Last year, I was honored to become the first American President to help celebrate the Festival of Lights in the White House. (Applause.) And I know that today, families are lighting their Diyas and giving thanks for their blessings and looking ahead to the newyear.
And for the Obama family, Christmas and the NewYear has always been a time to reflect on our many blessings, to rejoice in the pleasure of spending time with our family and our friends, and to renew our commitment to one another and to the causes that we believe in.