BIDEN, FIRST LADY VISIT HOSPITALIZED KIDS FOR CHRISTMAS
Celebrations around the nation, world being scaled down
President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden brought some Christmas Eve cheer to hospitalized children who aren’t well enough to go home for the holidays.
It’s longstanding tradition for first ladies to visit Children’s National Hospital at Christmastime, but Joe Biden’s visit on Friday was a surprise. It marked the first time that a sitting president had joined the fun, the White House said.
It wasn’t the only tradition that the president joined in on Friday. Jill Biden answered calls to the the North American Aerospace Defense Command’s Santa tracking service, another longstanding tradition for first ladies, and she was joined by Biden for the calls.
At the hospital, the Bidens — donning masks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus — spoke with a group of children making lanterns as part of a winter craft project, asking each one what they drew on their lanterns. Some drew family, snowmen or other holiday-themed art.
They both spoke to a child who said the hospital “helped him when he was down.”
“Well we hope we’re bringing you some joy today,” Jill Biden responded.
The president added, “You’re bringing us some joy, pal.”
The visit came as celebrations across the country and around the world were being scaled down by the surge of coronavirus cases.
Numerous churches in the U.S. canceled in-person services, including Washington National Cathedral in the nation’s capital and historic Old South Church in Boston. Others planned outdoor celebrations or a mix of online and in-person worship.
At St. Paul’s Old Ford, an Anglican church in East London, priests planned to hold services on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. But to protect parishioners, the church called off its Nativity play.
“You might have to cancel the service, but you can’t cancel Christmas,” said the Rev. April Keech, an associate priest. “You can’t stop love. Love still stands.”
In New York City, where omicron has spread widely, people waited in long lines to get tested, many doing so as a precaution before traveling to reunite with family.
Brianna Sultan and her daughter Ava, 8, spent Friday in one of those long lines waiting for a test after they got word of another infection at school.
“It’s a terrible way to be spending Christmas Eve,” Sultan said after more than two hours in line and as the chill deepened into the evening in New York City’s Harlem neighborhood. “It’s terrible that we can’t see our families because this COVID strain is coming back up again.”
In Germany, churchgoers faced a thicket of health restrictions and limits on attendance. Some had to show proof of vaccination or testing.
Frankfurt’s cathedral, which can hold 1,200 people, offered only 137 socially distanced spaces, all of which were booked days in advance. Singing was allowed only through masks.