How to celebrate a Hawaiian style Christmas
To celebrate a Hawaiian style Christmas the only thing you need to give is your pledge to have total fun. In Hawaii, Christmas is celebrated more as another reason to party, rejoice and make merry than as a sober religious festival. In Hawaii, more often than not, you will find that Santa arrives by way of the ocean, wearing shorts and a Hawaiian shirt with a lei around his neck bearing gifts for all and sundry. You can easily add warm touches of Aloha to your Christmas party to create a festive fun Hawaii theme wherever you are.
A few suggestions
- Dress up a dark skinned man to play Hawaiian Santa. Make him wear a white beard, a red Santa hat, Aloha shirt, shorts and beach shoes. Have a lovely lady dress up in a green grass skirt, a red, green or white top, a red Santa’s hat and red silk flower lei. She can be made up to be Santa’s helper (elf).
- Have a Makepono (bargain) gift exchange. Tell each guest to bring a gift they had previously received and have never used. Let your guests place their gifts under the Christmas tree. Let Santa distribute the gifts randomly to the guests. Persuade everyone to mingle and see what others got and trade among each other. This game is a great ice breaker.
- Decorate your Christmas tree in Hawaii theme ornaments and when someone wins a game allow them to choose an ornament from the tree to keep as their prize.
- Play fun Hawaii theme Christmas Games and listen to Hawaiian Christmas songs.
- Make arrangements for Christmas dinner in the open and serve traditional Hawaiian food like Creole salad, kalua roast pig and sweet potato cheesecake with coconut frosting.
Do’s
- If you and your guests dress in Aloha clothes for a Hawaiian theme Christmas party in a cold climate, be sure to turn up the heat so that your guests don’t catch a cold.
Don’ts
- Don’t try to copy everything Hawaiian because you will end up not having any fun.