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SALT LAKE CITY — Christmas is a time for sharing and giving, but it's also a time when important messages are sent throughout the world. This year, some captivating ideas are being conveyed on this holiday.
Christmas in West Jordan for the Sims family is a lot like those in millions of homes across the globe.
Messages of love are given and received through gifts and hugs — even cards from distant family and friends.
"It's very important to remember the ones you love this time of year, and it's important to hear from people you haven't heard from in a long time," Lisa Sims said.
Every Christmas, there are also holiday messages from political and religious leaders. Often, the messages are timed with the holiday but a lot of times they include something else.
In Christmas tradition, Obama honors US military
President Barack Obama stepped away from the seclusion of his quiet Hawaii vacation for what's become a Christmas tradition: paying tribute to U.S. troops and the sacrifices their families make during the holidays and throughout the year.On Wednesday the man who leaked information about the National security Agency delivered a message from afar about privacy.
"A child born today will grow up with no conception of privacy at all," Edward Snowden said. "They'll never know what it means to have a private moment to themselves, an unrecorded, unanalyzed thought. And that's a problem because privacy matters, privacy is what allows us to determine who we are and who we want to be."
Thought-provoking messages from Pope Francis included a call for peace in Sudan, Syria, in the Gaza strip and for people affected by forces of nature.
"Help and protect all the victims of natural disasters — especially the beloved people of the Philippines — gravely affected by the recent typhoon," Francis said.
The troops overseas are on people's minds this Christmas day. For today, politics is set aside to convey gratitude.
"Our extraordinary men and women in uniform are serving so that the rest of us can enjoy the blessings we cherish during the holidays," President Obama said.
And, there's an opportunity to think of the future, from royalty across the pond.
"As so many of you will know, the arrival of a baby gives everyone a chance to contemplate the future with renewed happiness and hope," Queen Elizabeth said.
It's day messages are conveyed by leaders and picked up faster than ever.
