President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama offer a special holiday tribute to some of the strongest, bravest, and most resilient members of our American family – the men and women who wear our country’s uniform and the families who support them:
Watch President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama's full remarks here.
First Lady Michelle Obama sorts toys after she delivers toys and gifts donated by White House staff to the Marine Corps’ Toys for Tots Campaign at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Washington, D.C., Dec. 16, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)
This afternoon, First Lady Michelle Obama visited Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling to deliver hundreds of toys that White House staff donated to Toys for Tots, an annual holiday toy drive organized by the Marines. She thanked volunteers and military families for their hard work and dedication to the 60-year old program.
This is hard work. It takes people who take time out of their own families, time to come, shop, sort toys, make sure things get out. I mean, this doesn't happen automatically; it happens because people give up time, precious time with their families to make this happen. So this wouldn't be possible without all of the volunteers. So I want to extend a very big thank you to all of you, especially all of our troops and all of our military families who have led this effort this year, and who lead it every year.
Mrs. Obama made military families a focus of this year’s White House holiday celebration, and today she thanked them for all they do for our nation--and still finding the time and energy to run programs like Toys for Tots.
At the White House, we’re paying tribute to our military this holiday season. All over the White House there are signs of your strength and your sacrifice and your courage. At the White House, we’re showcasing the stories and the pictures of our fallen heroes. We’re giving guests an opportunity to send a thank-you note to troops overseas. And once again, we collected hundreds of toys from White House staff, which I’ve had the honor of bringing here today.
She also encouraged everyone to do their part, no matter how big or small.
You don't have to live in the White House. You don't have to spend a fortune. You don't have to be an expert in military life to be a part of this effort and to lift families up. You just have to be willing to give just a little bit back to your community and to your country.
For more information:
The White House
Office of the First Lady
Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling
1:09 P.M. EST
MRS. OBAMA: Thanks so much. (Applause.) Well, good afternoon, everyone. And thank you, General Osman, for not just that very kind and generous introduction but for all that you do for "Toys for Tots" and for this country.
As he said, this is my third year doing this, and every year, truly, I look forward to coming by and seeing folks come together to make the holidays just a little bit brighter for their neighbors.
This is my last official visit. This is a way to cap off my holiday season. This is my last official visit before I get my kids out of here and we actually spend some time together as a family. And this is a great way for me, personally, to end the season -- being with all of you and doing what we can for kids who don't have the fortune of -- the good fortune of having people who can provide a wonderful Christmas.
But it's also important for people to know what this tradition is and how it started. It's been going on for more than 60 years, and it started with a simple idea. It was a Marine’s wife who fashioned a handmade doll, and then asked her husband to donate that doll to children in need for the holidays. This was 60 years ago. But that Marine couldn’t find a place to donate the doll, because no such organization existed.
So this couple decided to do something about it. And that’s really what military families do. I'll share a story with you: This morning, I was laying in bed with Malia, before they were getting ready for school, and she asked me what I was going to do today, and I said I'm doing "Toys for Tots," and she said, that's really a great program. And she said, how did it start? And I said, you know, Marines started it. And most people don't realize that, because "Toys for Tots" has become a national organization, a national brand; so many people adopt it, they forget that this is something that's done by military families. And Malia said, you know what? It is so impressive that given all military families have to do anyway, that on top of what they do, they're doing this as well. And I'm like, look, if a 13-year-old can get it and understand that that's who our military families are, then we all should get it as a country. And it was a very powerful example of just how valuable and just how constant our military families -- how selfless they are.
So soon enough, this toy drive turned into the national organization that we now know today as "Toys for Tots."
So today, we’re here to continue that tradition. And we couldn’t do it without all of the volunteers, all of the donors who work so hard during the holiday season. This is hard work. It takes people who take time out of their own families, time to come, shop, sort toys, make sure things get out. I mean, this doesn't happen automatically; it happens because people give up time, precious time with their families to make this happen. So this wouldn't be possible without all of the volunteers. So I want to extend a very big thank you to all of you, especially all of our troops and all of our military families who have led this effort this year, and who lead it every year. You all have given so much to our country, as Malia has recognized, and then you keep giving more to your neighbors and the broader community. And it is truly inspiring.
"Toys for Tots," my relationship that I've had with military families all across the country, folks like you is one of the reasons why Jill Biden and I started "Joining Forces," which is our major campaign to rally all Americans to honor, recognize, and support our veterans and military families. And we’ve had wonderful success with this program, and it hasn’t been difficult at all. People have been stepping up in ways big and small -- businesses making a point to hire veterans and military spouses; local schools partnering to reach out to military kids.
America is behind our families, and a lot of it is because of this kind of work that you do every single day. And it has been a true honor and a gift for me to get to know many of these families and to be able to champion your work to the rest of the country. And "Toys for Tots" is just another one of those examples, and that’s why it’s so important for me to be involved this year, and to make sure that the White House is involved.
And this year is no different. At the White House, we’re paying tribute to our military this holiday season. All over the White House there are signs of your strength and your sacrifice and your courage. At the White House, we’re showcasing the stories and the pictures of our fallen heroes. We’re giving guests an opportunity to send a thank-you note to troops overseas. And once again, we collected hundreds of toys from White House staff, which I’ve had the honor of bringing here today.
We had a 27 percent increase from last year. That's good, but we can do more. We will be doing more next year. So hopefully we’re doing our part.
But one of the important mottos of "Joining Forces" is that everyone can do something. That's what Jill and I are saying. You don't have to live in the White House. You don't have to spend a fortune. You don't have to be an expert in military life to be a part of this effort and to lift families up. You just have to be willing to give just a little bit back to your community and to your country. And that's the spirit that led the Marine and his wife to start "Toys for Tots" all those years ago, and it’s what will make this year’s drive successful once again.
Now before I go and we start getting to work, I just want to remind everyone out there who is watching this event that it is not too late to donate. You can donate through the holiday season, and this year is like no other. The demand increases even as giving increases. There are more and more families that need support and help, so it is not too late. So anybody who is watching this, any of our press who are writing about this, it is still important to nudge our neighbors; to say, give, give, give. We need people to bring in toys like never before.
And I always point out that we always like to get those cute little gifts for the little kids -- the stuffed animals, the little dolls, all the fun games. But I always urge people to remember the older children, because these toys are going to families and there are kids from infants all the way into their teen years. And we’re encouraging people to donate clothes, to get those fun games that you might think an average teen would get -- think of somebody 11 to 14. Many of you have kids; you know what these kids are into. Those are the kind of toys that oftentimes we’re short on, so I urge people to keep the age spread in mind as they go out and pick up gifts.
And once you do that, you can still go to toysfortots.org to donate or to find a drop-off location. So there is still time. There is still a huge demand. So anybody out there who has an extra toy -- even wonderful, homemade gifts can be nice for some of these children. So, again, it doesn't take much.
But there are families -- millions of families who are in need, millions of families who rely on this gift to make their holiday season special for their children, and there are so many of us who are blessed, who have the fortune, the good fortune to be doing well this holiday season. And it’s up to us to dig deep and to make sure we take care of our neighbors out there who may be struggling.
So hopefully people will hear this message and they’ll go out and they’ll make this year’s drive the most successful ever.
I want to congratulate once again the Marines for their hard work. I want to thank all the families once again for all that you do. I hope you all get some rest, you get an opportunity to enjoy your holiday season. We are so grateful and thankful to all of you. God bless you all, and happy holidays.
And now I get to do a little work. I’m going to do some toy sorting. I assume I will get some instructions on what I’m to do, but we’re going to get to work. So, you all, thank you so much. (Applause.)
END
1:19 P.M. EST
President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, and their daughters, Malia, left, and Sasha, right, sit for a family portrait in the Oval Office, Dec. 11, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
The White House photo office today released a new official portrait of the First Family, which was taken by Pete Souza in the Oval Office on Sunday December 11, 2011 after the family returned to the White House after church services. The previous official portrait, below, was taken in the Green Room in 2009 by Annie Leibovitz.
The Official Portrait of the First Family. October 23, 2009. (by Annie Leibovitz)
First Lady Michelle Obama reads "Twas the Night Before Christmas" during a Christmas holiday program with children, parents and staff at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C., Dec. 12, 2011. Participants included 19 year-old patient Ashley Riemer, right, Bo, the Obama family dog, and Santa Claus. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)
Today, First Lady Michelle Obama visited patients at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C., a tradition that dates back more than 60 years to First Lady Bess Truman. After touring the neonatal intensive care nursery and another unit at the hospital, Mrs. Obama settled in with Santa Claus and First Dog Bo to read T’was the Night Before Christmas to a group of children gathered in the hospital’s atrium.
After story time, the First Lady answered some questions about the Obama family’s Christmas Eve traditions (enjoying a big meal with extended family in Hawaii and waiting for Santa to arrive), her favorite Christmas movie (“It’s a Wonderful Life”), and what she’s getting the President for Christmas (it’s a surprise, of course!).
First Lady Michelle Obama and Bo, the Obama family dog, greet audience members at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C., Dec. 12, 2011. Mrs Obama visited and read "Twas the Night Before Christmas" during a Christmas holiday program with children, parents and staff. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)
The White House
Office of the First Lady
2:53 P.M. EST
DR. NEWMAN: Now, I'm Kurt Newman. I'm the President and CEO here. And we're just thrilled to have Mrs. Obama with us. We just had a wonderful tour to see a lot of the babies up in the neonatal intensive care nursery and on the intestinal rehab unit, and we talked to lots of doctors, nurses, patients. So we're thrilled to have her here today, with Santa Claus and Bo, to read a story about Christmas.
MRS. OBAMA: All right, we ready? Can everybody hear me?
AUDIENCE: Yes.
MRS. OBAMA: Well, first of all, how's everybody doing?
AUDIENCE: Good.
MRS. OBAMA: Yeah? Is it exciting? Christmas is coming. How many people have done their letters to Santa? You got to get on it, you got to get on it. (Laughter.) You got to get your letters done.
All right, I'm going to read "'Twas the Night Before Christmas". How many people have heard that? Good, good. So you can help out, where possible, okay? And I'll try to show some of the pictures as well. I had the honor of reading this with guess who? Kermit the Frog. Me and Kermit, reading it -- it was very exciting.
Hey -- hey, you, little one -- (laughter) -- what's going on? What are you talking -- are you scaring her? All right, you guys good? All right.
Okay, we're going to read. Okay, folks, sit, sit. Are you ready? Okay.
(Begins reading.)
All right, this is the night before Christmas -- it's, like, Christmas Eve. Santa is coming; a lot of excitement.
(Continues reading.)
What do you think he was looking for?
AUDIENCE: Santa.
MRS. OBAMA: Well, let's see. You think it was -- what was going on, Santa? We'll see, we'll see. All right.
(Continues reading.)
Do we know their names? Do you want to say them with me, if we can?
Now, Dasher! Now, Dancer! Now, Prancer and Vixen! On, Comet! On, Cupid! On, Donner and Blitzen! To the top of the porch! To the top of the the wall! Now dash away, dash away, dash away, all!
CHILD: Santa! That looks like you!
MRS. OBAMA: It does look like you.
SANTA: Thank you. (Laughter.)
MRS. OBAMA: Yeah, good one, goon one. Now, which reindeer is missing?
AUDIENCE: Rudolph.
MRS. OBAMA: That's right, where is Rudolph in this story?
SANTA: He comes later.
MRS. OBAMA: He's later? Later?
(Continues reading.)
He's coming! He's coming into your house -- (laughter) -- with stuff. How exciting! What does he have?
(Continues reading.)
Way to go, Santa. (Laughter.) He cleaned up for you guys. He got rid of the soot.
(Continues reading.)
SANTA: Ho, ho, ho!
MRS. OBAMA: Like a bowl full of jelly. (Laughter.)
Way to go. Way to be on cue, Santa. (Laughter.)
SANTA: Ho, ho, ho!
MRS. OBAMA: (Continues reading.)
He's busy, putting stuff under the tree. It's coming. Christmas is coming! It's so exciting! Oh, my goodness.
(Continues reading.)
He's got to go to a lot of houses. How do you do it? (Laughter.)
SANTA: -- secrets.
MRS. OBAMA: It’s a miracle. No secrets.
He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle. And away they all flew like the down of a thistle. But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight: Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.
AUDIENCE: A good night.
MRS. OBAMA: Yay! (Applause.)
That’s a good Christmas song. Okay, so we have time for some questions, my favorite part of this experience. Because the questions are very interesting.
HOSPITAL STAFF PERSON: Boys and girls, do you have some questions for the First Lady?
MRS. OBAMA: We’ve got -- I see one little red, beautiful red dress. You feel like telling me your name?
AUDIENCE MEMBER: Ellington.
MRS. OBAMA: Ellington. Ooh, beautiful name. What’s your name?
AUDIENCE MEMBER: My name is Addison.
MRS. OBAMA: Addison and Ellington. will you speak for the both of you? Thank you.
AUDIENCE MEMBER: What does your family do on Christmas Eve?
MRS. OBAMA: What does my family do on Christmas Eve? Well, we have a tradition. My husband grew up in Hawaii, right? That’s where his family is And that’s hometown for us. And we’ve gone there every year for 20 years. So every year, we go to Hawaii. And by the time Christmas Eve comes around, we put out the cookies for Santa. We usually have a fun Christmas Eve dinner, and all the kids get around -- they’re playing, they’re really excited, and they don’t go to bed right away because they’re too excited, and then we have to make them go to bed. It’s a big hassle. And then we wait for Santa. It’s pretty simple.
What do you guys do on Christmas Eve? What are you going to do on Christmas Eve?
Q On Christmas Eve, we light the tree and --
MRS. OBAMA: Wait for Santa.
Q We light the tree, we eat dinner --
MRS. OBAMA: Eat dinner.
Q -- we go to bed. Most of the time my sisters and I are always awake until around 10, just waiting.
MRS. OBAMA: Just waiting, can’t sleep. The anticipation.
Q And most of the time we see my dad going down the hallway. (Laughter.)
MRS. OBAMA: Thanks, Ellington. And Addision. Thanks for the question.
Any other questions? We’ve got people with mics. Oh, here we go. Here’s one over here. What’s your name, sweetie?
Q Alex.
MRS. OBAMA: Alex. Hey, Alex. What’s happening?
Q What does your family like to eat on Christmas?
MRS. OBAMA: What do we like to eat on Christmas? Sometimes we have turkey, sometimes we have steak. The girls love --
Q Ew!
MRS. OBAMA: Ew? (Laughter.)
Q Steak?
MRS. OBAMA: Steak.
Q Ew!
MRS. OBAMA: You don’t like steak?
Q We don’t eat any --
MRS. OBAMA: Well, we only have steak. (Laughter.) And we -- and our girls love macaroni and cheese.
Q Oh, me, too.
MRS. OBAMA: Yes, that’s big on the menu. Got to have a little macaroni and cheese. But we have lots of vegetables.
Q So do we.
MRS. OBAMA: What kind of vegetables? String beans? We have string beans.
Q Carrots.
MRS. OBAMA: Carrots. Carrots are good. What other good vegetables?
Q Broccoli.
MRS. OBAMA: Broccoli, that’s our favorite. We have a lot of broccoli. What about you, Addison?
Q -- salad.
MRS. OBAMA: Salad. So we have lots of vegetables that go with our food.
Q And spinach.
MRS. OBAMA: And spinach! All right, so you know, with your dinner, having a little meat and having some vegetables, be a good thing. We do it at our house, okay? And then we have dessert. And we have pie. Lots of pie. The President loves pie. (Laughter.) All kinds of pie. Okay?
Q Do you like pie?
MRS. OBAMA: What?
Q Blueberry pie?
MRS. OBAMA: Blueberry pie. What other kind of pies?
Q All of them.
MRS. OBAMA: What?
Q All of them.
MRS. OBAMA: All of them -- all of the pies.
MODERATOR: All right, Mrs. Obama, we have one over here for you. Right over here.
MRS. OBAMA: Oh, okay.
Q What is your favorite Christmas movie?
MRS. OBAMA: What’s my favorite Christmas movie? Oh, “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Yes, that's my -- well, yes, that's considered a Christmas movie. “It’s a Wonderful Life” -- have you seen that movie?
Q No.
MRS. OBAMA: It’s an old black-and-white movie -- yes, I know. It’s just -- (laughter.) All right, so that's the old people’s movie. Let me think of a current move that you’d be familiar with. What’s a good Christmas movie?
Q “The Polar Express?”
MRS. OBAMA: Oh, I love -- well, that's not a movie. I love “Charlie Brown Christmas,” but that's not a movie. But my favorite holiday movie of all time is “It’s a Wonderful Life,” and you should get it because it’s about a man who thinks he’s not useful in the world. And he’s got this beautiful family, and something happens and he wishes that he weren’t there, and a little angel comes down and grants his wish, and he sees what would happen in the world if he wasn’t there. And even though he doesn't think his life is significant, he sees that the whole town falls apart. And then he wakes up and realizes that he’s got “A Wonderful Life.” My favorite story. (Laughter.) It’s very sad.
HOSPITAL STAFF PERSON: Okay, we have another question.
MRS. OBAMA: Oh, I’m sorry. I was getting into that a little too much. Where is the other question? Okay, what’s your name?
Q Ebony.
MRS. OBAMA: Ebony. Hi. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t sing. If my kids were here, they’d be embarrassed. But they're not so don't tell them. (Laughter.)
Q What is your favorite Christmas story?
MRS. OBAMA: My favorite Christmas story? I like “Twas the Night Before Christmas.” That's a good one. I always read that one. That's one of my favorites.
Yes. All right, any other questions? Who do we have? All right. Right here. What’s your name?
Q Dionne.
MRS. OBAMA: Dale?
Q Dionne.
MRS. OBAMA: Dionne.
Q What do you personally give the President for Christmas?
MRS. OBAMA: What -- say that again?
Q What do you give the President for Christmas?
MRS. OBAMA: For Christmas? Well, again, we go through this every year. I’m not going to say because it’s going to be reported in the paper and it won’t be a surprise. (Laughter.) Because he will read it. And he’ll say, Oh, that's what you’re getting me. So you know I try to get him stuff that he likes to do, sports stuff, clothes. But the truth is, we generally -- we always say we’re not going to give each other gifts because the gift is the love that we have for each other. Yes, that's a good thing. (Applause.) But then he usually gets me something. And them I’m like, we weren’t supposed to get each other stuff. so I got him something but I’m not going to say. All right? That make sense? Last year one of the kids suggested that I get him a hot tub. (Laughter.) Remember that? We didn't get him a hot tub. (Laughter.)
All right, young lady.
Q What did you ask Santa for this year?
MRS. OBAMA: What did I ask Santa for this year? I haven’t done my ask FOR Santa.
Q You got to get on that!
MRS. OBAMA: I got to get on it. (Laughter.) It’s true. But what I really, really want is for all kids to grow up with the chance to be healthy and happy, and to live a good life, and to get a good education, and to grow up and be anything they want to be. And if every child could have just that simple gift out of life, that would be a wonderful Christmas present for me.
I try to do it for my girls, and I know there are some kids that don’t have the support and the love that they need, and I wish every kid had the same kind of support and love that I know many of you have, because you are fortunate enough to be here and be surrounded by people who care about you. I just want that for all kids all over the world. (Applause.)
All right, we’ve got this young lady in the maroon turtleneck. Yes, you had your hand up.
What’s your name?
Q Veronica.
MRS. OBAMA: Nice to see you.
Q Do you all have parties -- do you have like a Christmas party at the White House?
MRS. OBAMA: Oh, do we. (Laughter.) We have -- my staff is -- we open the house right -- the day after Thanksgiving the big tree comes, and volunteers come from all over the country and they decorate the White House. And they decorate for about four days. We’ve got tons of Christmas trees, beautiful decorations. This year we’ve done a tree for Gold Star families, which are families who have lost a loved one who is serving in the military. And the big tree is in dedication to Blue Star families, and those are families who have a loved one serving in the military.
So it was a very special time decorating, because a lot of these families came to help decorate. Once they finish, we open up the house, and we’ll have over 85,000 people who will come through the White House. and we have holiday parties. We have almost two every day for two weeks. So, yes, we have holiday parties. And the President and I are at every holiday party, and we shake almost every hand or take a picture, and we usually do them twice a day. So, yes, we have a few people that come over.
Q Thank you.
MRS. OBAMA: What’s your name?
Q Cameron.
MRS. OBAMA: Camera?
Q Cameron.
MRS. OBAMA: I’m like, Camera? (Laughter.) Cameron -- hey, Cameron.
Q I was just wondering, how does Santa know which chimney to go down?
MRS. OBAMA: Well, that’s -- would you like to handle that one, Santa?
SANTA: I always go for the biggest one. The bigger --
Q The biggest?
SANTA: -- the easier is to get in there.
Q Oh, well, you’re pretty skinny around now, man. (Laughter.)
SANTA: Yes. I still have a few more weeks to get --
MRS. OBAMA: He’s got time.
SANTA: I got time.
MRS. OBAMA: You can do a lot in a couple of weeks. (Laughter.)
HOSPITAL STAFF PERSON: Great. Well, thanks for those wonderful questions.
MRS. OBAMA: Oh, thank you, guys.
HOSPITAL STAFF PERSON: Mrs. Obama, on behalf of Children’s National, thank you for taking time out of your very busy schedule to be with us. (Applause.)
MRS. OBAMA: Oh, my pleasure. My pleasure. (Applause.)
END 3:11 P.M. EST
President Barack Obama, with First Lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden, delivers remarks at a Hanukkah reception in the Grand Foyer of the White House, Dec. 8, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
Officially, Hanukkah doesn't begin for another 11 days -- but last night, President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama decided to kick things off a little early with a celebration of the holiday at the White House.
They were joined by Vice President Biden and Dr. Jill Biden. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was in attendance, along with Israel's Ambassardor to the United States Michael Oren, the West Point Jewish Chapel Cadet Choir, and a large group of faith and community leaders.
Hanukkah, the President said, is "an opportunity to recognize the miracles in our own lives:"
Let’s honor the sacrifices our ancestors made so that we might be here today. Let’s think about those who are spending this holiday far away from home -– including members of our military who guard our freedom around the world. Let’s extend a hand to those who are in need, and allow the value of tikkun olam to guide our work this holiday season.
This is also a time to be grateful for our friendships, both with each other and between our nations. And that includes, of course, our unshakeable support and commitment to the security of the nation of Israel.
The White House
Office of the Vice President
Washington, DC – The Office of the Vice President announced today that Courtney O’Donnell, Director of Communications to Second Lady Jill Biden, will leave the White House to move to Berlin, Germany with her family where she plans to work on projects based in Europe. O’Donnell will be succeeded by Melanie Kaye, who most recently worked at a DC-area advertising and communications consulting firm.
Dr. Jill Biden said: “Since Inauguration Day, Courtney has served as a trusted advisor to me and our entire team. Her creativity and strategic thinking helped us build campaigns to showcase the strengths of community colleges, support our nation’s military families, fight breast cancer, and draw attention and resources to the issues in the Horn of Africa. Her expertise, graceful demeanor and tireless work ethic have been invaluable not just to me but to the entire office of the Vice President. Joe and I are extremely grateful for her tremendous contributions and we wish her all the best in her future endeavors.”
Melanie Kaye comes to the White House from GMMB, where she provided strategic communications counsel on a variety of issues, including public health topics such as cancer, tobacco and obesity, health care reform, workforce and workplace issues, and education, among others. Before that, she served as Press Secretary to former Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle, both in his office and during his successful 2006 re-election campaign. Melanie also worked as a reporter for several years for publications including The Hill newspaper. A native of Wisconsin, Kaye received her Bachelors of Arts from St. Norbert College and began work on her master’s degree at the University of Wisconsin’s Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs.
The White House
Office of the First Lady
East Room
1:33 P.M. EST
MRS. OBAMA: How is everyone doing?
AUDIENCE: Good.
MRS. OBAMA: You excited?
AUDIENCE: Yes!
MRS. OBAMA: You ready for Christmas?
AUDIENCE: Yes. (Laughter.)
MRS. OBAMA: Oh! Where are Malia and Sasha? (Laughter.) Well it’s great to have you all here, and your families as well.
Good afternoon, everyone, and welcome to the White House as we kick off the holiday season. This is -- oh, yes, here’s a little one, you come on up! (Laughter.) Come on up!
This is one of my favorite times of year, and I’m so glad to share it with all of you.
I want to start by thanking Jennifer for that lovely introduction, but more importantly, for all that you and your family have done for our country. Military families like yours, Jennifer, and all the ones who are here today truly represent what is best about America. And that’s something that I’ve seen again and again as I’ve traveled across the country over the past few years.
I have spoken with so many military spouses who are raising their kids alone while their loved one is stationed overseas for months at a time. I have heard from so many wonderful military children who pick up extra chores, and just step up and keep their grades going while mom or dad is away. And I’ve been inspired by the survivors of our fallen who keep giving back to the community day after day.
But I also know that not every American hears these stories. Not every American knows what a Blue Star family is, or a Gold Star family is. We don’t all understand what it’s like to be in a military family. And that’s one of the reasons why Jill and I started our Joining Forces initiative, because we wanted to rally all Americans to honor, recognize, and support our military families. We wanted to make sure that never again would someone have to ask the question, what is a Gold Star family, and what does that sacrifice mean? We all should know.
And it’s also why we’re using the holiday season here at the White House to highlight our troops and our veterans, and all of their families through this year’s theme, which is “Share, Give, Shine.” That’s the theme. “Share, Give, Shine.” It’s been a big secret, even to our volunteers. (Laughter.) “Share, Give, Shine.” You got it?
So throughout the house, we’ve found creative ways to pay tribute to folks like all of you. The first is in the East Landing, when you first come in as a visitor. As visitors enter, they’ll have the opportunity to send handwritten notes to our troops stationed all around the world. They’ll also see the Gold Star tree, which Jennifer and several other families helped to create, which honors our nation’s Gold Star families whose loved ones have made the greatest of sacrifices for our country. The tree is decorated with beautiful, special ornaments, each of which has a space for Gold Star families who visit here to write their loved one’s name and to hang it on the tree.
We’ve also surrounded the tree with photos, you’ll see, and stories from more than 800 Gold Star families. Each one showcases the strength and resilience that characterizes our Gold Star families. They are heartfelt notes, like this one from a wife in East Peoria, Illinois. She wrote about her husband, saying, and this is -- these are her words -- “He never thought of himself as a hero, but he always was to me. It is still hard to know he’s gone. He was my soul mate.” Or they’re simple messages, like this one from a mom in Anchorage, Alaska, and she wrote, “I love and miss you, son. Thank you for all of the great memories we shared.”
And we’re also honoring military families like all of you in the Blue Room -- the big tree -- where we decorated the official White House Christmas tree with cards we collected from some of our country’s military kids. So the tree is decorated by kids. That’s very cool. The notes are a lot of fun, as well, and you can ready them as you go through.
Some are inspiring, like the five children in Medical Lake, Washington, who wrote, “No matter how many Christmases our dad misses, he makes every Christmas special and we love him.”
You guys -- that’s why Santa comes. You guys are great!
And then there are some more matter-of-fact ones, like the one from the boy from El Paso, Texas, who wrote, “Hey Dad, it’s cool you’re in Italy. So when are you coming back because I already know what I want for Christmas.” (Laughter.) Just keep it straightforward.
Of course, we also have many of the traditional holiday favorites alongside these tributes to our military families. We have 37 Christmas trees here at the White House -- 37! That’s a lot, right?
AUDIENCE MEMBER: Yes!
MRS. OBAMA: Yes, that’s a lot of trees. We also have a 400-pound White House gingerbread house. Ooh -- 400 pounds. And also, in several of the rooms -- and this is something you all have to look for -- we’ve stationed the most famous member of the Obama family. Who is that?
AUDIENCE: Bo!
MRS. OBAMA: Bo. (Laughter.) All right, so it’s sort of a "where’s Bo?" You’ve got to find the Bo in every room, because he’s hidden everywhere. So in one room, he’s 4-and-a-half feet tall and he’s made of felt -- you know, that soft material. And in another room, he's nine and a half inches tall, and he's made of buttons. Yeah, yeah, so you've got to look for him. So, trust me, our dog has been a little confused walking around the house for the last couple of weeks, seeing himself in gigantic form.
Those are just a few of this year's highlights, and I am so excited -- this is why it's fun -- that you all are the first of roughly 85,000 people who will visit the White House this holiday season. You're the first to see it! Yay! Yes! Score! (Applause.)
This will be such a wonderful memory for so many people, and that's why it's so special for us. And none of it could have happened without the nearly 100 volunteers we've had helping out over the past few days. They're 100 people who come from all over the country just to help decorate the White House. People like Jennifer and a few of the family members here.
So I want to finish -- end with another round of thank-yous. I want to thank all of the volunteers who helped make this house so beautiful; to all of the artists who put their creativity into use in decorating the trees and figuring out what colors we were going to use; to all the organizers, and everyone else who has made this house so beautiful and turned our simple ideas into reality. I want to thank all of the Gold Star families for your enduring strength and commitment to this country. And I want to thank all of the troops, all of our veterans, all of our military families, whose service and sacrifice inspires us all.
So thank you. Thank you. Thank you. We can't say it enough. Thank you. I know for some of you, this holiday season will be tough. But hopefully, it's times like this that make you know that you live in a grateful nation, and that we are just so inspired by your sacrifice. And hopefully, this is a memory that will stay with you every holiday season.
So, with that, it's time for us -- are you guys ready to do some work? Yeah? All right. So I've got a little surprise for you. So, the parents, you guys stay seated. You guys want to come with me? We're going into another room, where we have some more surprises and -- could be cookies! I don't know. (Laughter.) I don't know. But we'll see.
So, you guys come with -- it could be -- I don't know what it is. Are you ready to come?
CHILDREN: Yes.
MRS. OBAMA: All right. So, you guys, grownups, you guys stay seated. We'll give you something to occupy your time. (Laughter.)
All right, you guys ready? All right, everybody follow me. And, little ones, if you want your mommies, your mommies can come, too -- for the little ones.
All right, you all, thank you so much. (Applause.)
END
1:43 P.M. EST
