U.S President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden visited the Children’s National Hospital in Washington on Friday and met with pediatric patients, their families and hospital staff.

“For all you parents, be strong. We spend a lot of time in children’s hospitals, with patients too. It’s going to be okay,” Biden told a group of patients gathered for a book reading.

First ladies traditionally visit the hospital around the Christmas holiday, dating back to first lady Bess Truman during the post-second world war presidency of Harry Truman. Last year, President Biden made the trip, marking the first time a sitting president made a holiday visit to Children’s National.

The president and the first lady hosted a book reading of “The Snowy Day” with a group of pediatric patients, including some who participate virtually from their hospital room. This year marks the 60th anniversary of the publishing of Ezra Jack Keats’s book “The Snowy Day.”

Both the president and the first lady wore masks, as required by the hospital.

The couple also visited children and families in the cardiac unit, the White House said.