OPINION:
Merry Christmas from Ronald Reagan? In the tense and politically difficult year of 2021, it might be nice to hear the iconic president wish Americans joy during this holiday season. Although Reagan died in 2004 after a long battle with Alzheimer’s, we can look back to what he said about Christmas during his eight years as president.
As a uniting American leader, someone who won 49 states in 1984, Reagan inspired and uplifted his fellow citizens. When it came to the holiday season, he spoke from the heart with an obvious love for this time of year.
Having read all eight of Reagan’s Christmas messages, as well as his annual National Christmas Tree lighting remarks, a few things are clear: The president was at ease talking about his Christian faith, but also warm and inclusive to Jews and other non-Christians. He repeatedly highlighted the importance of remembering the military and those in need during this festive season.
During the 1985 National Christmas Tree lighting, Reagan said of the birth of Jesus Christ: “Christians speak of someone greater, a man who was and is divine. His power is Godly love, love that can lift our hearts and soothe our sorrows and heal our wounds and drive away our fears.”
In his official Christmas message that same year, the president defined Christmas this way: “In the center of [it] all lay the infant, born in the shadows and straw of a stable in Bethlehem, yet truly the fulfillment of ancient prophecies and the hopes of every age to come.”
For Reagan’s final Christmas message in 1988, the outgoing president called the birth of Jesus the “event on which all history would turn.” He added, “From His very infancy on, our Redeemer was reminding us that from then on we would never lack a home in Him.”
During the 1988 Christmas tree lighting, Reagan implored his fellow citizens to remember just how blessed they were: “We Americans live with bounties that those who lived at the time of the Christ child’s birth could never have imagined. The bounties are material, yes, but chiefly they are spiritual. Those who worship the birth of our Lord may do so in the church of their choosing and in the way of their choosing.”
In 1985, he appealed to the compassion of Americans and reminded that “there’s still time for joy and gladness to touch a sad and lonely soul … to wrap a present for a kind old man feeling forlorn and afraid, and to reach out to an abandoned mother raising children on her own.” Reagan lobbied, “Let us reach out tonight to every person who is persecuted; let us embrace and comfort and support and love them.”
The entire 1982 Christmas Day address to the nation was devoted to our military. Reagan singled out “the 12. U.S. Marines who sent us a card from Beirut, Lebanon.” He mentioned an unnamed “petty officer serving aboard the USS Enterprise who asked we remember him and his shipmates.”
Speaking directly to that individual, the commander in chief praised, “On this, the birthday of the Prince of Peace, you and your comrades serve to protect the peace He taught us. You may be thousands of miles away, but to us here at home, you’ve never been closer.”
Through all the Christmas messages and National Christmas Tree appearances, Reagan’s famous optimism shone through. To those assembled for the 1985 tree lighting, he ended by calling for us all to recognize just how fortunate we truly are, especially at Christmastime: “May we give thanks for an America abundantly blessed, for a nation untied, free and at peace. May we carry forward the happiness of Christmas spirit as the guiding star of our endeavors 365 days a year.”
In his 1982 radio address for Christmas, Mr. Reagan spoke of troubling times, something Americans in 2021 are familiar with. The great communicator encouraged us all: “In spite of everything, we Americans are still uniquely blessed, not only with the rich bounty of our land, but by a bounty of the spirit … a beacon of hope in a troubled world.”
He concluded: “And that makes this Christmas, and every Christmas, even more special for all of us who number among our gifts the birthright of being an American.” Ronald Reagan is no longer with us, but his words and wisdom are. This 2021 Christmas season, he would tell us to be proud of our heritage, to care for those who are less fortunate, to honor our military and to carry the joy of the season into 2022.
• Scott Whitlock is the Research Director for the Media Research Center and a senior editor for the MRC’s NewsBusters.org site.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.