A Hawaiian Christmas

   Merry Christmas, my lovelies!

   Ah, what a glorious Christmas it has been, though completely non-traditional from anything I'm used to.  I found that basking in the magic of Christmas and creating new traditions without the presence of little ones (yet) is actually quite difficult.  I made a decision this year, however, to enjoy the fruit of this holiday as if I were a child.    

Christmas time in Downtown Honolulu is really quite spectacular.  Many of the big buildings set up displays along the roadway and line their ancient trees in lights.  There's even a huge annual display where Santa rolls his red pants up to his knees so he can soak his feet in a pool.  Only in Hawaii.

   My holidays began with a small office party at my vendor's wife's Korean restaurant, Yakiniku Don-Day.  We grilled pork belly, kalbi, kimchi, and garlic on a table-top grill and sipped shots of a yogurt sake drink that I can't seem to remember the name of.  It was smooth and went down easily - unbelievably delish. The restaurant has patio seating located under an enormous tree that had been decorated with Christmas lights.  I'm a sucker for ambiance.

Earlier in the day, hubby and I picked up our new 55' Samsung LCD to replace the five-year-old 52' we lost to a tragic falling accident in October.  We weren't going to replace it at first, but after a couple of months without a tube, I got antsy and we decided to pull the trigger on a sale we found at Costco.  The only thing I love more than a good sale is guilty pleasure.  Mmmm... reality TV.


Sunday brought the first of two family gatherings to celebrate the holiday.  We enjoyed a house full of laughter, a Christmas meal complete with local Hawaiian food, and piano played by one of the oldest members of the family.  The cousins reminisced about growing up in this old house with their Tutu and playing on this big hill.  My father-in-law, who is 80 and has had his share of health issues the last few months, even spent the day in the living room visiting with family talking about old times.  I'm thankful everyone was able to come together for what will likely be the last Christmas this old house sees.  The salt air, tropical rains, termites and ground erosion has weakened the foundation and structure, so we'll be tearing it down this year to rebuild.

Christmas Eve came with a sense of homesickness.  My California family has had a Christmas Eve tradition since I was a little kid, that I've missed terribly since I moved to Honolulu last year.  I lost a portion of my day to feeling a bit lost and anxious.  I thought about all of the years we spent together on the Eve and how much I miss those times as a kid.  It really hasn't been the same since our family's patriarch, my grandfather, passed away in 2007, but it's a tradition we always upheld.  

In an effort to create new traditions with my husband and to fill a small, empty space in my heart, we decided to drive the city looking at Christmas lights.  We had hot soup for dinner and got some hot chocolate for our drive.  When we got home, I put myself right in to the kitchen to whip up a batch of cookies for Santa.  While I wait for what I hope will be good news in a few weeks, I figured it might be fun. When I woke up, only a few crumbs remained. 

Christmas came with more family and food, and with some absolutely stunning gifts!  My husband got underwear (you're welcome, babe), while I was spoiled rotten with a beautiful Tiffany's ring from my best friend, and a pair of diamond earrings from my mother-in-law.  I was shocked and so incredibly thankful.  I spent some time Skyping with my family and friends which made the distance a bit shorter.  



My father-in-law has twice now said that he'd like to buy me a gun, which would be another phenomenal gift.  I absolutely LOVE to shoot, and not to toot my own horn, but I'm a pretty good shot! Though I've done some shooting in the past, I've never owned my own gun.  I'm pretty in love with this 8-rounder Smith & Wesson 357 revolver.  What a beauty!  While this would be mostly for target practice and to learn the basics of the tool, it would also be for home protection.  So stay the fuck out of my living room unannounced in the middle of the night... aight?  

I am still adjusting to my new life on the island, and while it can leave me longing for those I'm close to, it's a lot of fun to create my own traditions with my husband and my in-laws and to think about all of the wonderful things this beautiful place has to offer during the holidays.  Less than a week away from the start of a new year which will be, I'm confident, the best year yet.