Conservative columnist Charles Krauthammer on Friday had a special Christmas message for his Fox News fans, after taking a break from the public eye to recover from surgery.

“This being my first ‘vacation’ from Fox since I began there years ago, I should be enjoying the layoff, except for the fact that I have to work hard — my doctors compare it to marathon training — to offset the debilitating effects of the surgery,” Krauthammer said in a statement read on-air by “Special Report” anchor Bret Baier.