The first family departed Honolulu for the White House on Sunday night after spending the last afternoon of their stay at Bellows Beach in Waimanalo.

This was President Barack Obama’s last Christmas vacation in Hawaii as commander in chief, and he spent the 2-1/2 weeks playing his usual rounds of golf with close friends, hitting the beach with his family and dining at favorite restaurants, such as Nobu and Alan Wong’s.

But the visit was also laden with historic significance as Obama met with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor, commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Japanese bombing that launched the United States into World War II. The meeting between the two leaders came seven months after Obama traveled to Hiroshima, Japan, where the United States dropped an atomic bomb that led to the end of the war.

Obama’s trip to the island of his youth, where he spent holiday vacations with his family for years prior to becoming president, was also laced with a sense of gravity as President-elect Donald Trump prepares to assume office, threatening to dismantle key portions of Obama’s political legacy.

Some of the president’s remarks at the Arizona Memorial were interpreted by political analysts as veiled critiques of Trump’s inflammatory rhetoric, which during his campaign alienated swaths of immigrants and minorities. For instance, Trump pledged to build a wall along the Mexican border and ban Muslims from entering the country.

“It is here that we remember that even when hatred burns hottest, the tug of tribalism is at its most primal, we must resist the urge to turn inward,” Obama said. “We must resist the urge to demonize those who are different.”

During his vacation, Obama also took time to address a terrorist attack at a Christmas market in Berlin that killed 12, and another attack at a nightclub in Istanbul that killed dozens.

Beyond the pressures of his job, Obama got some downtime while staying with his wife, Michelle, and their two daughters, Malia and Sasha, at their usual spot — a vacation home at Kailua Beach. The president worked out in the mornings at Marine Corps Base Hawaii in nearby Kaneohe, and found time for numerous rounds of golf with friends, including Bobby Titcomb, Greg Orme and Darrell Harrington.

The first family hiked around Ho‘omaluhia Botanical Garden, spent afternoons at Bellows Beach and snorkeled, as usual, at Hanauma Bay. They also toured Shangri La, an Islamic art center built by heiress Doris Duke near Diamond Head.

On Christmas Day, after opening presents in the morning, the president and his wife visited the Marine Corps base to meet with service members and their families.

Obama noted that it would be his last Christmas Day address to them as president.

“It’s impossible for us to fully repay what you’ve done and the sacrifices that you’ve made,” Obama told the service members. “We’re grateful and we’ll stay grateful even when many of you end up being out of uniform and our veterans.”

On New Year’s Day, Obama visited the East-West Center, where he met with incoming president Richard Vuylsteke. He also visited the grave of his grandfather, Stanley Dunham, at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl.

The president also released a video message to Americans wishing them a Happy New Year.

“It has been the privilege of my life to serve as your president, and as I prepare to take on the even more important role of citizen, know that I will be there with you every step of the way to ensure that this country forever strives to live up to the incredible promise of our founding: that all of us are created equal and all of us deserve every chance to live out our dreams,” said Obama in the recorded remarks. “From the Obama family to yours, have a happy and blessed 2017.”

TRUMP also took to Twitter in a New Year’s message to Americans.

“Happy New Year to all, including to my many enemies and those who have fought me and lost so badly they just don’t know what to do. Love!” he wrote.

Trump’s daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner, who are expected to play advisory roles to Trump when he takes office Jan. 20, also spent the holidays in Hawaii, reportedly staying with their children at the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai on Hawaii island.