With this holiday season came the harsh realization that it’ll be our last with Barack and Michelle Obama in the White House. That fact was never more apparent than in their final video Christmas address, which was released Saturday, and which oozed the trademark charm, elegance, and humor that came to define their eight years as America’s first family.
A large chunk of their message focused on the need for unity and compassion in these increasingly uncertain times, and asked that we “care for the sick and feed the hungry; welcome the stranger, no matter where they come from or how they practise their faith,” Michelle Obama said.
President Obama also took the opportunity to remind us just how far we’ve come as a country since he took office eight years ago. “Together, we fought our way back from the worst recession in 80 years, and got unemployment to a nine-year low,” he said. “We secured health insurance for another twenty million Americans, and new protections for folks who already had insurance. We made America more respected around the world, took on the mantle of leadership in the fight to protect this planet for our kids, and much, much more.”
But apparently that’s not all they achieved. According to Michelle, Barack’s holiday video skills have come a long way since 2008, a personal triumph she had no problem taking credit for. “Given how our first Christmas Weekly Address went, I realized that Barack needed all the help he could get,” she said as her husband flashed his winning smile.
“The greatest gift that Michelle and I have received over the last eight years,” Mr Obama said, “has been the honor of serving as your President and First Lady.”
The feeling’s mutual.
