REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT A CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTING RECEPTION, ÁRAS AN UACHTARÁIN
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT A CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTING RECEPTION, ÁRAS AN UACHTARÁIN, Wednesday, 1st DECEMBER, 2004
Dia dhíbh a chairde. Is cúis mhór áthais dom fáilte a chur romhaibh go léir chuig Áras an Uachtaráin.
Well you seem to be enjoying yourselves and I’m glad to see it. Firstly, a huge Áras welcome to each and every one of you from Martin and me. Today is the beginning of the Christmas 2004 Áras celebrations and we are delighted you are here to share it with us. I know some of you have travelled a very long distance to be here and some more have spent a very long time travelling a short distance to get here. Not as far maybe as the distance Santa will have to travel from the North Pole – it just seems as long. My apologies to anyone involved in Operation Free-flow! Wouldn’t it be great to have old Santa’s solution to getting around and reindeer aren’t a threat to fossil fuels either. Speaking of fossils, we have Santa’s helper here today and the poor fellow doesn’t know what way he is – you have given him such a long list of presents to remember. And his helper Mr. Bear hasn’t been a whole lot of use – keeps muttering about kids not needing more than ‘those bear necessities’ (Jungle Book).
Santa, by the way, has come up with a new idea – he thinks it would be fairer if toys could pick children at Christmas rather than the other way around. There’s a little poem that says it all:
Said Santa Claus
One winter’s night,
I really think it’s only right
That gifts should have a little say
About where they’ll be on Christmas Day.
The toys called out
Hurray! Hurray!
What fun to always live and play
With folks we choose – they’ll surely be
Selected very carefully.
So, children dear,
When you see
Your toys in sacks or on a tree,
You’ll know in all the world ‘twas you
They wanted to be given to.
Don’t you just love Christmas? We treasure this time of year because it is a time of love, a time when we try to be especially good to each other, when we try to fill the world with as much kindness and happiness as we can. For some it can also be a sad time, a time when we miss friends and family who are away from us. I know that there are some boys and girls here, sons and daughters of our brave soldiers who will not be at home this Christmas because they are working with the United Nations to make other parts of the world safe for other boys and girls this Christmas. You should be proud of them as we are very proud and very grateful to them. We wish them well and a safe return home after their tour of duty. I will be visiting some of them in Liberia in a few days and I very much look forward to saying hello to your dads and mams and passing your Christmas wishes to them.
A long time ago in Ireland it was the custom at Christmas to leave the door unlocked as an open invitation to the passerby to come in and share Christmas with the family. Today our home is open to you and we hope you will enjoy sharing in our Christmas celebrations. Many people were involved in planning and preparing for this day and don’t they deserve a big thank you for all they have done to make this day so magical. As you know Santa Claus himself is very busy right now but he has sent his helper along to be here this afternoon. He and the other helpers have done a really good job and they are not finished yet. After this Reception the rest of us can relax but poor old Santa’s helpers will have to check that the deer in the Phoenix Park are well fed and watered, that their NCT is up to date, so that they can help Rudolf on Christmas Eve.
Very shortly, we will light up the Christmas tree outside. Just before we do, I would like to thank those who have entertained us so well today – the Clonfert Children’s Choir, Yuletide Singers, Santa’s helper and Rainbow Bear, Puppeteer & Magician, Balloon Modelers and an MC who can make more noise than any number of children, Paul Kennedy. My thanks also to the staff here at the Áras who have worked very hard to make this day special and our friends from Civil Defence.
Now I would like to invite all the boys and girls to come outside and help me lighting the Christmas tree. And sure you might as well bring the ‘oldies’ along too. We very much hope that you are enjoying the afternoon, that you will leave with some happy memories and having made some new friends at the Áras. We also hope that you have a safe journey home and a peaceful and happy Christmas. Be good to each other.
Nollaig faoi shéan agus faoi shonas díbh go léir. Go raibh maith agaibh.