The holiday season has arrived and Americans are decorating trees, taking toys for their children out of layaway and planning holiday parties. Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will be celebrating the holidays for the first time with her brand new grandbaby. ’Tis the season for family, reflection and worship. Republican operatives, though, are busy attacking Hillary Clinton. They are stuffing their stockings with hopes that Clinton will decide not to run for president.

They oughta take a holiday break.

Clinton’s decision-making process is demonstrative of the leadership she will bring to our presidency if she decides to run: thoughtful, critical and with the best interest of our country in her heart. We know this because she has approached her entire lifetime of public service in such a manner.

She deserves and requires the space to make this decision on her own. And, really, the American people deserve this type of thoughtful and sincere leadership.

But the right wing has set itself to attacking her during this lame-duck session of Congress following the midterm elections and the new Republican congressional majorities.

Potential Republican presidential candidates, including those in Congress, are attempting to disparage Clinton’s enduring and resilient strengths. The right wing is propping up lines of attack attempting to tear down Clinton’s message of renewing American upward mobility. These attacks, which lack any substance, derive from their fear of Clinton’s ability to connect to the middle class and their lack of any coherent message.

Clinton’s passion for ensuring the American dream is alive and well for every person comes from her own personal journey and fundamental understanding that opportunity and upward mobility must be real in the lives of Americans. The approaching Republican Congress would do quite well to join in this message instead of unleashing its hounds with more petty, partisan politics.

Clinton made 45 campaign stops for Democrats in the last 60 days before the 2014 election. She proudly fought for and stood with Democrats in every region of our nation because she believes in her fellow Democrats and embraces the values and principles of the Democratic Party as being distinctly good for America, distinctly American.

With so many people excited about a potential Clinton presidential run, the crowds at her events were huge. More importantly, Clinton’s message and commitment to building a strong middle class, where work is rewarded with opportunity, resonated. Women, for example, supported Democrats more in 2014 than they did in 2010, and in many states — including Colorado, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire and North Carolina — the increase in women’s support for Democratic candidates occurred after Clinton campaigned for those candidates.

Americans know her mission is one of empowering families, valuing our communities and making the American Dream real for every single citizen. Hillary Clinton works hard, stands up for families and communities, seeks common ground for the common good and believes in a Democratic Party that is empowered to be as strong and good as the America we all want to build.

Clinton will make a decision based on what is best for her family and her country; for our future. Americans applaud real leadership like this. And, as is the usual case, our fellow Americans are correct.

’Tis the season for hope.

Burns Strider is a national Democratic political strategist currently working as the senior adviser of Correct The Record and is the executive vice president of American Bridge. He is also the founder and principal of Eleison Group, a political consulting firm focused on faith and values.