How to Celebrate a Hawaiian Christmas

In Hawaii, Christmas is celebrated aloha style. Santa wears a Hawaiian shirt, and the Christmas meal is often a luau instead of a formal indoor meal.

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Kalua Pigs
• Steel Guitars
• Hawaiian Cookbooks
• Leis
• Christmas Tapes Or CDs

1. Purchase gifts for just about everyone you know. Hawaiians seem to be more generous than most people at Christmastime. It's a tradition to make sure that everyone is included.

2. Attend church on Christmas morning, if that's an important part of your religious tradition.

3. Plan a luau, which is an outdoor meal that consists of a kalua pig roasted in an "imu," or underground oven.

4. Make Christmas leis for family and friends to wear.

5. Enjoy the sounds of the Christmas bells, which are played on a steel guitar.

6. Expect Menehune Santa to arrive with presents in his Christmas tree boat, or red canoe, dressed for the weather in shorts and Hawaiian shirt. His elves are said to paddle the boat to shore.

7. Bake traditional Christmas treats, such as sweet potato cheesecake with "haupia," or coconut, frosting.

8. Listen to Hawaiian Christmas songs like "Po La'i E" or "Silent Night."

Tips & Warnings

• Hawaiians did not celebrate Christmas until 1820, when missionaries arrived and brought Christianity to the islands.

• "Mele Kalikimaka" is commonly used to say "Merry Christmas" although it literally means "Christmas song." "Aloha Kalikimaka" is another way to spread glad Christmas tidings.

• Hawaii is a state made up of many ethnic and cultural groups, so Christmas traditions are quite diverse and cannot be generalized. The preceding steps represent a few examples of local traditions that may or may not be appropriate for your personal celebration of Christmas.

Resources

• Santa Letters
• Christmas Recipes