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Richard Piatt reporting No one likes to work during the holidays. But for the candidates running for president, there isn't much choice.
The first-ever Christmas campaign is raising a bit of a clatter when it comes to family time.
If you're Christmas-ed out -- tired of the shopping, crowds and costs -- it could be worse. You could be on the hook for millions of dollars, in front of tens of millions of people, running for president.
Never before has the Christmas season and the political season meshed so closely. They're all trying to get in the spirit of the season with holiday ads in Iowa and New Hampshire.
And it could be a delicate political situation come next week. What should the candidates do on Christmas day?
Mike Huckabee has pushed the envelope on conservative Christian issues. He may make Christmas service a campaign issue. Mitt Romney has no plans other than family events on Christmas. Other campaigns aren't announcing formal plans, either.
But political observers say they'll be walking a fine line Christmas day: People may not be in the mood for a politics-filled holiday.
Ironically, the candidate who suffered the biggest disappointment this week, Tom Tancredo, who dropped out of the race, might actually be able to enjoy the holidays.
The others are in a runoff that is only going to get tougher over the next two weeks.
Not only are the candidates and their staffs working on the holidays, so are scores of reporters and photographers who are also going to be away from home this holiday season.
