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Every year at this time, we all come together in many different ways to celebrate the holiday season.  We fill our homes with lights and the warm comforts of family.  No matter the holiday celebration, we surround ourselves with loved ones and friends, and bask in the abundance of love and joy the season offers.  We take time to toast to our blessings, reflect on our journeys and pray for our challenges.  It is a time when our communities draw close to provide for those less fortunate, and we all give thanks for what we have been blessed to have instead of wanting for what we don’t. While we reflect on the past, we also await the beginning of a new year.  It is a time of observance, thankfulness and renewal.  It is a time when our differences disappear and the hopeful idea of Peace on Earth seems possible.

This year, we enter this time with heavy hearts.  In the past week, we have witnessed a tragedy unfold unlike any we have ever seen.  The innocent lives of children lost to an evil that is unconscionable and unimaginable, leaves us questioning whether or not our humanity can conquer evil’s depravity.  Every act of violence is a tragedy, but the senseless horror of what happened at Sandy Hook Elementary has left our country deeply saddened and looking at our families and our lives through a different lens. Few will be able to gather this holiday season without thinking of the victims and their families and all those who aren’t able to hug their children on Christmas morning.

2012 has been a tough, yet extraordinary year.  We experienced bitter partisanship in the national elections and brilliant patriotism as we cheered for the USA on the Olympic stage. We have seen triumphs and tragedies, successes and failures. Through the hard times that we have endured, one thing remains the same- we have always seen the resilience and resolve of the American people shine through every hardship.  Whether it be through the recovery from a devastating natural disaster like Hurricane Sandy, or through the perseverance of businesses and families amidst a grueling economy, the spirit of the American people has always prevailed over circumstance.

America’s resilience comes from the solid bedrock of principles on which this great country was founded.  I believe that as a nation, our collective faiths are the fabric of our being that has kept our union strong, and I believe we should hold fast to our convictions.  There is a sad trend that I see happening in America today- a trend of forcing faith out from public service in the name of political correctness.  I was proud to hear Speaker Boehner speak with conviction at the Capitol Christmas Tree lighting this season.  The Speaker spoke about the hope and faith that our holiday traditions embody, and the important role they play in our lives this time of year.  As the Speaker so eloquently stated, a Christmas Tree is not just a Christian symbol of Christmas, but a larger symbol of the wonder of the human spirit and the blessings we rejoice in during the holiday season.  I believe now, more than ever, we need to allow ourselves to publicly give thanks in our faith, publicly ask for guidance and grace, and publicly celebrate the joys of the season.  In a world that seems bitter and dark, and somber hopelessness could so easily replace our hope in the good and decent, it is important that we allow ourselves the light and peace of faith.

As this year draws to an end and we all gather among our friends and family, we take pause to remember the importance of each other, our faiths, our communities and the blessings that abound in our great country.  Although we continue to face extraordinary obstacles, I am confident that we will move forward with the steadfast resolve and strength that has always defined the greatness of America.

God bless you and your families, God bless our troops both here and abroad, and God bless America,

Congressman Howard “Buck” McKeon, CA 25