Michelle Obama: Hawaii is first family’s favorite holiday tradition
ASSOCIATED PRESS
First lady Michelle Obama sits with Stephen Orzechowski, 5, and reads “Twas the Night Before Christmas” to a group of children at the Childrens National Health System in Washington today.
WASHINGTON >> Michelle Obama is marking the days off the calendar for her favorite holiday tradition: traveling with family and friends to Hawaii.
The first lady said the family trip to President Barack Obama’s home state dates back more than two decades.
She said the two-week vacation also includes an annual talent show with their large group of loved ones that has included poetry, music and dog tricks.
“Because it’s such an important tradition, I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else in the world,” she said.
Mrs. Obama shared her holiday plans today as she continued a first lady tradition of visiting with hospitalized children. She was joined by family dogs Bo and Sunny as she read “Twas the Night Before Christmas” to patients at Children’s National Health System.
The visit also included a question-and-answer session with the youngsters. When asked if the family pups have been naughty or nice this year, Mrs. Obama said Sunny— the younger Portuguese water dog who joined the family in 2013— can sometimes be naughty when she sneaks away to use the bathroom randomly about the White House.
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“We’re dealing with that problem, but she sneaks and does it. She’s sneaky,” Mrs. Obama said. “But otherwise, they’re both very good. They’re both very good ambassadors. They work really hard.”
The first lady, an Ivy League graduate, also dispensed some advice when a girl asked her how she got into Harvard Law School.
“You’ve got to study hard,” Mrs. Obama said. “You’ve got to read a lot of books. You have to do your homework every day. You have to listen to your teachers, and your moms and dads. That’s the start.”
The Obamas will leave for Hawaii on Friday.
49 responses to “Michelle Obama: Hawaii is first family’s favorite holiday tradition”
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M.O.’s M.O. is to have a great vacation here in Hawaii. Happy holidays and stay safe.
Rude.
Mr and Mrs President. Please make time in your busy holiday schedule to visit those at Schofield Barracks.
Merry Christmas or should I be politically correct and say Happy Holidays…
It hasn’t happened in all the years Obama’s been vacationing in Hawaii. Now if the former Schofield golf course hadn’t closed, you might have seen him on post. Priorities. Wonder where President Hillary will vacation next year? Should stay at one of the Trump towers just to spite the Donald.
Here’s hoping your “President Hillary” is either under indictment or in jail.
Yep!
Bless the First Family. They have been a wonderful Christian couple serving America. I am proud of them. Welcome home Mr. President and enjoy yourself. Thanks for all you have done and tried to do.
Santa just placed you on the naughty list.
Ok lets see if they keep coming back here every year then will be a tradition. If not it was all about the tax payer paying for their vacation.
I thought Africa would be her vacation of choice. That only cost the tax payers 100 million dollars. Wait, what about the China vacation? That’s the one that cost so much the American public was never told how much that cost. These 2 will be divorced after the elections.
Neither the Africa, nor the China trips were Christmas visits, therefore, not considered in the “family’s favorite holiday tradition,” of which the article is concerning.
Michelle says they’ve been coming here at Christmas for the past 20 years !!!
Did you read where they’ve been doing it for more than two decades? Second sentence of the article. It’s a tradition.
Obviously, a lot of folks who comment here cannot read.
klastri, I thought you fell of the face of the earth, we could be so lucky. Are you on work release? Did your mom let you have access to the family computer? Good to see your happy post again, always a good read.
Oh Joy
Especially when it’s another “free” vacation.
Never mind those secret-service staff who can’t spend Christmas with their friends and families.
Never mind that EVERY President goes on a Christmas vacation. And yes, it’s the Secret Service’s job to watch over he and his family, they knew what they were signing on for when they applied for the job.
Nearly every other president to my memory went home, to Camp David or stayed in the White House with minimum staffing and protection to allow as many staffers as possible to be home with THEIR families. Not the Obamas.
Right, because the Secret Service gets Christmas off from protecting the president otherwise. Right……
The ignorance here is really breathtaking. It’s sad.
Making it rain $$$$$$$, it’s only taxpayers money……spend, spend, spend………
Neither Rich ? I don’t get it. I thought they both had our money. Oh now I get it. How did that one slip through? Naughty naughty …
disappointed to see that statement. very disappointed.
I’ve reported it. Uncalled for and ignorant.
Didn’t see “serious’ post. What did he say???
He used a racial epithet with — in the middle.
Yeah, never mind that his Christmas vacation cost the taxpayers 4million dollars each year. No President has ever taken their Christmas vacation at the astronomical cost that Obama has done. He also kind of blows his whole climate change mumbojumbo by making such a HUGE carbon footprint.
That’s silly, as well as incorrect, and I’m gonna guess you already knew that.
Or not. Most Obama-haters have no substance to their whining.
serious, you’ve just tainted everything you’ll ever say on this site.
It’s not the first time.
As if anyone needed any additional proof or validation of his racism and ignorance.
so sunny the portagee water dog goes all through the white house and uses the bathroom, what they to lazy to take the dog out in the yard to use the bathroom, man when they leave that white house is going to smell like one portagee.
How pathetic your comment is.
Not everybody enjoys or wants Hussein and his “crew” here for Xmas. He really needs to start getting ready to return to his real homeland in 12 months. Good riddance…
He is from here. Most Obama-haters in Hawai’i are carpetbaggers who don’t belong in a place of open-mindedness and diversity. A very shrill but distinctly small minority.
402 days, 01 hour, 22 minutes, 10 seconds
402 days, 1 hour, 22 minutes, 10 seconds
Merry Christmas to the Obama Family.
Yea spend close to 2-3 moillion dollars per “vacation”… half is our state that has to cover they security expense…
Only in Hawaii citizens love you just because you went to high school here..(or was he?)
Sheeps of Hawaii loves OUR BOY!
Every president gets the same treatment get a life.
The man was elected by votes of the entire country. Twice. You belong to a bitter and shrinking minority.
The majority now say Obama has failed.
But she sure ain’t Hawai`i’a favorite holiday tradition. LOL
Just my opinion:over the years when the first family visits during the holidays they stay in the community in Kailua. This should never happen because of the security measures involved in that area. Since the military bases are secured already they should stay on one of those bases. Why should the residents of the area they stay have to adjust their life style while they are there. Is that they are the first family? To inconvience people’s normal lives?? Anyway I wouldn’t like that but this is just my opinion but I hope have a nice holiday visit
Kids like candy. See, I can make obvious observations, too. Who wouldn’t want to go to Hawaii for Christmas or for any other reason? Of course it’s their favorite holiday tradition!
thanks to us taxpayers…all expenses paid …stay at the White House instead…
Mo better Hawaii da bestest. All the kind folks live in harmony. We welcome back da keiki’s okaaina. All Kalakaua live like ohana.