?We pray for them?: Biden pays tribute to Covid victims in Thanksgiving message

President Joe Biden on Thursday wished Americans a happy and closer-to-normal Thanksgiving, the second celebrated in the shadow of the coronavirus pandemic, in remarks welcoming the resumption of holiday traditions in many homes.

In his first holiday message as president, Biden and the first lady, Jill Biden, said this year's celebrations were especially meaningful after last year's family separations due to the pandemic.

"This is always a special time in America. But this year, the blessings of Thanksgiving are especially meaningful," the president said in a prerecorded video message released by the White House.

"As we give thanks for what we have, we also keep in our hearts those who we lost, and those who have lost so much. And those who have an empty seat at their kitchen table or their dining room table this year because of this virus or another cruel twist of fate or accident. We pray for them," the president said.

Jill Biden added: "After being apart last year, we have a new appreciation for those little moments we can't plan or replicate. The music of laughter in a warm, full kitchen, the thump of small feet making big sounds, the circle of faces crowded around our dining room table, glowing in the candlelight."

Many families and friends who stayed apart last year have been able to reunite for the holiday this year thanks to the prevalence of the Covid-19 vaccines. About 60% of the eligible population in the US have been fully vaccinated.

Soon after the video was released on Twitter, the president called Al Roker at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade from the first family's holiday stay in Nantucket, Massachusetts.