Mele Kalikimaka (Merry Christmas) from Hawaii!
Those of us who live in Hawaii are often asked by visitors what a typical Christmas day looks like. Hawaii has one of the most diverse ethnic make ups in the United States–Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, Filipino, Japanese, Korean, Samoan, Tongan, White, Portuguese, Latino, and more. So, a ‘typical’ day really depends on who you are spending it with.
Our typical day includes opening presents by the Christmas Tree–evergreen or palm–and eating delicious foods like malasadas, Hawaiian sweet bread, Portuguese sausage, and Kona coffee for breakfast. Then, we enjoy play time either inside or outside, where the weather is usually warm and relatively dry.
After a Christmas meal including ham or Kalua pork with pineapple, we head to the beach to enjoy playing in the ocean. Some folks looking to cool off on the Big Island head uphill to Mauna Kea to fill truck beds with snow. Then they drive back to town to make snowmen with what snow makes the trip.
The evening is often rounded out with driving around town to see main street decorations and to watch random fireworks lit off by early New Year’s celebrants.
What does your Hawaii Christmas look like?
