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| 3 | 4 | | |
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| 4 | 5 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 5 | 6 | | WHEREAS, On December 25, 2015, many Texans will join in |
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| 6 | 7 | | worship and in fellowship as they celebrate the joyous occasion |
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| 7 | 8 | | known as Christmas; and |
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| 8 | 9 | | WHEREAS, Observed by Christians all across the world, |
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| 9 | 10 | | Christmas commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whose |
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| 10 | 11 | | arrival on earth is heralded as a promise of salvation for |
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| 11 | 12 | | humankind; after more than two millennia, Christ's example |
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| 12 | 13 | | continues to serve as a model of generosity and compassion and as a |
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| 13 | 14 | | guiding presence in the lives of countless people; and |
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| 14 | 15 | | WHEREAS, Although Christmas has a longstanding history in the |
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| 15 | 16 | | United States, the breadth of its observance has grown considerably |
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| 16 | 17 | | since the earliest days of our nation's founding; the Christmas |
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| 17 | 18 | | tradition familiar to us today arose during the 19th century, and |
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| 18 | 19 | | most markedly in the years of rapid industrialization following the |
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| 19 | 20 | | Civil War; at a time of national unrest and uncertainty, a holiday |
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| 20 | 21 | | reminiscent of a simpler life, suffused by the fundamental spirit |
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| 21 | 22 | | of peace and goodwill, offered comfort and spoke to the most fervent |
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| 22 | 23 | | prayers of all Americans; by 1870, the observance of Christmas had |
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| 23 | 24 | | become so widespread that the day was declared a national holiday; |
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| 24 | 25 | | and |
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| 25 | 26 | | WHEREAS, Modern-day Christmas evokes images of families |
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| 26 | 27 | | gathering by the warmth of the hearth, of city streets adorned with |
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| 27 | 28 | | lights, of tinsel-strewn trees, and of such confections as |
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| 28 | 29 | | gingerbread and eggnog; many present-day customs are derived from |
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| 29 | 30 | | Old World forms of celebration that have been shaped, refined, and |
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| 30 | 31 | | interwoven with more recent practices, like the exchange of |
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| 31 | 32 | | presents, to yield a wealth of festivities that are definitively |
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| 32 | 33 | | American; and |
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| 33 | 34 | | WHEREAS, Amid the bustle that now attends the holidays, the |
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| 34 | 35 | | original significance of Christmas nonetheless reveals itself; |
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| 35 | 36 | | more than any other time of the year, the Christmas season calls |
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| 36 | 37 | | forth a heightened sense of charity, as individuals share what they |
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| 37 | 38 | | have to help alleviate the needs of others; the holiday also invites |
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| 38 | 39 | | celebrants to set aside worldly cares, enjoy the company of loved |
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| 39 | 40 | | ones, and rejoice in the heartening gift that is faith; and |
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| 40 | 41 | | WHEREAS, The simple story of a child born in a humble manger |
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| 41 | 42 | | has endured and inspired generations, and the scriptural lessons of |
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| 42 | 43 | | redemption, mercy, tolerance, and most of all, love, remain as |
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| 43 | 44 | | profound and transformative as ever before; as Texans share their |
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| 44 | 45 | | delight in this most cherished holiday and its many treasured |
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| 45 | 46 | | traditions, they may take to heart the virtues that define the true |
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| 46 | 47 | | spirit of Christmas and endeavor to carry them forward in the year |
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| 47 | 48 | | ahead; now, therefore, be it |
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| 48 | 49 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas |
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| 49 | 50 | | Legislature hereby commemorate Christmas Day 2015. |
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