The same year President Obama and his family went to Hawaii for the holidays, Susan and I celebrated Christmas and New Years in the Philippines. No white Christmas for us! But living there for fifteen years, we're familiar with celebrating Christmas in a tropical setting.

However, when we travel and the president travels, it's very different. We pass through various security checks. He and his family have a security team to protect them.

Why all the security? We live in a time when trust is scarce.