What’s Your Favorite Season? It Might be Graduation Season if You Live in Hawai’i!

I love the smell of lau lau in the morning!

As the proud parent of two Lahainaluna graduates, and when I say proud…it’s not just me, it’s a Lahainaluna pride like no other.

A Kamehameha School’s graduate

But, that’s not the focus of this blog. Every parent with a graduate from every school in this state takes graduation and the parties to a whole other level…and you’re going to gain weight, take goofy pictures, see hula dancers, and feel ALOHA!

It starts early in the year.

My daughter graduated this May and the save the dates and invitations to graduation parties started a year ago!  Then got really hot and heavy in January and have just petered out this month. The venues for these parties get reserved well in advance of the event if there isn’t room for the crowd at your home.

Become really good friends with the florist or you better learn to make lei.

‘Cause you’re going to need a lot of them. My husband started practicing making dollar butterflies for leis over a year ago (thank you YouTube!). I can’t tell you how many trips to the bank we made getting crisp bills or how many nights while watching TV he was meticulously folding those dollars.

Lahainaluna Graduates

The food, oh the food.

We are so lucky to not only have the most amazing blend of cultures, but also the delectable dishes they bring to the table. Everything from fresh opihi, homemade lau lau, adobo, chow fun, kalua pork, to chocolate fountains with pineapple picked from a backyard garden. I could fill an entire blog with a list of the dishes we’ve consumed at grad parties since May. It’s a letdown when you have to go back to making your own dinner. And most party givers want you to take food home, they even provide to go containers. Feeding your friends and family (Ohana) is as vital to island life as breathing, and graduation season is the perfect time to go ALL OUT!

A small food sampling at a graduation party

The entertainment!

You laugh, you cry, and you bond with everyone there over slideshows, speeches, ramen eating contests, a game of gimme gimme, karaoke competitions, dance-offs, and hula dancing, along with many prayers and best wishes for our future generation.

My family taking pictures at a grad party

Everything that is beautiful and wonderful about Hawai’i comes out to shine at graduation.

This is when you not only feel connected to the island community you are a part of, you realize what a small state Hawai’i truly is. Aloha is not just a 5 letter word — it truly is a way of life, and graduation season will always be my favorite time of the year.