His wife and daughters are already on island and being seen around town, spotted dining at Pacific Soul in Kaimuki the other day.

The president was out buying Christmas presents for the girls and the dog (let’s hope neither reads national news reports, lest the surprise be ruined).

Obama wouldn’t say whether he’d be able to deliver the presents in person. But as The Hill reports: 

Even if there’s no ideal time for a presidential vacation, this one comes at a particularly inopportune moment. For weeks, Obama has insisted that lawmakers stay in town to pass the tax extension. Otherwise, as he said earlier this month, “we can all spend Christmas here together.”  

Now, with the payroll tax extension compromise unsettled, and members of Congress already back at home, does Obama up and leave, too? Or will the president be forced to spend the holidays at an empty White House with the Yule Log on TV, listening to Elvis Presley’s “Blue Christmas”?  

“If he stays, he could be seen as the only adult in the room,” said Susan MacManus, a professor of political science at the University of South Florida. “If he leaves, it could hurt him.”  

Tough call. Politics aside, for Obama’s sake, let’s hope that he gets to spend the holiday with his family.