Mele Kalikimaka with the Krugers

Christmas is my favorite time of the year.  I love the warm fire, the hot cocoa, and the cozy warm socks…except when in Hawaii and 80-degree weather. This is our first Christmas in Hawaii and although we put up twinkling lights, hung the wreaths and the stockings, played Christmas music and binged on all of the Hallmark Christmas movies, it was a little difficult to feel the holiday season in shorts, t-shirts, and flip flops.

Last year’s Christmas in Tennessee was a quiet one.  It was cold, we had a few inches of snow and my family was half whole.  Hubby was deployed and it was a low key with just me, my girls and our sweet fat cat Rascal.  I put up a small  tree and we decorated the house as normal. I even sent out Christmas cards!  It was a nice holiday still filled with the fun of activities, Santa, and presents,, but it wasn’t the same without Daddy.  We’ve had to celebrate a few Christmas’ without Daddy.

So, this year I am truly grateful for a full house and whole family.  When my Mom in Law and Sister in Law made plans to come visit us in Hawaii this year, we couldn’t be more excited to have all of the family together.  It has been several years since everyone got together.  The last time we were all together with my Hubby’s sister was when our first daughter was two and a half and I was pregnant with our second daughter.  The last time we got to see our nephews was the Christmas of 2008, before we even had kids of our own!  Time is flying and already one nephew is about to graduate college and the other is going to be a senior in high school!  In November my parent in law’s celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary and this December my dad in law’s celebrated his 60th birthday! Seemed only fitting that the family all be together this year to celebrate this time and our first Christmas in Hawaii.

With my surgery a few weeks ago and family coming into town, I didn’t get around to Christmas cards .  But, we still enjoyed all of the Christmas fun and festivities that Hawaii had to offer.  My girls dressed in their beautiful Hawaiian dresses and took pictures with Santa (dressed in his best “Aloha Crisp” too).  The Hawaiian Ice company did their version of a “snow day” for all of the Keiki’s, so at least my girls got some “shaved ice” to play in.   On the last day of school before Christmas break, both girls had fun events I was able to attend.  I stood one proud momma as my oldest baby girl received the “Super Eagle Award” for the second quarter for being a star student in her class! Afterward, I hopped over to my second baby girl school and built a Gingerbread house with her.  Christmas fun just without coats, boots, hot cocoa, or snow!

 The holiday season is already a stressful time of the year, from dealing with traffic, buying presents for family and friends, traveling out of town, and just getting all of the family together.  I can honestly say that this Christmas, there was no crazy mishap like scenes from the family Griswold family Christmas vacation movie.  Every day we were busy touring the island, hiking, swimming at the beaches, and squeezing as many beautiful sites of Hawaii that we could in a short week and a few days. (Check out our video of our hike to Likeke Falls near Pali Lookout: https://youtu.be/Q-uBQC0rvww)

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, were two of the best days of the whole week, though!  Christmas Eve day, the family split off while one-half did the Diamond Head Hike in Honolulu, the other half of us got together and baked sugar cookies for Santa and decorated them with more sugar candies and sweets.  It was the time we spent together in the kitchen baking that really made me smile. My family was gathered around my kitchen island, with Christmas music playing in the background.  It was the best quality time spend that afternoon.

 Christmas Eve “Santa” came and set up the toys and filled the stocking with goodies for the girls. As I was packing each stocking, my husband made a comment saying “Boy, Santa is giving out a lot of stuff this year! You must have gotten a lot from Santa growing up!”  It made me think of my childhood days and growing up with the excitement of knowing Santa was coming to visit.  Because my Dad made it so special and kept the magic and the joy of Santa till we were older, is why I gladly do the things I do for my own kids.

I fondly remember one year when I asked Santa specifically for a 10- speed, pink and purple Huffy bike!  It was a big bike for my 10-year-old age and size.  On Christmas morning, much to my surprise, I had this beautiful pink and purple bike next to my Christmas tree! Christmas Day, I bundled up and rode my new bike on the freshly snow-plowed streets in Missouri. My neighbor and best friend, Amanda asked for the same ten-speed bike from Santa and that day she and I rode up and down the street excited that “Santa” brought us exactly what we wanted!  It wasn’t until I got older and became  “Santa” to my own children, that I realized how much my own Dad did to make Christmas morning a happy one for my brother, sister and me.   Every year, I gladly pack toys neatly under the tree, bite cookies to show my girls that  “Santa” came to visit, and pretend to be surprised when my girls wake up in the morning to see what Santa brought for them!  (Thanks Daddy for the sweet memories…I still wonder how you were so quiet putting my bike together on that Christmas Eve night?!)

Christmas morning my girls were surprised by the gifts that Santa left.  After a good few cups of coffee, we took pictures and opened presents.  It was a nice Christmas morning with my family. On the Christmas dinner menu was…Lumpia! (everyone’s favorite “happy” food) I spent half of the morning and afternoon rolling beef and veggie lumpia while Grandpa and some of the family played a marathon game of Monopoly. (Grandpa soon dominated the board and won!) Some of the family went to the Splash pad to go play in the water and some sat and snacked on chocolate and sugar cookies till dinner. After dinner, my Hubby and I were even able to get away for an hour to ride together on the Yamaha Bolt out to Kaena Point and watch some of the high waves roll in.  Just a typical Christmas with family in Hawaii, right?

We took family photos on the beach the day after Christmas.  As my brother in law was setting up the camera, I happened to snap a few pictures of my own with my phone camera.  I caught some sweet candid moments of everyone. One picture in particular that I loved was when my dad in law was sitting on a rock while my mom in law stood beside him. They both were staring at the high waves crash upon the North Shore.  It was a sweet moment to witness after 40 years of marriage!   We have been so blessed with family and it has grown and multiplied to many generations!  This is what Christmas time is about! It’s about togetherness, it doesn’t matter how many years have passed, it is when family come together and spend the time TOGETHER that really matters!

 

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The week flew by too quickly, but we had a lot of fun and great memories!   I spent part of my day taking down the Christmas tree, the stockings, the ornaments, and boxing up the last of the holiday decorations.  The house was quiet and looked bare without the colorful lights, garland on the windows or the bells on the doors.  But, as I looked back at the videos of the hike, beach trips we took, and the many pictures of all of the fun we shared, I am truly grateful for the time we all had together!

I got to catch up on the phone with an old college friend a few days after Christmas!  While we talked, we heard on the news that the actress Carrie Fisher (famous for her role as Princess Leia in Star Wars)  died at a young age of 54.  It really makes you realize that your time here on earth is short!  We don’t know what tomorrow will bring!  I would have loved to have my immediate family this holiday season, but I pray that I will get to see them soon…maybe summer fun?

Our first Christmas in Hawaii was filled with so much fun, joy, laughter, and great memories!  Praying we’ll get to see more family again next year!