Obamas Hope for Low Profile on Christmas in Hawaii

[DeepModem Mom]

Source: NYT/AP

President-elect Barack Obama spent a private Christmas Day with family and close friends, continuing a vacation that has been remarkable for how low-key he and aides have kept it.

Obama, wife Michelle and their two young daughters opened presents at their rented vacation home and planned a dinner of turkey and ham, according to aides. He planned no public events, and aides said they did not expect to release any further details.

The Obamas arrived in Honolulu on Saturday with four aides, his Secret Service detail and a small group of journalists. Since then, he has been largely sequestered at the beachfront estate.

With less a month before Obama takes office on Jan. 20, he is taking every step possible to make sure this holiday is as private as possible -- something he bemoaned while walking to a driving range last Sunday. ''OK, guys,'' Obama said, recognizing the photographers snapping pictures. ''Come on. ... How many shots do you need?''

It was one of only a handful of trips Obama and his motorcade have taken. He and Michelle Obama have visited Marine Corps Base Hawaii for daily morning workouts. Twice, he and friends have played a round of golf. He attended a private memorial service for his grandmother on Tuesday and scattered her ashes into the Pacific Ocean....

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2008/12/25/us/AP-Obama.html