinder, gentler nation. But there remains a world
of need all around us. And when we say the times present
opportunities for great and historic change, it's not only in
Eastern Europe. It's right here at home, where "People Power"
can also do a world of good, in places like Charleston and Santa
Cruz, where thousands pitched in when disaster struck, and where
trees will be lighted simultaneously with the National Tree here.
This holiday season, reach out to someone right where you
live. The hungry and the afflicted. The lonely, the aged and
the young. Those who are illiterate. And those who, like Mary
and Joseph, simply have no place for their family to sleep.
Because from now on in America, "there's no room at the inn"
is simply not an acceptable answer. And from now on in America,
any definition of a successful life must include serving others.
For Christmas is measured not by what's beneath your tree,
but by what's inside your heart.
In the deep December dusk of Christmas Eve, as the churches
and the streets empty out into the night, a winter stillness
descends gently across the land. Driving by the farms and the
cities, the windows all look the same. But inside each house and
apartment there are people with stories to tell, there are
families bound together in hope and love.
4
And in the still of the night, in the fading glow of the
family Christmas tree and the rich, warm-wax smell of candles
just gone out, parents stand alone beside their sleeping
children. With hope in their hearts, a whispered prayer on their
lips, they brush the hair from the eyes of the innocents. And in
that moment, perhaps, we see what is eternal in Christmas -- and
in ourselves.
This year, the spirit of the holidays is at long last
matched by the spirit of the times. And tonight the Star of
Bethlehem and the candles of the menorah still cast their light
in every corner of the world, with a timeless message of hope and
renewal that radiates to people of all faiths.
It is the beginning of a new decade -- and the end of an old
century. Whatever your dream, whatever star you're following --
the future is bright with possibilities.
Merry Christmas to you all. And now, let's turn on the
National Christmas Tree.
#
#
#
December 13, 1989
INFORMATION
MEMORANDUM FOR THE PRESIDENT
THROUGH:
CHRISS WINSTON
FROM:
EDWARD McNALLY
SUBJECT:
REMARKS: NATIONAL CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTING
I. SUMMARY
Attached are draft remarks for tomorrow evening's
address at the National Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony.
II. DISCUSSION
20
At 5: p.m. on Thursday, December 14, 1989, you are
scheduled to arrive onstage at the Ellipse to address a gathering
of an estimated 4-10,000 people. Although many will be guests of
the White House and Congress, the event is open to the public.
Your address is the highlight of a holiday celebration
that includes Master of Ceremonies Willard Scott, Loretta Lynn,
Tommy Tune, and the Air Force Band. There is special drama in
the event not only because this is your first Christmas as
President, but also because you will be the first President in 10
years to actually go down to the Ellipse to light the tree.
The remarks reflect on the extraordinary events of the
first year of your Presidency and the "new season of hope" that
many parts of Eastern Europe will celebrate this Christmas. In
keeping with your guidance to David Demarest about including
family references in some of your holiday remarks we have also
borrowed from your Life magazine account of your Christmas Eve
homecoming in 1944.
The remarks also renew your call for "A Thousand Points
of Light" here at home, calling on Americans to "reach out to
someone right where you live" this holiday season.
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
Date: 12/13/89
TO:
Cleriss Winston
FROM:
CLARK KENT ERVIN
Office of National Service
CIOS
x6266
Action
Your Comment
Let's Talk
FYI
I think that this is a supects
Speed,
097228SS
Document No.
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
12/12/89
DATE:
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY: NOON, WED., DEC. 13
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: NATIONAL CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTING
THE ELLIPSE
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 14, 1989
SUBJECT:
5:45 PM
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
ROGICH
BATES
UNTERMEYER
CARD
ROGERS
CICCONI
WINSTON
PINKERTON
DEMAREST
PORTER ROSE
FITZWATER
PETERSMEYER
GRAY
HAGIN
REMARKS:
Please provide comments/edits on the attached directly
to Chriss Winston, Room 122, x2930, NO LATER THAN
12:00 NOON, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 13. Thank you.
RESPONSE:
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
McNally/Simon
1989 DEC 12 PM 6: 40
December 12, 1989
Draft Four (B:X-MAS)
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: NATIONAL CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTING
THE ELLIPSE
THURSDAY, DEC. 14, 1989, 5:45 P.M.
Like every house, the White House is alive with holiday
traditions, traditions that endear, traditions that endure. And
though tonight's tradition, the lighting of the tree, is an old
one, this is no ordinary Christmas.
This is the Christmas we've awaited for 50 years.
imagine
From the Atlantic to the Urals, 1989 is ending bright with
the prospect of a far better Christmas than Europe has ever
known, a far better future than the world dared to dream.
Half a century ago there began in Central Europe a struggle
that left as its legacy a divided Berlin, a divided Germany, a
divided Europe. World War II also became the great divide for my
generation, a touchstone against which we would forever measure
time and change.
\\\
I think of Christmas Eve 1944. More than 10 million
Americans in uniform. President Roosevelt lit the National Tree
with the same electric switch I have here tonight.
As Roosevelt spoke I was aboard a train. 20 years old.
Crossed an ocean and a continent to get home. We stopped outside
New York, and my fiance, Barbara, climbed on board. And when we
joined my parents there was laughter and tears, hugs and joy, the
love and warmth of family during the holidays.
For us the war was over. But for half of Europe, the
war and its aftermath was to consume hannt three generations.
2
Christmas 1948 saw the Berlin Airlift. In 1955, Radio Free
Europe broadcast President Eisenhower's message behind the Iron
Curtain. He told them: "During the Christmas season, I want you
to know that the American people share your faith that right,
in the end, will prevail -- to bring you once again among the
free nations of the world. "
And on Christmas Eve 1981, we kept a candle burning all
night in the White House, in solidarity with the Polish people.
Today fifty winters have come and gone.
And last month,
as Lech Walesa came to America, the Wall in Berlin came tumbling
down.
And as another winter descended across Europe --
spring returned to Prague.
Unconquerable people. Unquenchable dreams.
Today at the Wall a new sound rings out. Not the hammer and
sickle -- but the hammer and chisel. The glad sound you hear is
not only the bells of Christmas -- but also the bells of freedom.
And the triumph that looms is like the joy of Christmas. It
is not a triumph for one particular country or one particular
religion -- but a triumph for all humankind.
Tradition has it that the Christmas tree began almost 500
years ago, when Martin Luther was walking through the snowy woods
and was struck by the sight of brilliant, winter-white stars
twinkling through the snowy branches of a live evergreen.
And so it is especially appropriate that we gather this year
to light a living tree, a tree whose branches are hung with a
thousand stars, a thousand points of light.
3
The holidays are a time of laughter and children. A time
when songs fill the air, and hope fills our hearts.
We've worked hard this year to help build a better America,
to make this a kinder, gentler nation. But there remains a world
of need all around us. And when we say the times present
opportunities for great and historic change, it's not only in
Eastern Europe. It's right here at home, where "People Power"
can also do a world of good, in places like Charleston and Santa
Cruz, where thousands pitched in when disaster struck, and where
trees will be lighted simultaneously with the National Tree here.
This holiday season, reach out to someone right where you
live. The hungry and the afflicted. The lonely, the aged and
the young. Those who are illiterate. And those who, like Mary
and Joseph, simply have no place for their family to sleep.
Because from now on in America, "there's no room at the inn"
and Baby the
is simply not an acceptable answer. And from now on in America,
any definition of a successful life must include serving others.
Jonel
For Christmas is measured not by what's beneath your tree,
but by what's inside your heart.
In the deep December dusk of Christmas Eve, as the churches
and the streets empty out into the night, a winter stillness
descends gently across the land. Driving by the farms and the
cities, the windows all look the same. But inside each house and
apartment there are people with stories to tell, there are
families bound together in hope and love.
4
And in the still of the night, in the fading glow of the
family Christmas tree and the rich, warm-wax smell of candles
just gone out, parents stand alone beside their sleeping
children. With hope in their hearts, a whispered prayer on their
lips, they brush the hair from the eyes of the innocents. And in
that moment, perhaps, we see what is eternal in Christmas -- and
in ourselves.
This year, the spirit of the holidays is at long last
matched by the spirit of the times. And tonight the Star of
Bethlehem and the candles of the menorah still cast their light
in every corner of the world, with a timeless message of hope and
renewal that radiates to people of all faiths.
It is the beginning of a new decade -- and the end of an old
century. Whatever your dream, whatever star you're following --
the future is bright with possibilities.
Merry Christmas to you all. And now, let's turn on the
National Christmas Tree.
#
#
#
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
December 13, 1989
MEMORANDUM FOR CHRISS WINSTON
DEPUTY ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT FOR
COMMUNICATIONS
FROM:
JAY S. BYBEE got
ASSOCIATE COUNSEL TO THE PRESIDENT
SUBJECT:
Presidential Remarks: National Christmas Tree
Lighting
Counsel's office has reviewed the above-referenced matter. We
have no legal objections.
Thank you for the opportunity to comment on this matter.
097228SS
Document No.
10002
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
12/12/89
DATE:
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY: NOON, WED., DEC. 13
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: NATIONAL CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTING
THE ELLIPSE
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 14, 1989
SUBJECT:
5:45 PM
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
ROGICH
BATES
UNTERMEYER
CARD
ROGERS
CICCONI
WINSTON
PINKERTON
DEMAREST
PORTER ROSE
FITZWATER
PETERSMEYER
GRAY
HAGIN
REMARKS:
Please provide comments/edits on the attached directly
to Chriss Winston, Room 122, x2930, NO LATER THAN
12:00 NOON, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 13. Thank you.
RESPONSE:
December 13, 1989
TO:
CHRISS WINSTON
NSC concurs with the Presidential remarks for the national Christmas
tree lighting with the change and comments noted.
Brent Scowcroft
Rates for
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
CC: James W. Cicconi
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
89 DEC 13 A 7: 22
McNally/Simon
1989 DEC 12 PM 6: 40
December 12, 1989
Draft Four (B:X-MAS)
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: NATIONAL CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTING
THE ELLIPSE
THURSDAY, DEC. 14, 1989, 5:45 P.M.
Like every house, the White House is alive with holiday
traditions, traditions that endear, traditions that endure. And
though tonight's tradition, the lighting of the tree, is an old
one, this is no ordinary Christmas.
This is the Christmas we've awaited for 50 years.
Echoes contention a
From the Atlantic to the Urals 1989 is ending bright with
the prospect of a far better Christmas than Europe has ever
House"
known, a far better future than the world dared to dream.
Half a century ago there began in Central Europe a struggle
that left as its legacy a divided Berlin, a divided Germany, a
divided Europe. World War II also became the great divide for my
generation, a touchstone against which we would forever measure
time and change. \\\
I think of Christmas Eve 1944. More than 10 million
Americans in uniform. President Roosevelt lit the National Tree
with the same electric switch I have here tonight.
As Roosevelt spoke I was aboard a train. 20 years old.
Crossed an ocean and a continent to get home. We stopped outside
New York, and my fiance, Barbara, climbed on board. And when we
joined my parents there was laughter and tears, hugs and joy, the
love and warmth of family during the holidays.
For us the war was over. \\ But for half of Europe, the
war and its aftermath was to consume three generations.
2
Christmas 1948 saw the Berlin Airlift. In 1955, Radio Free
Europe broadcast President Eisenhower's message behind the Iron
Curtain. He told them: "During the Christmas season, I want you
to know that the American people
share your faith that right,
in the end, will prevail -- to bring you once again among the
free nations of the world. "
And on Christmas Eve 1981, we kept a candle burning all
night in the White House, in solidarity with the Polish people.
since the darkness closed over Europe is 1939.
Today fifty winters have come and gonex And last month,
CHANGE
We also untnessed the human trumph over
as Lech Walesa came to America, the Wall in Berlin came tumbling
that ugliest symbol In divided Chrose "the Berlin nall.
down. And as another winter descended across Europe --
spring returned to Prague.
In fact,
the Chistory
Unconquerable people.
Unquenchable dreams.
have of. without yielding a
Today at the Wall a new sound rings out. Not the hammer and
sickle -- but the hammer and chisel. The glad sound you hear is
tylif
not only the bells of Christmas -- but also the bells of freedom.
And the triumph that looms is like the joy of Christmas. It
is not a triumph for one particular country or one particular
religion -- but a triumph for all humankind.
Tradition has it that the Christmas tree began almost 500
years ago, when Martin Luther was walking through the snowy woods
Not Nagan?
and was struck by the sight of brilliant, winter-white stars
twinkling through the snowy branches of a live evergreen.
And so it is especially appropriate that we gather this year
to light a living tree, a tree whose branches are hung with a
thousand stars, a thousand points of light.
3
The holidays are a time of laughter and children. A time
when songs fill the air, and hope fills our hearts.
We've worked hard this year to help build a better America,
to make this a kinder, gentler nation. But there remains a world
of need all around us. And when we say the times present
opportunities for great and historic change, it's not only in
Eastern Europe. It's right here at home, where "People Power"
can also do a world of good, in places like Charleston and Santa
Cruz, where thousands pitched in when disaster struck, and where
trees will be lighted simultaneously with the National Tree here.
This holiday season, reach out to someone right where you
live. The hungry and the afflicted. The lonely, the aged and
the young. Those who are illiterate. And those who, like Mary
and Joseph, simply have no place for their family to sleep.
Because from now on in America, "there's no room at the inn"
is simply not an acceptable answer. And from now on in America,
any definition of a successful life must include serving others.
For Christmas is measured not by what's beneath your tree,
but by what's inside your heart.
In the deep December dusk of Christmas Eve, as the churches
and the streets empty out into the night, a winter stillness
descends gently across the land. Driving by the farms and the
cities, the windows all look the same. But inside each house and
apartment there are people with stories to tell, there are
families bound together in hope and love.
4
And in the still of the night, in the fading glow of the
family Christmas tree and the rich, warm-wax smell of candles
just gone out, parents stand alone beside their sleeping
children. With hope in their hearts, a whispered prayer on their
lips, they brush the hair from the eyes of the innocents. And in
that moment, perhaps, we see what is eternal in Christmas -- and
in ourselves.
This year, the spirit of the holidays is at long last
matched by the spirit of the times. And tonight the Star of
Bethlehem and the candles of the menorah still cast their light
in every corner of the world, with a timeless message of hope and
renewal that radiates to people of all faiths.
It is the beginning of a new decade -- and the end of an old
century. Whatever your dream, whatever star you're following --
the future is bright with possibilities.
Merry Christmas to you all. And now, let's turn on the
National Christmas Tree.
#
#
#
097228SS
Document No.
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
12/12/89
NOON, WED., DEC. 13
DATE:
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY:
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: NATIONAL CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTING
THE ELLIPSE
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 14, 1989
SUBJECT:
5:45 PM
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
ROGICH
BATES
UNTERMEYER
CARD
ROGERS
CICCONI
WINSTON
PINKERTON
DEMAREST
PORTER ROSE
FITZWATER
PETERSMEYER
GRAY
HAGIN
REMARKS:
Please provide comments/edits on the attached directly
to Chriss Winston, Room 122, x2930, NO LATER THAN
12:00 NOON, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 13. Thank you.
RESPONSE:
S.R.
shouldn't we
Note: They
are there.
Santa Cruz / if 3'movally
Charlotte mention And
p.3,192
we're going to
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
lite those X-MAS trees
simultaneously
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
McNally/Simon
1989 DEC 12 PM 6: 40
December 12, 1989
Draft Four (B:X-MAS)
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: NATIONAL CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTING
THE ELLIPSE
THURSDAY, DEC. 14, 1989, 5:45 P.M.
Like every house, the White House is alive with holiday
traditions, traditions that endear, traditions that endure. And
though tonight's tradition, the lighting of the tree, is an old
one, this is no ordinary Christmas.
This is the Christmas we've awaited for 50 years.
From the Atlantic to the Urals, 1989 is ending bright with
the prospect of a far better Christmas than Europe has ever
known, a far better future than the world dared to dream.
11
Half a century ago there began in Central Europe a struggle
that left as its legacy a divided Berlin, a divided Germany, a
divided Europe. World War II also became the great divide for my
generation, a touchstone against which we would forever measure
time and change.
I think of Christmas Eve 1944. More than 10 million
Americans in uniform. President Roosevelt lit the National Tree
with the same electric switch I have here tonight.
As Roosevelt spoke I was aboard a train. 20 years old.
Crossed an ocean and a continent to get home. We stopped outside
New York, and my fiance, Barbara, climbed on board. And when we
joined my parents there was laughter and tears, hugs and joy, the
love and warmth of family during the holidays.
For us the war was over. 11 But for half of Europe, the
war and its aftermath was to consume three generations.
2
Christmas 1948 saw the Berlin Airlift. In 1955, Radio Free
Europe broadcast President Eisenhower's message behind the Iron
Curtain. He told them: "During the Christmas season, I want you
to know that the American people
share your faith that right,
in the end, will prevail -- to bring you once again among the
free nations of the world."
And on Christmas Eve 1981, we kept a candle burning all
night in the White House, in solidarity with the Polish people.
Today fifty winters have come and gone. And last month,
as Lech Walesa came to America, the Wall in Berlin came tumbling
down. And as another winter descended across Europe --
spring returned to Prague.
Unconquerable people.
Unquenchable dreams.
Today at the Wall a new sound rings out. Not the hammer and
sickle -- but the hammer and chisel. The glad sound you hear is
not only the bells of Christmas -- but also the bells of freedom.
And the triumph that looms is like the joy of Christmas. It
is not a triumph for one particular country or one particular
religion -- but a triumph for all humankind.
Tradition has it that the Christmas tree began almost 500
years ago, when Martin Luther was walking through the snowy woods
and was struck by the sight of brilliant, winter-white stars
twinkling through the snowy branches of a live evergreen.
And so it is especially appropriate that we gather this year
to light a living tree, a tree whose branches are hung with a
thousand stars, a thousand points of light.
3
The holidays are a time of laughter and children. A time
when songs fill the air, and hope fills our hearts.
We've worked hard this year to help build a better America,
to make this a kinder, gentler nation. But there remains a world
of need all around us. And when we say the times present
opportunities for great and historic change, it's not only in
Eastern Europe. It's right here at home, where "People Power"
can also do a world of good, in places like Charleston and Santa
Cruz, where thousands pitched in when disaster struck, and where
trees will be lighted simultaneously with the National Tree here.
This holiday season, reach out to someone right where you
live. The hungry and the afflicted. The lonely, the aged and
the young. Those who are illiterate. And those who, like Mary
and Joseph, simply have no place for their family to sleep.
Because from now on in America, "there's no room at the inn"
is simply not an acceptable answer. And from now on in America,
any definition of a successful life must include serving others.
For Christmas is measured not by what's beneath your tree,
but by what's inside your heart.
In the deep December dusk of Christmas Eve, as the churches
and the streets empty out into the night, a winter stillness
descends gently across the land. Driving by the farms and the
cities, the windows all look the same. But inside each house and
apartment there are people with stories to tell, there are
families bound together in hope and love.
4
And in the still of the night, in the fading glow of the
family Christmas tree and the rich, warm-wax smell of candles
just gone out, parents stand alone beside their sleeping
children. With hope in their hearts, a whispered prayer on their
lips, they brush the hair from the eyes of the innocents. And in
that moment, perhaps, we see what is eternal in Christmas -- and
in ourselves.
This year, the spirit of the holidays is at long last
matched by the spirit of the times. And tonight the Star of
Bethlehem and the candles of the menorah still cast their light
in every corner of the world, with a timeless message of hope and
renewal that radiates to people of all faiths.
It is the beginning of a new decade -- and the end of an old
century. Whatever your dream, whatever star you're following --
the future is bright with possibilities.
Merry Christmas to you all. And now, let's turn on the
National Christmas Tree.
#
#
#
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
FACSIMILE TRANSMITTAL SHEET
NUMBER OF PAGES INCLUDING COVER 3
DATE 12/14
TO Debbie Romash
FAX NUMBER x 6221
OFFICE NUMBER
COMMENTS Tree lighting Remarks
FROM P.A.
FAX NUMBER 456-6218
OFFICE NUMBER x 2930
McNally/Simon
December 14, 1989
Draft SIX (B:X-MAS)
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: NATIONAL CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTING
THE ELLIPSE
THURSDAY, DEC. 14, 1989, 5:45 P.M.
Special thanks to Willard Scott, Loretta Lynn, Tommy Tune,
Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis, the Air Force Band and all of you
who helped this Christmas.
Because this is the Christmas we've awaited for 50 years.
Across Europe -- East and West -- 1989 is ending bright with
the prospect of a far better Christmas than Europe has ever
known, a far better future than the world dared to imagine.
Fifty winters have come and gone since darkness closed over
Europe in 1939. 11 But last month, as Lech Walesa came to
America, the Wall in Berlin came tumbling down. And as
another winter descended across Europe -- spring returned to
Prague. 11 Unconquerable people. Unquenchable dreams.
Today at the Wall a new sound rings out. Not the hammer and
sickle -- but the hammer and chisel. The glad sound you hear is
not only the bells of Christmas -- but also the bells of freedom.
And in this new season of hope, the triumph that looms is
like the joy of Christmas. It is not a triumph for one
particular country or one particular religion -- but a triumph
for all humankind.
The holidays are a time of laughter and children and
counting our blessings. A time when songs fill the air, and hope
fills our hearts for peace on Earth, good will to all.
2
We've worked hard this year to help build a better America,
to make this a kinder, gentler nation. But there remains a world
of need all around us. This holiday season, reach out to someone
right where you live. Because from now on in America, "there's
no room at the inn" is simply not an acceptable answer. From now
on in America, any definition of a successful life must include
serving others. For Christmas is measured not by what's
beneath your tree, but by what's inside your heart.
This year, the spirit of the holidays is at long last
matched by the spirit of the times. It is the beginning of
a new decade -- and the end of an old century. Whatever your
dream, whatever star you're following -- the future is bright
with possibilities.
Merry Christmas to you all. And now -- with simultaneous
tree lightings from coast to coast, in Charleston and Santa Cruz,
let's show you our "Thousand Points of Light." Let's turn on the
National Christmas Tree!
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