It is interesting to compare the holiday message given by the President Trump and Melania with the one from President-Elect Joe Biden and Dr. Jill. The YouTube video of The President and First Lady’s 2020 Christmas Message lasts for 2:40 and has 352 words:
“The President and I want to wish every American a very merry Christmas. During the sacred season Christians celebrate the greatest miracle in human history. More than 2000 years ago God sent his only begotten Son to be with us. An angel announced the birth of our Lord and Savior to humble shepherds. He said, I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all of the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you. He is the Messiah, the Lord. You will find the baby wrapped in clothes and lying in a manger. At Christmas we thank God for sending us his Son to bring peace to our souls and joy to the world. As you know, this Christmas is different than years past. We are battling a global pandemic that has affected all of us. Yes[t], through these great challenge we have been inspired by the kindness and courage of citizens across this country. Teachers have worked extraordinar[il]y hard to keep our children learning. Students have delivered groceries to elderly neighbors. Communities have found new ways to stay connected to one another. Courageous first responders, doctors, and nurses have given everything to save lives. Brilliant scientists have developed treatments and vaccines. We are delivering millions of doses of a safe and effective vaccine that soon end this terrible pandemic and save millions and millions of lives. We’re grateful for all of the scientists, researchers, manufacturing workers, and service members who have worked tirelessly to make this breakthrough possible. It is truly a Christmas miracle. During this wonderful time of year we also give thanks for the brave and selfless Americans who keep us safe. We are forever grateful for the men and women of law enforcement, and the heroes of the United States military. In this holy season, we thank God for his infinite love and we pray that the light of his glory will forever shine on this magnificent land. On behalf of Melania and the entire Trump family, we wish you a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year.”
The YouTube video of A Holiday Message from the Bidens lasts for 2:09 and has 345 words:
“Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays. Jill and I wish you and your family peace, joy, health and happiness this season. But we know for so many of you in our nation this has been a very difficult year. And we’re reminded in this season of hope our common humanity and what we’re called to do for one another. Many of our fellow Americans are struggling to find work, literally put food on the table, pay their rent or their mortgage. We’re reminded we’re on this earth to care for one another, to give what we can, and to be a source of help and hope to friend and stranger alike. Many families are facing their first Christmas having lost a loved one. And Joe and I know that sorrow. And we know how, in times of grief, a kind word can mean so much. This is also a season of gratitude. And we’re so thankful for the frontline and essential workers who have put themselves at risk for all of us – and for the scientists and researchers who worked to deliver vaccines that are an incredible scientific breakthrough. And we’re thinking of our service members who are far from home and the loved ones who miss them. Our family knows your sacrifice, and our hearts are with you. For the Bidens, we usually have 20 to 25 people over Christmas Eve for dinner, but not this year. We’re going to miss our family, but it’s what we need to do to keep our family safe. We hope you’ll consider limiting travel and the size of family gatherings as well this year. Even as our celebrations are dimmed, we know that this won’t be forever, and brighter days are coming soon. On this holy day, we remember that love and joy can be shared across the farthest distances. We celebrate apart, but not alone, and look forward to next year, when we can come together with renewed appreciation for the people and the traditions we love. So from our family to yours – Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.”
The most striking difference between the two is that the Trump speech uses ‘we’ 10 times while the Biden speech uses it 18 times. The Biden speech effectively says that ‘we feel your pain.’ And there also is a wordless 0:41 YouTube video with A Holiday message from Champ and Major Biden. President Trump merrily headed off to Florida for Christmas without either signing or vetoing the relief bill it had taken Congress months to compromise on.
The YouTube video of The Queen’s Christmas Broadcast 2020 lasts 7:15. It opens with a mounted band playing God Save the Queen, and closes with the The Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Choir singing Joy to the World. Elizabeth has been doing a televised Christmas broadcast for over six decades! The first one, from 1957, lasted a very similar 7:26. It contains a message that Trump might well have taken to heart:
“….That it’s possible for some of you to see me today is just another example of the speed at which things are changing all around us. Because of these changes, I’m not surprised that many people feel lost and unable to decide what to hold onto and what to discard; how to take advantage of the new life without losing the best of the old.
But it’s not the new inventions which are the difficulty. The trouble is caused by unthinking people who carelessly throw away ageless ideals as if they were old and outworn machinery.
They would have religion thrown aside, morality in personal and public life made meaningless, honesty counted as foolishness, and self-interest set up in place of self-restraint.
At this critical moment in our history, we will certainly lose the trust and respect of the world if we just abandon those fundamental principles which guided the men and women who built the greatness of this country and Commonwealth.
Today we need a special kind of courage, not the kind needed in battle, but a kind which makes us stand up for everything that we know is right, everything that is true and honest. We need the kind of courage that can withstand the subtle corruption of the cynics, so that we can show the world that we are not afraid of the future.
It has always been easy to hate and destroy; to build and to cherish is much more difficult. That is why we can take pride in the new Commonwealth we are building. ….”
On a lighter note, from Channel 4, there also is a 3:45 YouTube video titled Deepfake Queen: 2020 Alternative Christmas Message. It is rather amazing.
A painting of Christmas Eve 1878 by J. Hoover and Son is from Wikimedia Commons.
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