How we celebrate Christmas Honolulu Lights Mele Kalikimaka- the song Recipes The Meaning of Aloha Queen Lili`uokalani Keiki (Kids) Korner You Know You're in Hawai`i When... Leis, etc. Photos of Hawaii Hawai'i Links Christmas Sites Table of Contents HOME	Honolulu Lights "Eh! Shaka, braddah..." Honolulu Hale, the City Hall in downtown Honolulu, is the focal point for the decorating of O'ahu at Christmas time (hale, pronounced "hah-lay", means "house" or "home"). And boy-oh-boy does the island get decorated! From little Hale'iwa on the north shore to sprawling Waikiki in the south; from rural Wai'anae on the ewa (west) side to urban Kaneohe and Kailua on the windward (east) side; from Pearl Harbor to Manoa Valley; from Barbers Point to Wahiawa: O'ahu likes to get dressed up for the holidays! Where else would you find a giant barefoot Santa giving a shaka (better known outside of Hawai`i as a "hang loose" sign) with his wife Tutu Mele (formerly known as Mrs. Claus? You may notice that Tutu Mele is making a fashion statement by wearing a red mu'umu'u with a hibiscus design, a Hawaiian Heritage bracelet and wedding ring, a kukui nut lei, and a bright red hibiscus in her hair.) Where else would you find a children's choir dressed in mu'umu'us, a hula halau performing Christmas hulas, Grammy award winners singing Hawaiian/Christmas music outside, dressed in aloha wear-- no jackets, no sequins, no breath steaming in the cold air? And how many other cities dress up their buses, garbage trucks, cranes, and other hard-working vehicles in thousands of lights for an electric lights parade through downtown? And how many cities of comparable size could draw 20,000 plus spectators to watch it? Events are held throughout the month, and you can find out about them on the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau's Calendar of Events web page: http://calendar.gohawaii.com/ Want to see some pictures of O'ahu during the holidays? Go here; there are several pictures on one page, and they'll take a while to load if you're on dial-up. Also on that page you will find a video from YouTube with images from around Oahu, with music, of Christmas 2006 (not my video, but a good one).
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