sing out

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, along with daughters Sasha and Malia, sing during services at St. Michael’s Chapel at Marine Corps Base Hawaii in Kailua, Hawaii, Dec. 26, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

rain check

A palm tree is seen through a rainy windshield in Kailua where President  Obama and his family are vacationing in Hawaii, December 26. Rain is expected to fall on Oahu for the next few days

President Obama returns from the gym at Marine Corps Base Hawaii, December 26

Honolulu Advertiser: President Barack Obama, his family and friends went to church at Marine Corps Base Hawaii on the Sunday after Christmas. The Obamas arrived at St. Michael’s Chapel mid-morning.

The Obamas were seated in the first row of the chapel as a band played “Joy to the World” and parishioners clapped. The celebrant said he was especially thankful this Sunday to have the Obamas in attendance.

This is the second trip to the base today for Obama. After taking a day off for Christmas, the president left the Kailua vacation rental at just before 8 this morning for to workout at the gym at the base, returning after about a hour.

A tent shelters security personnel from rain as they sit on Kailua Beach in the area of President Obama’s winter retreat

A sign placed near Marine Corps Base Hawaii in Kaneohe – the words “Go Punahou” is a reference to the school Obama attended in Hawaii

a christmas hello from jill & joe

Vice President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden visit with troops and their families on Christmas Day at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., Dec. 25, 2010. (Official White House Photo by David Lienemann)

christmas visit

Honolulu Advertiser: President Barack Obama took time out of a quiet Christmas with family, friends and basketball to greet servicemen and women during their Christmas dinner on the Marine Corps Base Hawaii yesterday afternoon.

The president and first lady Michelle Obama posed for pictures, shook hands, hugged children and picked up babies … “I don’t think he left before he got a chance to shake hands with everyone who was there,” said Maj. Alan Crouch, the public affairs officer for the base. “He seemed appreciative of the service members and family members. It seemed like he got a lot out of it, as well.”…

…The president and his wife spent more than an hour shaking hands and hugging service members … Obama picked up 3-month-old Jensen Lao and bounced him a couple of times. “Merry Christmas, Mr. President,” one little boy called out.

“Did you get everything you wanted?” Obama asked a little girl. She showed him a new bracelet and the president pointed to Michelle Obama, who also had a new bracelet, and the first lady and the little girl compared bracelets.

…As the president moved down a dining table, he encountered a large man, taller than the president, wearing a Dallas Cowboys T-shirt.

“We’ve got to get you on the court,” Obama quipped. “I will not get an elbow in the lip if we play with this guy.”

First Lady Michelle Obama and President Barack Obama visit the Marine Corps Base Hawaii on December 25, in Kaneohe, Hawaii