WEBVTT 1 00:00:29.860 --> 00:00:34.300 Hello! Thank you! Welcome! Thank you for your welcome! 2 00:00:35.200 --> 00:00:37.320 Hello! Thank you! 3 00:01:24.880 --> 00:01:28.540 And for the organizations that held their own food drive, because all over town people 4 00:01:28.540 --> 00:01:33.820 were holding food drives and collecting food for the drive. Very wonderful. One was at 5 00:01:33.820 --> 00:01:37.980 American Hospital Association held their own food drive. I'd like to thank Ms. Margaret 6 00:01:37.980 --> 00:01:50.640 Bryant. And the American Indian Center collected 20 boxes of food. I'd like to thank Mr. Hank 7 00:01:51.440 --> 00:01:58.840 the American Indian Center. 20 boxes, that's great. And Armand Menetti's had a food drive. 8 00:01:59.500 --> 00:01:59.600 Mr. 9 00:02:06.780 --> 00:02:27.820 Angel SNH was awesome. 10 00:02:29.620 --> 00:02:34.360 This is the true nature of the... 11 00:03:03.280 --> 00:03:10.540 Smile kindly on this special tree, as it combines your gift and our human handiwork. 12 00:03:11.660 --> 00:03:21.500 May these lights bring joy to all who are young in heart, no matter how old or young they may be, in this season of light, in this time of Christmas. 13 00:03:21.500 --> 00:03:36.400 May this tree, made up of many trees, be a symbol of unity in our city, a sign of what can be done when people work together to care for others and to bring joy into their lives. 14 00:03:37.400 --> 00:03:47.360 Finally, may we always use our talents, abilities and energy in a way that enhances and enriches your work of creation. 15 00:03:48.400 --> 00:03:51.280 We're gathered about this tree. Amen. 16 00:03:53.240 --> 00:03:55.900 Thank you very much, Bob, and your families. 17 00:03:56.580 --> 00:04:01.600 Archbishop Bernadine, so many elected officials, appointed officials. 18 00:04:02.060 --> 00:04:15.420 I guess it's safe to say that Chicago's governmental family is here, my family is here, and I greet all of you with all of your families, which truly is the mark of the city of Chicago. 19 00:04:16.400 --> 00:04:16.820 I'm not going to take up all... 20 00:04:16.820 --> 00:04:18.940 There were a lot of crowds around, but it was beautiful. 21 00:04:19.740 --> 00:04:31.580 And we sort of got the idea, wouldn't it be lovely if we lit the mall, the tree, Wacker Drive, Michigan Avenue, and everything at one time so that there was a spirit, as the Archbishop said, of lights in the city of Chicago. 22 00:04:32.480 --> 00:04:39.620 And lights always send forth a beam, and I would hope that the beam this year, the spirit of Christmas, would be a beam of love. 23 00:04:40.300 --> 00:04:47.520 This is one of the largest crowds we've ever had down here for the tree lighting, and I'm very grateful to all of you for coming and joining in this with us. 24 00:04:48.420 --> 00:04:53.540 We also want you to know that we're going to have horse-drawn carriages throughout the holidays down the mall. 25 00:04:54.060 --> 00:04:56.380 There'll be 14 available after we light the tree. 26 00:04:56.380 --> 00:05:09.380 I want to say that this is the season of love, and from all of us to all of you, all kinds of love, happiness, hope, peace, and religion for this holiday season. 27 00:05:09.640 --> 00:05:11.060 Thank you all for coming. Thank you. 28 00:05:26.380 --> 00:05:26.380 29 00:05:55.760 --> 00:05:58.180 Kelly, if you're waiting for him, he's still over there. 30 00:06:24.620 --> 00:06:30.380 We'll spend $800 million on Christmas cards, and we'll spend $200 million to mail them. 31 00:06:32.540 --> 00:06:35.720 You say, well, if it isn't the cards, maybe Christmas is the spirit of giving. 32 00:06:36.360 --> 00:06:39.600 Well, I'm afraid it isn't the spirit of giving anymore. It's the spirit of indulgence. 33 00:06:40.940 --> 00:06:43.420 Have you been to Toys R Us lately? 34 00:06:46.260 --> 00:06:52.760 $10 billion will be spent on 1,500,000,000 gifts. $10 billion. 35 00:06:54.440 --> 00:06:57.600 Incidentally, that'll all be wrapped in $150 million worth of paper. 36 00:06:59.980 --> 00:07:05.980 You say, well, maybe it's the tree, you know. The tree didn't arrive until the 16th century, and the first person to have a lighted tree was Martin Luther. 37 00:07:08.680 --> 00:07:11.320 You say, well, what about Christmas as Christian? 38 00:07:12.120 --> 00:07:17.620 None of it. None of it's Christian. None of it's biblical. Not a bit of it's commanded by the Lord. 39 00:07:17.720 --> 00:07:22.040 None of it is scriptural. None of it is apostolic, and none of it was ever observed by the early church. 40 00:07:23.760 --> 00:07:28.780 In fact, the Puritans, even in early America, called Christmas, Romish rags. 41 00:07:29.960 --> 00:07:35.400 They deliberately worked on the 1st December 25th in order to show disdain for the pagan holiday. 42 00:07:36.540 --> 00:07:47.060 And in 1644, and this is an interesting note, in 1644, English Puritans passed a law making Christmas Day a working day. 43 00:07:48.360 --> 00:07:52.540 And it became illegal to cook plum pudding and mince pie. 44 00:07:55.340 --> 00:07:58.200 You say, John, that's a little much. Sure, it's a little much. 45 00:07:59.360 --> 00:08:04.380 But what is Christmas? Strip off the date, the name, Santa Claus, the cards, the presents, the tree, and the food. 46 00:08:05.060 --> 00:08:11.000 What do you got? Nothing. And that's precisely what Christmas is. It's nothing. It's absolutely nothing. 47 00:08:11.640 --> 00:08:15.600 It isn't historical. It isn't biblical. It isn't Christian. It isn't anything. 48 00:08:16.440 --> 00:08:19.820 You say, well, John, what about the birth of Christ? That's something. Sure, that's something. 49 00:08:21.020 --> 00:08:27.820 Yeah, but that's not something to be celebrated once. That's something to be celebrated every day. Every day. 50 00:08:28.700 --> 00:08:34.840 Well, you say, if Christmas is nothing, then are we wrong to recognize it? Not necessarily, if we recognize that it is nothing. 51 00:08:36.880 --> 00:08:48.820 Repeat the sounding joy. Repeat the sounding joy. Repeat, repeat the sounding joy. 52 00:08:55.780 --> 00:09:00.480 The red-bellied, white-lipped tamarin would like to hear. 53 00:09:00.840 --> 00:09:04.360 No, come on, let's go outside. Well, we'll go outside, too. 54 00:09:04.920 --> 00:09:08.060 I want to sing. What should they sing? What do you want? 55 00:09:08.060 --> 00:09:16.500 Our God hears the cry of the poor. 56 00:09:30.060 --> 00:09:33.480 Mr. Bergen, here for the parade. Hello. 57 00:09:59.540 --> 00:10:08.020 Oh, no. 58 00:10:10.820 --> 00:10:12.700 There's nothing here. 59 00:10:38.060 --> 00:10:39.460 Oh, no. 60 00:11:27.800 --> 00:11:29.540 Oh, no. 61 00:11:53.520 --> 00:12:04.520 That has been really the hallmark of the family. And I think it's very fitting and very timely that as we are here in Heald Square, 62 00:12:04.520 --> 00:12:14.620 at this statue given to us by the Jewish community, practically on the shores of Fort Dearborn, we can all have great pride in this. 63 00:12:15.260 --> 00:12:31.100 We can have great pride in the religious value, the governmental value, the family value, and certainly the tale of the lights burning without oil is one that every ethnic group loves and respects. 64 00:12:31.740 --> 00:12:42.600 I've said many times, I am grateful to you as a Christian for having a Jerusalem that served as a receptacle of the faiths of all humanity. 65 00:12:43.640 --> 00:12:59.660 And I think it's very fitting that even though it's cold, we be here today and have a little child like the menorah and let the lights burn like the eyes of a child with hope and love and caring for the future. Thank you. 66 00:13:31.100 --> 00:13:37.060 In conclusion, and being redundant, the city of the big shoulders has to be the city of the big heart. Thank you very much. 67 00:14:01.100 --> 00:14:01.920 Thank you. 68 00:14:38.900 --> 00:14:42.460 The fourth words in this committee. I never meant that a fourth word out of it. That's fine. 69 00:14:44.320 --> 00:14:52.180 Shouting for food. And the Pepsi Cola Bottlers of Illinois. I'd like to thank them very much for a very generous contribution. 70 00:14:52.180 --> 00:15:00.380 Mr. Paul and the couple of us, director of government affairs, Pepsi Cola, General Bottlers. Thank you very much to Pepsi Cola. 71 00:15:01.340 --> 00:15:13.440 Yes. All right. And want to thank very much on behalf of the craft company from the craft company for a contribution of 5000 cases of macaroni and cheese. 72 00:15:13.440 --> 00:15:17.440 Mr. Ron Conan of the craft, Dartencraft. 73 00:15:17.440 --> 00:15:44.320 Thank you very much. 74 00:15:44.320 --> 00:15:47.460 For the teamsters. Yeah, the teamsters. Thank you very much. 75 00:15:59.040 --> 00:16:04.260 But if anybody didn't get anybody's let us know we'll do it. We'll send you a thing in the mail. So thank you. 76 00:16:04.260 --> 00:16:06.540 Have a very Merry Christmas. 77 00:16:34.260 --> 00:16:34.300 Thank you.