I'm Dreaming of a Warm Christmas?

Hello from sunny Waikiki! We spent the Christmas holiday on the island of Oahu. It was a strange Christmas for us all. We have never spent a holiday in a tropical setting, so the weirdness was felt by all 4 of us. Over Christmas brunch on the patio of Sam Choy's Diamond Head Restaurant, we commented on how it just didn't feel like Christmas...

Don't get me wrong, I am not complaining about spending a week in the warm sun, it is just that I am not USED to that kind of Christmas. It was still an awesome week. We caught up with old friends, made new friends, and worked on our tans in the middle of December. The news of snowstorms in the midwest and northeast made us cringe, say a quick prayer for travelers everywhere, and reach for the sunblock. Ha ha.

Lori and I got to see friends we hadn't seen in a while. These are the type of friends that you can forget about all year, send a card at Christmas time, but when you get together with them it is as if time stood still. You can still joke about the same things, feel comfortable in their homes, and show genuine love and affection to them. That is the way it was for us as we got to see Bennett and Barb and Keith and Arlyne again. The last time we saw them was easily 10 years ago. A lot happens in 10 years, especially when you have kids. Our kids had never met either of these couples. They may have seen their pictures in our wedding album (Bennett and Keith were groomsmen for me), but they had nothing else to connect them to their parents. Our friends also had kids that had never met us, or chose to forget meeting us earlier, but no matter, we all got along well. My kids even commented on how much fun it was to hang out with them. Like they had a choice...

We also got to make new friends and acquaintences while we were there. My old professor, Wayne Iwaoka (not age wise) from the Univ. of Washington is now a department head at the Univ. of Hawaii (go Warriors!). Wayne insisted that I speak at their local Food Technologist Holiday meeting while I was in town. It was a fun event, and I got to meet some wonderful people. As payment for speaking, Wayne toured my daughter around the campus on a recruiting trip. It was a nice treat to have her guided around by the ex-chancellor for student affairs. We also met friends of Barb and Bennett's...the Saitos. What wonderful and generous people! We had fun getting to know them, and will no doubt keep in touch with them over the years.

We did all the typical sun-worshipping things. Bennett and Barb's daughter Charissa happens to be an excellent surfer, so she "volunteered" to take our kids surfing for the first time. Jeff and Mel did a good job for their first time. I did not hit the surf as the sport is for younger, more limber humans. We worked on our tans at Sandy Beach (best sun), Waikiki Beach (best crowds), and Waimanalo (best surf). We found our favorite spots for "Plate Lunch", the local version of fast food. It is a mash-up of Asian, Island, and Mainland foods. Pick your main dish (Lau-Lau, Kahlua Pork, Kalbi Ribs, Hamburger Steak, Fried Chicken, Mahi-Mahi, or combo), and get a scoop of Mac Salad (macaroni salad), and two scoops of white rice for a reasonable price. Kaneke's in Waimanalo had the best food, but Mike's Drive-In was a close second. I have always loved Hawaiian fare. Spam, Portuguese Sausage, Lau-Lau, etc. My first meal in Hawaii was a Paniolo (cowboy) breakfast of fried eggs, Portogee sausage (their pronunciation), over white rice...mmmm. My last meal in Hawaii was at the same spot, the Big City Diner, and it was also breakfast before we hit the airport...Kimchee Fried rice with two fried eggs on top. Hawaiian cuisine is not for the hypercholerolemic. Jeff and Mel are now fans of the Plate Lunch. Their daily request was a trip to Kaneke's for more...no DNA checks needed, they are definitely my kids.

I think our favorite activity was going snorkeling at Hanauma Bay. It is a nature preserve just north of Honolulu. The protected cove and coral reef are loaded with fish, Moray Eels and Green Turtles. We got there fairly early, but still had to fight the crowds. The last time we were there, 10 years earlier, we didn't have nearly the struggle with the crowds. It is now a tourist "must do" event. It is still beautiful even with the crowds. We all saw large Moray Eels, but no turtles.

Our second favorite activity was hitting the "Swap Meet" at Aloha Stadium. Vendor after vendor of stuff...at much better prices than at Waikiki. It was loaded with locals, which I take as a good sign. The kids bought great souvenirs at really reasonable prices. You had to hunt for the treasures, but they are there. The local artisans have to compete with cheap stuff from China, the Philipines and Indonesia. We found an old artisan that made shirts and shorts out of old 100-lb rice bags (Calrose, Nishiki, and other brands). I guess you'd have to be Asian to understand. The cotton linen just gets softer with each washing. Unfortunately we didn't buy from him the first day, and when we went back, he wasn't there. Bennett will make a run for us next week.

Our least favorite activity was looking for parking. Honolulu has a shortage of parking, and it is a struggle to find free parking close to where you want or need to be.

We crammed a month of visiting, touring, and eating into a week's vacation. Maybe Honolulu will become our annual tradition...Nah! We need to be home around our Christmas Tree eating candy cookies and complaining about the cold.

Chow!

Holiday Wishes

I guess I have become a once-a-month blogger. It isn't that I don't have news, or things to say...it is the simple fact of time in my life. Yes, I know everyone is busy, but when I write, my mind has to be clear so thoughts can move easily from my brain or my heart to my fingers and the keyboard. I have been distracted lately. You would not believe what is happening (mostly good) to me and my family...but you will have to wait for the New Year to get the information.

There is a growing sense of "reality" among Americans this holiday season. That reality has many of us actually contemplating our navels, thinking about who we are and how we live. Maybe there is the start of a backlash at the greed of Christmas. First of all, it started way too soon. Secondly, the pervading feeling of selfishness seems to finally be sinking in, and lastly, the sinking economy will be a tough reality for many Americans.

October is not the start of Christmas...I don't care if retailers need to get a jump on making their most profitable time of the year more profitable. There is confusion in consumers' minds when they can't figure out if they should be thinking about Halloween, Thanksgiving, or Christmas. The way this reality is playing out is that people might have had it up to here (palm to the neck) with these early marketing efforts. Do we really need an early start to the Holiday season of shopping? Retailers and marketers believe we need help remembering, and this convenience will help us stay organized. I don't buy it...I think many consumers were just caught forgetting about how close Christmas is. Since the retail push started so early, we naturally put things off thinking we had plenty of time...it literally snuck up on us this year! We tuned out the Christmas messages until it was too late. Here it is December 19th and I am just now thinking about getting my Christmas Cards done and mailed. (sorry you all, they will be late this year)

Maybe there is also a growing resentment to the "value" of Christmas giving. Maybe consumers have hit that tipping point where selfishness has blotted out the other key emotional values of this most special time of the year. And it doesn't feel right...it has that nagging feeling. Peace and Goodwill have been covered over by greed and dollars per person. Do expensive and numerous gifts determine how much we love, cherish and value our personal (and business) relationships? Maybe we are saying, "not this year". The media messages are mixed...between the advertising inserts of the newspaper there are smaller stories about generosity, giving, and selfless love. Even in the comic strips you will find beautiful messages about giving gifts of time, self, and service (I have always found the comic strips to be thought and trend leaders of society). This form of "reality" I am posing has consumers "opting out" of a big spending spree in lieu of donating, volunteering, serving.

The third reality is the tanking economy. While most of us may not be directly affected, we somehow feel affected. Not much has changed in reality...our job is secure, we have a fixed mortgage on our loans, etc. but we still have a suspicious and worried feeling in the pit of our stomach. My friend Jana has a good term for this feeling...Emotional Recession. Indirectly, we may feel the effects of the tailing economy through higher prices on most goods and services, but maybe this is a good thing. Maybe we are putting too much on our credit cards and not saving enough. Relearn the definition of "sacrifice". Maybe that is the word of the year. Maybe this is just the kick in the rear I need to start saving for retirement, college education, etc. Maybe this fear is just what the doctor ordered.

So it is okay to feel like you aren't really connected to the plastic joy, phony Christmas Carol laughter, and temporary peace you are being brainwashed to feel. You are not alone. Shake the cobwebs out of your head and focus on the great things that bring you true joy...spending time (not money) with your friends and family. Get some real laughter by playing with some kids, or a pet. Find true peace by discovering the love and forgiveness of a Savior. And it doesn't just have to happen this Holiday Season...this is something you can do all year long.

Just writing this entry has energized me. I have been wondering why I have had a Bah Humbug! spirit this year. It is because I am rejecting the facade of Christmas and am trying to find the reality of it.

Chow!