The Christmas Speeches, 1941

Christmas 1941. Winston Churchill arrives in Washington, D.C mere weeks after the deadly and cowardly attacks on Pearl Harbor. In the tireless days following December 7th, after FDR had made his most famous declaration regarding that “day which will live in infamy”, the United States found itself flung into the World conflict that was ravaging throughout the hemispheres.

Millions of American servicemen and women would be spending their last Christmas at home, unsure of the hardships and tribulations that awaited them, not knowing whether this would be the last Christmas they would ever spend with their mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters. That same burden and fear was heavy on the minds of those same relatives as they undoubtedly sat around their tables and tried to, at least on this night, savor as much time and as many memories as they could before loosing their sons - for a few years, or for forever.

Churchill’s visit was as much symbolic as it was strategic. Obviously there were tactics and logistics to be worked out. More importantly, however, there was a strength in unity that needed to be displayed, a reassurance needed for all Americans that the loneliness and heartache to come would be worth it, and that the cause at hand elicited the sacrifice they’d all be asked to make.

Below are excerpts from the speeches given by both FDR and Churchill on the night of Christmas Eve, 1941 from the balcony of the White House. Their messages are elegantly delivered, but can be boiled down to one common theme. Christmas is a time that allows all children of the world to dream and hope, and now it was time for the adults of the free world to trial against those evil few who looked to destroy exactly that.

“Let the children have their night of fun and laughter. Let the gifts of Father Christmas delight their play. Let us grown-ups share to the full in their unstinted pleasures before we turn again to the stern task and the formidable years that lie before us, resolved that, by our sacrifice and daring, these same children shall not be robbed of their inheritance or denied their right to live in a free and decent world.” - W.C

“Our strongest weapon in this war is that conviction of the dignity and brotherhood of man which Christmas Day signifies more than any other day or any other symbol.” - FDR