Bill Text: TX HR42 | 2015-2016 | 84th Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: Commemorating Christmas 2016.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Republican 1)
Status: (Passed) 2015-02-25 - Reported enrolled [HR42 Detail]
Download: Texas-2015-HR42-Enrolled.html
| H.R. No. 42 | ||
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| WHEREAS, On December 25, 2016, many Texans will join in | ||
| worship and in fellowship as they celebrate the joyous occasion | ||
| known as Christmas; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Observed by Christians all across the world, | ||
| Christmas commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whose | ||
| arrival on earth is heralded as a promise of salvation for | ||
| humankind; after more than two millennia, Christ's example | ||
| continues to serve as a model of generosity and compassion and as a | ||
| guiding presence in the lives of countless people; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Although Christmas has a longstanding history in the | ||
| United States, the breadth of its observance has grown considerably | ||
| since the earliest days of our nation's founding; the Christmas | ||
| tradition familiar to us today arose during the 19th century, and | ||
| most markedly in the years of rapid industrialization following the | ||
| Civil War; at a time of national unrest and uncertainty, a holiday | ||
| reminiscent of a simpler life, suffused by the fundamental spirit | ||
| of peace and goodwill, offered comfort and spoke to the most fervent | ||
| prayers of all Americans; by 1870, the observance of Christmas had | ||
| become so widespread that the day was declared a national holiday; | ||
| and | ||
| WHEREAS, Modern-day Christmas evokes images of families | ||
| gathering by the warmth of the hearth, of city streets adorned with | ||
| lights, of tinsel-strewn trees, and of such confections as | ||
| gingerbread and eggnog; many present-day customs are derived from | ||
| Old World forms of celebration that have been shaped, refined, and | ||
| interwoven with more recent practices, like the exchange of | ||
| presents, to yield a wealth of festivities that are definitively | ||
| American; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Amid the bustle that now attends the holidays, the | ||
| original significance of Christmas nonetheless reveals itself; | ||
| more than any other time of the year, the Christmas season calls | ||
| forth a heightened sense of charity, as individuals share what they | ||
| have to help alleviate the needs of others; the holiday also invites | ||
| celebrants to set aside worldly cares, enjoy the company of loved | ||
| ones, and rejoice in the heartening gift that is faith; and | ||
| WHEREAS, The simple story of a child born in a humble manger | ||
| has endured and inspired generations, and the scriptural lessons of | ||
| redemption, mercy, tolerance, and most of all, love, remain as | ||
| profound and transformative as ever before; as Texans share their | ||
| delight in this most cherished holiday and its many treasured | ||
| traditions, they may take to heart the virtues that define the true | ||
| spirit of Christmas and endeavor to carry them forward in the year | ||
| ahead; now, therefore, be it | ||
| RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas | ||
| Legislature hereby commemorate Christmas Day 2016. | ||
| Price | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Speaker of the House | ||
| I certify that H.R. No. 42 was adopted by the House on | ||
| February 19, 2015, by a non-record vote. | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Chief Clerk of the House | ||
