LOS ANGELES — With the Obamas preparing for their first Christmas in the White House, the First Couple is reminiscing about holidays past in a new one-hour television special hosted by Oprah Winfrey.
"Getting that first big kid, 10-speed bike – that's always special," President Barack Obama recalls of his favorite Christmas gift as a child in the ABC program, airing Sunday night. "I remember that one."
Another memory for Obama is the one time he met his father, whose visit during Christmas sparked his love for the game of basketball.
"He gave me a basketball," Obama shares. "It wasn't until much later in life where I realized, actually he gave me that basketball. I think there was some cause and effect there in terms of the degree to which I just ended up taking the sport as a kid who didn't know his dad."
When asked to recall her favorite Christmas gift as a child, Michelle Obama remembers the time she received a dollhouse.
"I remember I really didn't know how to set up a house, so I had all the furniture lined up along the walls as opposed to nestled around the fireplace," she recalls. "But I loved that little doll house."
President Obama faced plenty of pressure when taking office in January, but how does that compare to the challenges of shopping around the holidays when you're the head honcho?
"I have given some good gifts," he tells Winfrey, drawing a curious look from the First Lady as he points out the necklace she's wearing. "Here's the general rule – I give nicer stuff than I get!"
Christmas at the White House: An Oprah Primetime Special airs tonight at 10:00 p.m.
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