Congressman Mike Kelly (PA-3) was tapped to give the GOP response to the President’s weekly address today and he didn’t miss the opportunity to bring a Christmas theme to the event. Holding a lump of coal in his hands, Kelly declared that he wasn’t offering up the ebony prize because Obama was on the naughty list (though he is), but rather to remind him of the riches we have in America and how we should be grateful for the blessings our country enjoys. The Prince of Twitter, Andrew Malcolm, has the details at Investors.com.

Today I’m offering President Obama a lump of coal for Christmas. Not because he’s been bad this year — though I’ll get to that. (Scroll down for video of these remarks.)

No, I’m offering the president a lump of coal because this product right here holds the potential for a 21st-century economic revival.

You see, coal is our most abundant and valuable resource. It lights our homes, keeps our electric bills low, and puts food on the table for countless families. More than 40,000 jobs in my state alone are tied to coal.

But this isn’t just about coal country — no, it’s about our whole country.

Because no other nation in the world has been blessed with such abundant, affordable, and accessible resources.

And with all that God has given us, we shouldn’t be just trying to keep up with the pack. My goodness, we should be leading the world.

Now if only we had a president willing to seize this opportunity. He tells us he’s for ‘all of the above’ but then he leaves out everything that’s below.

These weekly, back and forth addresses can get a bit tedious at times, but this one is really enjoyable. And Kelly also offers up some nice sentiments for Christmas. Part of it is the obvious, wonky portion about the need to continue aggressively expanding the advantage we hold through domestic energy exploration and development. Every action the President takes through the EPA puts the lie to his election year claims of supporting an all of the above energy approach. But we already knew that.

Beyond that, though, the congressman reminds us of something which should bring some cheer to all at Christmas time. We still live in a great nation which has been blessed by God with amazing resources and opportunities. Coal is only one of those riches, and not nearly as precious as the people who have blazed the scientific trails and made America a leader in not only energy generation, but so many other fields. And as dark as things may seem on any given day of the news cycle, as long as we keep our edge and continue to lead the world in a little good thinking, nobody is going to catch up to us.

Thanks, Congressman Kelly. And Merry Christmas to you as well. The video follows.