The First Family illuminated the National Christmas Tree last night in the 90th anniversary of the event.
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After counting down and flipping the switch to turn on the bright lights, the Obamas and Marian Robinson, the First Lady’s mother, stayed to revel with visitors while The Fray, James Taylor, Ledisi, Kenny “BabyFace” Edmonds, Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat sang Christmas classics to entertain the crowd. Host Neil Patrick Harris was joined on stage by Santa himself, performing a rendition of “Santa Claus is Coming to Town.”
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In true Obama fashion, he greeted the crowd with remarks about the holiday and the resilience of the American people, assuring the public that the nation’s recent events would not deter his agenda and the American spirit:
President Obama said in his remarks that the tree – which has been replaced twice after the long-standing National Christmas Tree was felled by high winds in February 2011 – was a symbol of rebuilding and strength as much of the East Coast continues to recover from Sandy.
“In times of war and peace, triumph and tragedy, we’ve always come together to rejoice in the Christmas miracle,” Obama said. “But our tree has been having a hard time recently. … Just goes to show, nobody’s job is safe here in Washington,” he joked.
SOURCE: NBC Washington Post
