Michelle Obama shares her family’s tropical holiday traditions and her secret to gift shopping
“I’m the one that makes Christmas happen,” says Michelle Obama, giving a glimpse of how the holidays work in the Obama household.
Former first lady Michelle Obama does not play about the holidays. During an appearance on “The Jennifer Hudson Show,” the former first lady revealed that she goes all out with Christmas decor, despite her husband’s opinion.
“[The holidays] are my favorite times,” Obama told the talk show host. “I love it. I mean, I’m one of those people [who] would have a Christmas tree in every house. Last year, we had poinsettias everywhere, and of course, my husband’s like, ‘What’s wrong with you? Why do we have to have all of this?’ But I like to feel Christmas everywhere, [in] every inch of the house.”
However, winter holidays in the Obama household look a little different. The former first lady shared that one of the perks of President Barack Obama being raised in Hawaii is that their family gets to celebrate Christmas together on the island.
“One of the reasons why I married him [was because of] my in-laws; I was like, ‘OK, is this where Christmas is going to be?’” she joked. “That’s why you got to pick your husband right… It’s like he got a lot cuter when I found out he was from Hawaii.”
“So since the girls were little, [we’ve gone] to Hawaii. His family is there, and now his sister, my nieces, and a bunch of our friends have been going there for years,” she continued, explaining their plans to spend Christmas under the sun.
Before unwinding under the sun for the holidays, the former first lady has to tackle what some consider to be the hardest part — gift shopping. But of all the people she has to shop for, Michelle says her husband is the toughest person to gift. Imitating her husband, Obama explained how her husband’s frugal and minimalist lifestyle makes it hard to shop for him.
“He’s just a boy. I mean, he just doesn’t do much; he golfs, and [there are] only so many golf balls you can get a dude. I already got the clubs. I can’t get him another golf shirt,” she said. “He’s really hard, and he doesn’t want anything. He’s one of these sort of just a nice letter [kind of people], and he means it.”
Though she always finds a way to surprise her husband on Christmas day, Obama says there is a method to her holiday shopping. Just as Santa has his elves, the former first lady has her stylist Meredith Koop, who reportedly helps the first lady shop for gifts.
“I’m not out there shopping like you guys; it’s not like I can just drive by the mall and shut it down,” she said, explaining the reason for her unconventional shopping habits. “But I’m the one who organizes all the gift-giving. I make sure that all the kids we know are covered. I’ve got my list, we’ve got our procedures, so I’m the one that makes Christmas happen”
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