Mele Kalikimaka
Merry Christmas! The first and last to be had from Honolulu! Last Christmas I copped out of the warm sunny beaches for the cold and snow to be with family. This Christmas I did get to enjoy a brief amount of time on the beach. It is after all, one of the 101 things to do before you die...
Christmas was nice this year. Simple. Ross and I attempted to sleep in but for some unknown reason my body seems wired for only 5 or 6 hours of sleep. I was up and puttering around by 7am. We had a leisurely breakfast out of what food items I could scrape together after all the packing, moving and unpacking. Followed by presents. Remember the days when we were young and gifts seemed to extend from the base of the tree to all corners of the room...almost to the point of denying access to the living room chairs? Were gifts really that plentiful or did the whole world just seem grander, more generous and more magical in the eyes of a 10 year old? Gifts haven't been that plentiful in ages, but they certainly haven't lost that generous spirit.
Eventually we roused ourselves enough to head down towards the beach. Not to swim or sun, but merely walk around enjoying the surf and the people watching on Christmas day. I did want to drag my toes through the sand to spell out Mele Kalikimaka...but we never quite made it that far. The afternoon was gorgeous for the stroll, and a shortage of cars at Ross' worked forced into the upgrade of a convertible...of course we spent much of the day with the top down on such a sunny day. And yes, a part of me was sad to hear of the continued snow and pending ice of the Midwest this weekend. A small part of me.
The beaches, at least Ala Moana Beach Park and Magic Island were sparsely populated. Not so when we drove past Waikiki. The tourists were out full force at this destination, both in the sand, in the surf and in the stores. Happy Holidays commercial style I suppose. Our hour long walk along the less populace beach was enough for us.
Another few hours were killed at the apartment, mostly catching up with family mainland as they finished up the holiday feasting.
As for our feast...we were welcomed as extended family of the cousin of our gaming friends. And feast we did. And game. Settlers of Catan in spreading like a disease. Like the pox. Introduced by myself and my sister on this tiny island. Two boards were going after desert. Had more people stayed longer I have no doubt Seafarers would have made an appearance as well.
And though our hosts were not family, much was found in common...a flamingo dancer taking lessons from our choreographer for Ferdinand the Bull, a general love of theatre, roots in Wisconsin of all places...alumni of both Marquette and Point. Even among strangers. Sometimes these orphan holidays of sorts...strangers and friends of friends opening their homes to others during the holidays make for some of the most memorable experiences.
It would be nice to be able to return the favor someday.
Mele Kalikimaka!
Christmas was nice this year. Simple. Ross and I attempted to sleep in but for some unknown reason my body seems wired for only 5 or 6 hours of sleep. I was up and puttering around by 7am. We had a leisurely breakfast out of what food items I could scrape together after all the packing, moving and unpacking. Followed by presents. Remember the days when we were young and gifts seemed to extend from the base of the tree to all corners of the room...almost to the point of denying access to the living room chairs? Were gifts really that plentiful or did the whole world just seem grander, more generous and more magical in the eyes of a 10 year old? Gifts haven't been that plentiful in ages, but they certainly haven't lost that generous spirit.
Eventually we roused ourselves enough to head down towards the beach. Not to swim or sun, but merely walk around enjoying the surf and the people watching on Christmas day. I did want to drag my toes through the sand to spell out Mele Kalikimaka...but we never quite made it that far. The afternoon was gorgeous for the stroll, and a shortage of cars at Ross' worked forced into the upgrade of a convertible...of course we spent much of the day with the top down on such a sunny day. And yes, a part of me was sad to hear of the continued snow and pending ice of the Midwest this weekend. A small part of me.
The beaches, at least Ala Moana Beach Park and Magic Island were sparsely populated. Not so when we drove past Waikiki. The tourists were out full force at this destination, both in the sand, in the surf and in the stores. Happy Holidays commercial style I suppose. Our hour long walk along the less populace beach was enough for us.
Another few hours were killed at the apartment, mostly catching up with family mainland as they finished up the holiday feasting.
As for our feast...we were welcomed as extended family of the cousin of our gaming friends. And feast we did. And game. Settlers of Catan in spreading like a disease. Like the pox. Introduced by myself and my sister on this tiny island. Two boards were going after desert. Had more people stayed longer I have no doubt Seafarers would have made an appearance as well.
And though our hosts were not family, much was found in common...a flamingo dancer taking lessons from our choreographer for Ferdinand the Bull, a general love of theatre, roots in Wisconsin of all places...alumni of both Marquette and Point. Even among strangers. Sometimes these orphan holidays of sorts...strangers and friends of friends opening their homes to others during the holidays make for some of the most memorable experiences.
It would be nice to be able to return the favor someday.
Mele Kalikimaka!
posted by Unknown at
4:01 AM
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