Christmas comes but once a year, the old saying goes. It's a federal holiday as well as a religious observance, so it's understandable that any president of the United States, regardless of faith, would take the day off. At the same time, most every POTUS has been a Christian of one stripe or another (questions exist about Jefferson and Lincoln, but that's for another time).

President Barack Obama professes Christian faith as well, something noted here just the other day.

But personal faith and public (or semi-public) practice are often two different things. Ronald Reagan's non-attendance at church (not to mention his wife's reported dabblings in astrology) drew barbs from some political opponents and pundits. George W. Bush often hosted worship services at Camp David but was not a frequent churchgoer when in Washington. (That said, Bush averaged 15 visits to churches each year, versus 3.6 per annum for Obama.)

The New York Timescaught this, and jumps in on what the president did -- and didn't -- do during his current, Christmastide sojourn in Hawaii: