THE PRESIDENT: Merry Christmas, everybody. Michelle and I just wanted to take a moment today to send greetings from our family to yours.
THE FIRST LADY: This is one of our favorite times of year. And we're so fortunate to be able to celebrate it together in this wonderful home.
This is the “People's House.” So Barack and I try to open it to as many people as we can, especially during the holiday season（節(jié)假日旺季）.
This month, more than 100,000 Americans have passed through these halls. And the idea behind this year's theme, “Simple Gifts,” is that the greatest blessings of all are the ones that don't cost a thing – the comfort of spending time with loved ones…the freedoms we enjoy as Americans… and the joy we feel upon giving something of ourselves.
So in this time of family, friends, and good cheer（歡樂）; let's also be sure to look out for（注意） those who are less fortunate（不幸的人）, who've hit a run of bad luck（遇到壞運）, or who are hungry and alone this holiday season.
THE PRESIDENT: Because this is the season when we celebrate the simplest yet most profound（意義深遠(yuǎn)的） gift of all: the birth of a child who devoted his life toa message of peace, love, and redemption（救贖）. A message that says no matter who we are, we are called to love one another – we are our brother's keeper（守護者）, we are our sister's keeper, our separate stories in this big and busy world are really one（我們各自的故事在這個繁忙的大世界都是真實的）.
Today, we're also thinking of those who can't be home for the holidays – especially all our courageous countrymen serving overseas（在海外服務(wù)的勇敢同胞）.
That's the message I delivered when I visited our troops（軍隊） in Afghanistan（阿富汗） a few weeks ago – that while you may be serving far from home, every American supports you and your families. We're with you. And I have no greater honor than（沒有比這更榮譽） serving as your Commander in Chief（總司令）.
Today's soldiers, sailors（海軍）, airmen, Marines（海軍陸戰(zhàn)隊）, and Coast Guardsmen（海岸警衛(wèi)隊） make up the finest fighting force in the history of the world. Just like their predecessors（前輩）, they do extraordinary（非凡的） things in service to their country. What makes that all the more remarkable is （更了不起的是） that today's military is an all-volunteer force（完全由志愿者組成的部隊） – a force of mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, husbands and wives.
THE FIRST LADY: That's right. As First Lady, I've had the honor to meet members of our military and their families on bases and in communities（社區(qū)） all across the country. I've gotten to know husbands and wives doing the parenting of two（兩個孩子的養(yǎng)育） while their spouse（配偶） is on an other deployment（在另一個任務(wù)/部署中）. Children trying their best in school but always wondering when mom or dad is coming home. Patriots（愛國者） putting their lives on hold（推遲） to help with a loved one's recovery（恢復(fù)）, or carry on the memory of a fallen hero.
When our men and women in uniform answer the call to serve, their families serve, too. And they're proud and glad to do it. But as long as that service keeps the rest of us safe, their sacrifice should also be our own. Even heroes can use a hand（英雄也需要幫助）, especially during the holidays.
THE PRESIDENT: So we're encouraging Americans to ask what you can do to support our troops and their families in this holiday season. For some ideas on how to get started, just visit Serve.gov.
THE FIRST LADY: You'll see that you don't need to be an expert in military life to give back to those who give so much to us. There are countless ways（數(shù)不清的方法） to contribute（做貢獻(xiàn)） by harnessing（利用） your unique talents.
If you live near a base（基地）, you can reach out（伸出援手） through your local school or church（教堂）. If you don't, you can volunteer with organizations that support military families. And anybody can send a care package（愛心包裹） or pre-paid calling card（預(yù)付的電話卡） to the front lines, or give what's sometimes the most important gift of all: simply saying “thank you.”
THE PRESIDENT: America's brave servicemen and women represent（占/代表） a small fraction（小部分） of our population. But they and the families who await their safe return carry far more than their fair share of the burden（負(fù)擔(dān)，責(zé)任）. They've done everything they've been asked to do. They've been everything we've asked them to be. And even as we speak, many are fighting halfway around the globe – in hopes that someday, our children and grandchildren won't have to.
So let's all remind them this holiday season that we're thinking of them – and that America will forever be here for them, just as they've been there for us. And on behalf of Michelle, Malia, Sasha…
THE FIRST LADY: and Bo…
THE PRESIDENT: and Bo…h(huán)ave a very Merry Christmas.
THE FIRST LADY: and an even happier New Year.
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