The nation's newest celebrity senator is home for the holidays and lying low, if such a thing is possible when the words "potential U.S. presidential candidate" are spoken whenever someone mentions your name.

But U.S. Sen. Barack Obama — an Illinois Democrat who was born and educated in Honolulu — is trying to do just that.

No public appearances are planned in Hawai'i, despite the eagerness of local Democrats who want to see Obama run for president. Obama's vacation has been described to Democrats as a time to think over his political future.

"He is going to lay low," said U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie, D-Hawai'i. "There is nothing planned. This is decision-making time. He is definitely here, and maybe for the last time in a long time, to get back together with his local roots, to see folks he has known all his life and whom he knows have his best interests at heart."

And to decide if he wants to run for president.

"It is fair to say, I think, that he will make his mind up while he is here," Abercrombie said.

The exact dates of Obama's Hawai'i arrival remain a little unclear — Saturday, yesterday and even today have all been mentioned.

Abercrombie yesterday said he hadn't been contacted by Obama. "If he isn't here yet, he will be very soon," the congressman said.

The chairman of the Democratic Party of Hawai'i, Mike McCartney, yesterday said Obama was already here.

Party representatives had hoped to meet with Obama during his vacation but have been told the senator wanted "a very private visit," McCartney said.

"We wanted to do something, but we can respect his privacy," he said. "He might be making one of the most important decisions of his life now, right here in Hawai'i. I want him to have the space. It could affect future generations and a lot of the world."

A former Illinois state senator, the 45-year-old Obama was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2004. He has emerged as a leader among Democrats nationwide and attracted a national audience through his speeches and books.

His book — "The Audacity of Hope" — is a best-seller. Autograph signings and appearances have the quality of rock star worship.

But his roots are solid in Hawai'i, where he graduated from Punahou in 1979. His sister and grandmother live here, and he has longtime friends still living in the Islands.

He probably won't be able to go anywhere without being recognized.

Former state Rep. Brian Schatz, who belongs to a group of Hawai'i Democrats who want Obama to run, said these may be Obama's last moments of relative anonymity.

"I still think he stands a chance, if he goes to the North Shore, to find a spot where no one will swarm on him," he said.

Abercrombie said Hawai'i Democrats have received a steady stream of calls from people who want to know if Obama will be making an appearance. They all want to meet him, but the overriding culture of the Islands means they'll keep their distance if that's what Obama wants.

"Everyone knows Hawai'i is famous for not pressuring people," Abercrombie said. "Everyone from Elvis Presley to Tom Selleck. He knows he can come here and ask people to give him a little breathing room."

Reach Mike Gordon at mgordon@honoluluadvertiser.com.