President Joe Biden narrated a stunning tour of the decorated White House and wished the nation a “Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays” in a video posted to X on Tuesday. (Watch it below.)
The light-filled journey, which seemed to be filmed by a drone, roamed through rooms of Christmas trees and even one featuring a carousel. A sumptuous display of baked goods caught the camera’s eye as well.
A previous Biden holiday post triggered some conservatives because he didn’t mention Christmas specifically. But in a reverent voiceover for the White House excursion, the outgoing president noted “how silently the wondrous gift is given” from a passage in “O Little Town of Bethlehem.” He also spoke of the birth of the child “Christians believe to be the son of God bringing hope and love and peace and joy to the world.”
Biden then pivoted to a more secular message:
“Too often we see each other as enemies ― not as neighbors, not as fellow Americans,” he said. “So my hope this Christmas season is that we take a few moments of quiet reflection and find that stillness in the heart of Christmas and look at each other as who we really are: fellow Americans, fellow human beings worthy of being treated with dignity and respect. Because there’s so much that unites as Americans, so much more that unites us than divides us.”