We Wish You A Maui Christmas! Celebrating the Holidays Hawaiian-Style

Many people dream of a “White Christmas” surrounded by fluffy white snow and slightly chilled temperatures. All this is expected to happen while enjoying outdoor activities such as sledding, skiing, skating and of course playing in the snow.

As idyllic as this sounds, it’s rarely the case. If it does snow, it dumps and makes for challenging driving conditions, or it’s just so horribly cold that you can’t enjoy the outdoors. That means that everyone is crammed inside and expected to get along with distant relatives rarely seen throughout the year. Speaking from experience, this can be a recipe for disaster!

Snow vs. Sand

Christmas in Hawaii is a whole different ball game… it’s a clean slate. It’s a chance to create new traditions and new memories. Sure, we may not have fluffy white snow, but we do have lovely white sandy beaches!

Usually a community event will host a “snowbox,” very similar to a sandbox but with fluffy white stuff resembling snow, but isn’t cold. Who doesn’t want to play in “snow” in bare feet?

Candy Land themed “Snowbox”

The Queen Ka’ahumanu Center in Kahului even hosts gently falling “snow” with live Christmas performances every Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday December 2-23 6:30 pm & 8:00 pm.

It’s “snowing” in the mall!

Winter Sports

Not only is winter the time for north shore swells but it’s also time to go cardboard/boogie board “sledding” on nearby grassy hills.

“Sledding,” Hawaiian style

This year the Maui Mall in Kahului even has an outdoor skating rink, complete with non-melting “ice” and skate rentals.

Hawaiian Santa

Mainland Santa is usually bundled up in cold weather gear and travels by a sleigh pulled by reindeer. In Maui however, Santa’s a bit more chill and often travels in an outrigger canoe pulled by dolphins or paddled by elves. Hawaiian Santa is also more relaxed and often trades his boots in for slippers.

Maui-style Santa with ukulele, slippers and a shaka!

Decorations

We still love to decorate in Hawaii but here we do it with an island twist, whether it’s using the local flora or a play on words, we enjoy making it unique to Maui.

Poi to the World!

A wreath made of native plants decorating the hearth

Paper snowflakes inspired by Hawaiian quilts

Festivities

One of the beautiful things about celebrating the holidays in Hawaii is that no one has to host! That’s right, pack up your coolers and charcoal and head to the beach. There’s nothing more fun and enjoyable than sharing a holiday potluck at an ocean-side park. The best part is nothing cures holiday stress like a jump in the ocean!

Christmas Day festivities

Mele Kalikimaka, from our family to yours.