海角大神

Every busy parent knows that a spouse is the toughest person for whom to buy holiday gifts. There鈥檚 lots of pressure to get something thoughtful but not much time to sit down and exchange lists and ideas.

That goes triple if you鈥檙e the First Couple of the United States. But President Obama is fortunate 鈥� first lady Michelle O. managed to work a few hints about presents 聽in Washington.

Mrs. Obama had just finished reading 鈥淭he Night Before Christmas鈥� in front of a small crowd of young children. Santa was there, in costume. So were First Dogs Bo and Sunny. They were not in costume, thankfully.

The kids were a bit restless. Mrs. O had already explained that the house in which not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse, was not the White House. It was ... just a normal house in a story. She鈥檇 also dealt with one child who asked for a cat for Christmas.

鈥淥kay, mom, dad, did you hear that?鈥� said the first lady.

Then another child asked her what she wanted for Christmas. This seemed to take her back a bit. Apparently she has not been ripping pages out of Boden catalogs and leaving them lying around the Cabinet room with appropriate items marked.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 really have a long wish list for Christmas, because I pretty much have everything I need,鈥� said Obama. 鈥淢oms and dads, we鈥檙e not that big on Christmas. I just want everybody to be happy, and I want to sleep in.鈥�

Then another question lit a spark. Asked if she had any Christmas pajamas, she said no, she didn鈥檛.

鈥淢aybe that鈥檚 what I should put on my Christmas list. OK, Mr. President, if you鈥檙e watching, I think we could use some Christmas pajamas,鈥� she said.

Here鈥檚 the question: Should President Obama go for this idea? Or, in of "Star Wars," is it 鈥渁 trap鈥�?

The PJ thing has two things going against it. One, it鈥檚 utilitarian. That can be dangerous for a husband. Two, it involves clothing. President Obama is not good about picking out clothing for his wife to wear. He said that himself on 鈥淟ive with Ryan Seacrest鈥� Monday.

鈥淢ichelle鈥檚 hard to shop for,鈥� he admitted. 鈥淪he鈥檚 very fashionable, and she looks good. I鈥檓 worried about buying her clothes.鈥�

When he buys her duds, she says thanks. Then he never sees her actually wearing them, apparently. They鈥檙e stuffed in a closet somewhere with old Christmas lights and the (mythical) lost Iranian nuclear deal.

Frankly, we鈥檙e worried he鈥檇 buy her something with footies or light-up Rudolph noses. Perhaps the president should stick to books 鈥� he鈥檚 already shopped at local bookseller Politics and Prose. Or gift cards. They鈥檙e safe.

Just don鈥檛 follow the example of Lyndon Baines Johnson, who gave perhaps the worst presidential Christmas gift ever. Visiting the Vatican on Dec. 23, 1967, . Looking very Texan.

The pope gave him a 15th century oil painting of the Nativity. Talk about a gift-giving imbalance.