We spent Christmas in Hawaii this year as a more pleasant alternative to being the mole family.  And it was so much fun that we are seriously considering making this an annual tradition.  It was 80 degrees every day with occasional rain (but who cares about 10 minutes of rain when it’s 80 degrees outside?).  And there were rainbows, and often double rainbows almost every day as a result of the rain.

The kids took surfing lessons every day and loved it–they definitely have turned into a surfer dude and dudette.  We saw several sea turtles as we swam in the ocean.  They are enormous and still manage to move effortlessly and surprisingly gracefully through the water.

Other highlights include the Honolulu Zoo and the Honolulu Aquarium, a special exhibit on ancient Chinese landscape paintings at the Honolulu Academy of Arts, the Bishop Museum, and the Polynesian Cultural Center.  Oh, and building sandcastles, of course.

Food highlights include dinners at Alan Wong’s (see earlier entry), Sushi Sasabune, Kaneke’s Plate Lunches, and shave ice.

In spite of the fact that you are dealing with airlines and inexperienced travelers when traveling over the holidays (and I always think checking baggage is like playing Russian roulette), going the week before Christmas has its advantages.  The plane fares are cheaper, and the crowds are significantly smaller than after Christmas.  And it’s especially nice to enjoy the holidays with such a friendly and warm culture.  The Hawaiians are happy people, and you can see why, given the weather and the scenery.  Not to mention that Christmas breakfast eaten with a view of the Pacific Ocean and Diamondhead is about as close to Heaven as you can get.

I also especially like the multi-racial aspect of Hawaii.  Just about everyone is a blend of various Asian and Polynesian cultures with European and African ethnicities thrown in for some variation.  It is so lovely to be in a place where our kids are boringly biracial.  And the McDonald’s in Hawaii serves saimin, a kind of ramen.  How much better can it get?