奥巴马携全家赴夏威夷度圣诞

US President-elect Barack Obama offered appreciation to the country's military on Christmas Eve in a recorded message and then asked children of uniformed troops if they had their wish lists ready.

Obama and wife, Michelle, made their early morning trek to Marine Corps Base Hawaii just northeast of Honolulu as they had done during the last three days. After about an hour at the base on Wednesday where he went inside a gym for a workout, he walked over to greet more than 60 people who waited for him. The president-elect shook hands while onlookers took pictures with their cell phones and digital cameras.

"You guys got your Christmas list?" Obama asked one person standing in the makeshift ropeline. He asked another: "Hey man, what's going on?"

Earlier in the day, his aides released a recorded message of appreciation to the military "serving their second, third or even fourth tour of duty."

"This holiday season, their families celebrate with a joy that is muted knowing that a loved one is absent, and sometimes in danger," Obama said in the message, set to air Saturday morning.

Obama, his family and his close friends are spending 12 days on the island of Oahu, staying at a rented $9 million beachfront estate. Aides say the Obama would have no public events during the trip, although he has received his intelligence briefings and met with aides.

Later Wednesday, Obama played golf with friends Marty Nesbitt and Eric Whitaker, friends who are neighbors of Obama in Chicago. Aide Eugene Kang also joined them.

The Obamas during past years spent the December holidays visiting Obama's maternal grandmother, who died Nov. 2, before Obama's historic Nov. 4 victory. The Obamas on Tuesday had a private memorial service for Madelyn Payne Dunham, who helped raise him.

美国当选总统奥巴马在圣诞节前夕发表了一个录音讲话，他在讲话中感谢美国士兵为国家做出的贡献，并询问这些士兵的孩子们都有哪些圣诞愿望。

周三一大早，奥巴马和夫人米歇尔跟前三天一样，长途跋涉至檀香山东北部的“夏威夷美国海军陆战队基地”。在陆战队基地的健身房锻炼了大约一个小时后，奥巴马便走出来与在外等候他的60多人打招呼。奥巴马与大家亲切握手，围观的人们则纷纷拿出手机和照相机拍照。

奥巴马问站在警戒线外的一位民众：“圣诞节到了，你们都有些什么愿望啊？”之后又问另一位：“嗨，哥们，近况如何？”

当天早些时候，奥巴马的助手发布了他的一个录音讲话，主要是感谢“为国家服役多年”的士兵们。

奥巴马在讲话中说：“在这一年一度的圣诞佳节来临之际，这些士兵们的家人在庆祝节日的同时，心里还在默默挂念着他们远在他乡、时时都有危险的亲人。”这个讲话将于本周六早上播出。

奥巴马全家及他的好友将在瓦卢岛度过一个12天的“悠长”假期，他们花900万美元在岛上租了套海景别墅。奥巴马的助手说，在度假期间，奥巴马将不参加任何正式活动，不过他还是收到了智囊团简报并会见了助手。

当天晚些时候，奥巴马与两位朋友马蒂．奈斯比提和埃里克．惠特克一起打高尔夫，两人是奥巴马在芝加哥的邻居。助手尤金．卡恩也加入了他们。

往年圣诞节，奥巴马全家一般会去拜访奥巴马的外祖母。奥巴马的外祖母已于上月2日，他赢得总统大选两天前去世。奥巴马全家于周二举行了一个家庭纪念仪式，悼念抚养他长大的外祖母玛德琳．佩恩．邓汉姆。