The day after Thanksgiving we had this super fun launch into tropical Christmas season. We effortlessly met up with friends at Helemano Farms, almost without even meaning to, as we picked island pines for the lanai. Then we had lunch at Kua ‘Aina, my favorite burger place on the island…or anywhere, really. I may or may not have take pilgrimages to Tokyo’s Omotesando location. It was hard to get good burgers in Japan, so Kua ‘Aina has a special place in my heart. Then we got Island Lattes from Island Vintage Coffee and the kids got rainbow shave ice from Matsumoto’s. Then we wandered by a gallery right as visiting artist Steve Barton showed up and started painting. The kids were so transfixed Steve even invited them to paint flowers for him! They were so focused and delighted. Before we knew it, we’d been watching him work for nearly an hour. (the excellent work or art is available for a cool $2400… grandparents?? Anyone??)
We listened to Christmas music and Eloise fell asleep on the way home. We drove under a full rainbow as we crossed the mountains. And Chris and I were so caffeinated and chatty that we earnestly discussed the merits of the Honolulu hotel workers strike in traffic for a really long time before we realized we were not waiting to turn right but were actually waiting behind a parked car on the side of the road. There was a long line of traffic behind us too, even though sane people were zipping past us continuously. Whoops. We brought our island pine up to the lanai and covered it in silver and blue ornaments and a seashell garland to match the blue and white ‘Merry Christmas’ anchor on our front door.
It was the perfect day, and I couldn’t wait to look through our pictures and start blogging about Christmas. But we woke up the next morning to news that Grandfather, who we lived with for several months right before moving here, had passed away during the night. I didn’t feel like doing a lighthearted Christmas post after that.
Now we’re within a week of Christmas. I’m eager to remember the heartfelt details and moments of our family’s tropical Christmas, so here we go. Retroactively take a drive to Oahu’s North Shore with us to celebrate Tropical Christmas!
Isaac’s Island 
In Pursuit of the Harvest Moon
Dark Side of Paradise
Ohana