On Dec. 23, 1981, while America was just starting to emerge from the dismal recession of the Carter years, President Ronald Reagan spoke to a nationwide radio and television audience at 9 p.m. from the Oval Office. The address was broadcast live on nationwide radio and television and immediately recalled "the story of the first Christmas in Bethlehem, nearly 2,000 years ago."
"Some celebrate Christmas as the birthday of a great and good philosopher and teacher. Others of us believe in the divinity of the child born in Bethlehem, that he was and is the promised Prince of Peace," Reagan said. "We've questioned why he who could perform miracles chose to come among us as a helpless babe, but maybe that was his first miracle, his first great lesson that we should learn to care for one another."
He noted America's faithfulness to the Christian message.
"Tonight, in millions of American homes, the glow of the Christmas tree is a reflection of the love Jesus taught us. Like the shepherds and wise men of that first Christmas, we Americans have always tried to follow a higher light, a star, if you will. At lonely campfire vigils along the frontier, in the darkest days of the Great Depression, through war and peace, the twin beacons of faith and freedom have brightened the American sky. At times our footsteps may have faltered, but trusting in God's help, we've never lost our way."
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He also cited another "great emblem" of the holiday: "a Menorah, symbolizing the Jewish festival of Hanukkah."
Reagan noted the economic morass in which America found itself at the time, and said, "Our goal is an America in which every citizen who needs and wants a job can get a job. Our program for recovery has only been in place for 12 weeks now, but it is beginning to work. With your help and prayers, it will succeed. We're winning the battle against inflation, runaway government spending and taxation, and that victory will mean more economic growth, more jobs, and more opportunity for all Americans."
He also addressed the tyranny that was evident around the world at the time, specifically the totalitarianism that had surfaced in Poland, with "brute force, killings, mass arrests, and the setting up of concentration camps."
America, he said, had a responsibility to help, or more.
"I want emphatically to state tonight that if the outrages in Poland do not cease, we cannot and will not conduct 'business as usual' with the perpetrators and those who aid and abet them. Make no mistake, their crime will cost them dearly in their future dealings with America and free peoples everywhere. I do not make this statement lightly or without serious reflection."
Food would be supplied, he said, but U.S. shipments of supplies to the government were halted, its line of credit ended, Polish civil aviation privileges dumped and fishing fleet operating permission denied.
He said Americans should light a candle in their window as an expression of solidarity with the victimized Polish people.
"Christmas means so much because of one special child. But Christmas also reminds us that all children are special, that they are gifts from God, gifts beyond price that mean more than any presents money can buy. In their love and laughter, in our hopes for their future lies the true meaning of Christmas," he said.
"So, in a spirit of gratitude for what we’ve been able to achieve together over the past year and looking forward to all that we hope to achieve together in the years ahead, Nancy and I want to wish you all the best of holiday seasons. As Charles Dickens, whom I quoted a few moments ago, said so well in 'A Christmas Carol,' 'God bless us, every one.'"