Mele Kalikimaka is the thing to say on a bright Hawaiian Christmas Day!

For those unfamiliar with the phrase, Mele Kalikimaka is a direct Hawaiian phonetic pronunciation of Merry Christmas. Because the Hawaiian language does not contain the letters R or S coupled with not allowing consonants and the end of a syllable we are left with a phrase that rolls off the tongue. Protestant missionaries in the 1820's brought Christmas to the islands which coincided with a 4 month long period of feasting and relaxation. During this 4 month long celebration- called Makahiki- Hawaiians honored the bounties of the earth and refrained from conflict. In a sense the tradition of peace on earth and good will towards men was already in place.

 Mele Kalikimaka has been a favorite of mine, Bing Crosby with the Andrews Sisters- love those gals, since I can remember. I have the CD on repeat ALL day leading up to Christmas. The song was written in 1949 by R.Alex Anderson, a song writer born and raised in Hawaii, Cornell educated and best known for his hapa-haole (Hawaiian style music with English words) tunes. He loved Hawaii and wrote many songs while homesick at Cornell. His best known songs are of course Mele Kalikimaka and Lovely Hula Hands. Bing Crosby sings the most widely known version of the song but you'd be surprised to find that many other sings/bands have covered the song. 

My first Christmas in Hawaii was fantastic. Christmas day I was at the top of ManaKea touching the sky and looking out over the island. I sang Mele Kalikimaka at the dinner table in a moment of sheer bliss. Today, I've got Bing on repeat and am scouting out condo rentals for our trip to the Big Island in March.

Mele Kalikimaka,

Forever seeking Aloha,

Britt