President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle: 'Merry Christmas Everybody'

President Obama was criticized last month when he didn't mention God in his weekly address before Thanksgiving, but he talked about God and Christians in his Christmas Eve address.

"This is such a wonderful time of year," First Lady Michelle Obama said in the video address. "It's a time to honor the story of love and redemption that began 2,000 years ago.

"A time to see the world through a child's eyes and rediscover the magic all around us," she said. "And a time to give thanks for the gifts that bless us every single day.

"This holiday season at the White House, we wanted to show our thanks with a very special holiday tribute to some of the strongest, bravest, and most reilient members of our American family. The men and women who wear our country's uniform, and the families who support them."

President Obama also expressed his gratitude to military personnel and their families.

"For many military families, the best gift this year is a simple one: welcoming a loved one back for the holidays. You see after nearly nine years, our war in Iraq is over. Our troops are coming home. And across America military families are being reunited. So let's take a moment to give thanks for their service, for their families' service, for our veterans' service.

"And let's say a prayer for all our troops standing post all over the world, especially our brave men and women who are in Afghanistan and serving, even as we speak, in harm's way to protect the freedoms and security we hold so dear."

The president devoted the second half of the three-minute address to the meaning of Christmas.

"Giving of ourselves, service to others, that's what this season is all about," he said. "For my family and millions of Americans, that's what Christmas is all about.

"It reminds us that part of what it means to love God is to love one another," he said. "To be our brother's keeper and our sister's keeper.

"But that belief is not just at the center of our Christian faith," he said. "It's shared by Americans of all faiths and backgrounds. It's why so many of us every year volunteer our time to help those most in need, especially our hungry and our homeless."

"So whatever you believe, wherever you're from, let's remember the spirit of service that connects us all to this season, as Americans. Each of us can do our part to serve our communities and our country. . . . "

The video address was recorded Friday, according to the White House YouTube Channel.