{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://noem.house.gov/index.cfm/in-the-news?ContentRecord_id=3C45095B-F760-4724-9E60-DD4A14C2203B", "Aberdeen News: Noem shares stories of Christmas, more at Aberdeen school", "2013-12-19", "2013", "2013-12", "Republican", "House", "SD", "Kristi Noem", "N000184", "noem.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Rep. Kristi Noem, R-S.D., shared the meaning of Christmas with third-graders at O.M. Tiffany Elementary School on Wednesday afternoon.\u00a0\r\nIn town for meetings requested by area leaders and constituents, Noem visited with the elementary schoolers to read some Christmas stories and answer questions about her job as a representative in the U.S. House.\u00a0\r\n\r\nStudents\u2019 eyes lit up as O.M. Tiffany Principal Jared Ahlberg introduced Noem.\u00a0\r\n\r\n\r\n\u201cShe has a very important job,\u201d Ahlberg told students. \u201cShe knows President Barack Obama.\u201d\r\n\r\n\r\nChristmas is special to her family, Noem told students. There was work to be done every day growing up on a farm, so Christmas was a day the children would all have off.\r\n\r\n\r\nOne day, the kids decided it would be nice to give their dad the day off, Noem said. Doing chores someone might have to do every day would be a good gift to give, she told the school children before reading \u201c\u2018Twas the Night Before Christ\u201d by South Dakota author Tom Roberts.\u00a0\r\n\r\n\r\nThe book, a take on \u201c\u2018Twas the Night Before Christmas,\u201d features the story of Jesus. Noem gifted the book to the third-graders.\r\n\r\n\r\nThough her eldest child is in college, the Noem family always comes together to read the book and other stories during Christmastime.\u00a0\r\n\r\n\r\nIt\u2019s important to celebrate the birth of Jesus, but it\u2019s also a time to celebrate how special we are to one another, Noem said.\u00a0\r\n\r\n\r\n\u201cThat\u2019s the best thing about Christmas,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s a good time of the year to be kind to someone.\u201d\r\n\r\n\r\nShe also shared the story of how Teddy Roosevelt III snuck a Christmas tree into a closet in the White House in 1902, when his father, President Theodore Roosevelt declared there would be no tree.\u00a0\r\n\r\n\r\nThird-grader Michael Aalseth said it was \u201ccool\u201d that Noem took the time to read stories.\r\n\r\n\r\nChildren asked Noem about everything \u2014 from questions about the Lincoln Memorial to whether she would consider running for president.\u00a0\r\n\r\n\r\nThe latter is unlikely, she said.\u00a0\r\n\r\n\r\n\u201cMy favorite thing in the world to be is a mom, and my favorite place in the world to be is in South Dakota,\u201d Noem answered.\u00a0\r\n\r\n\r\nThe children were most curious about the White House, meeting the president, life in Washington, D.C., and Noem\u2019s Christmas plans.\r\n\r\n\r\n\u201cI really liked her telling us the answers to our questions and learning more about her,\u201d said third-grader Tristan Leidholdt.\r\n\r\n\r\nHe said he learned a lot of things he didn\u2019t know before.\u00a0\r\n\r\n\r\n\u201cThis is my favorite thing about this job,\u201d Noem said. \u201cWe can get young kids excited to learn about government and get involved with their communities. It\u2019s pretty special.\u201d\r\n\r\n\r\nStudents also asked about a school nutrition bill introduced by Noem that would give local schools more flexibility with their lunch programs.\u00a0\r\n\r\n\r\n\u201cThey can decide how best to feed you guys,\u201d she told students.\u00a0\r\n\r\n\r\nNoem encouraged students to get involved in their community.\u00a0\r\n\r\n\r\n\u201cSometimes, our laws don\u2019t make sense,\u201d she said. \u201cDon\u2019t complain about it. Do something about it.\u201d\r\n\r\n\r\nNoem said she tries to make time for school visits when she travels to South Dakota communities, but most visits are to high schools.\r\n\r\n\r\nShe has been to about a dozen elementary schools. While in Aberdeen, she also visited Northern State University, where she attended school for two years.\r\n\r\n\r\nLinda Daugaard, South Dakota\u2019s first lady, visited\u00a0O.M. Tiffany last year to read to students.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://noem.house.gov/index.cfm/in-the-news?ContentRecord_id=3C45095B-F760-4724-9E60-DD4A14C2203B"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9913989342749119, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}