Mele Kalikimaka!
Merry Christmas to one and all! There is nothing that compares to having Christmas in Hawaii…some of the differences you expect: no snow, warm weather, no coats or boots cluttering up the porch… but some of the differences can really take you by surprise;
1. $95.00 for a tree! And then the tree looks like a cross between a pine and a palm! (Norfolk Pines are very cool but a little challenging to decorate as they have 4-5 branches located laterally around the trunk every 12-18 inches and each branches has no other branches so it almost looks like a palm frond, there is usually about a dozen or so branches total, the ornaments end up being hung in a line from the trunk out to the tip of the branch, cute but not what mainlanders are used to.)
2. By the second week of December all bulk deliveries have been made…which means that if you wait until December 19th to buy presents, decorations or Christmas dinner…you may be out of luck. Almost everything is delivered to the islands by ship and the merchants do not over order because the profit margin is just to tight to discount the left overs by 50% the day after Christmas. If you are shopping and you see something you want, get it! Even if you have to put it on the credit card because it will not be there the next day/next week and there will not be “more coming in”. Empty shelves by December 22nd are not uncommon.
3. A traditional Hostess gift is a holiday wreath; sounds the same as the mainland on the surface but, in Hawaii you pick and gather your wreath supplies your self if possible (with respect and care for the aina) and it bears no resemblance to pine cones and Fir boughs. Ferns, moss, annato fruit, baby Ohia leaves, bamboo sprigs, etc… are the norm and you need to mist it every day. Usually a group will get together to hunt for supplies and then create the wreathes, it is a social event and some times it will be the same group that meets for decades, they will even have special permission to gather from certain pieces of land (this permission will be handed down through the generations or even thru different landowners!). It really is a mark of extreme favor to receive these special wreathes (I still remember when I was given my first one!)
4. And on the subject of gifts…we have a tradition introduced by the Japanese culture called, “Omiyage” this tradition is no longer performed the way it was in Japan (it originally was a little souvenir brought back from a trip) but it transformed in Hawaii and now runs rampant! Especially around the Holidays! You may not leave some ones house with out a little goodie being given to you and it is acceptable but inadvisable to drop by a home with out some little “excuse gift” ("Oh, I just wanted to drop this off for you, we had extra, do you have room? it’s nothing much…" meanwhile, it is 47 blood red anthuriums arranged with white Orchids in a ti leaf wrapped pot that took 2 hours to create! And you would give up the living room couch just to keep the beautiful creation in your home!) Auwe! To much aloha!
5. Water proofing the Christmas lights. They may look pretty shimmering from under the puddle that used to be the front yard but its not very good for them. Hang em high! And yes it is acceptable to continue their use all year long, they just get different names, IE; Easter lights, 4th of July lights, Labor day lights…
6. And one of my favorite differences…the party doesn’t end just because Christmas is over! We have many different cultures here and we all join in the fun…a great one is the Japanese New Year, we give gifts of the Kudomatsu (a special arrangement of Pine, Bamboo, Plum and what have you that is placed next to the front door or front gate to ward of evil influences and encourage the positive spirits for the New years work, very pretty and very fun to make, similar to making and giving the Christmas wreathes.) and we clean, clean, clean the house to start the New Year out, well… new. We then let off the fireworks! So many fireworks that you can hardly see across town and if you have friends that live in the country you drop your pets off at their house for the night.
There are many differences in celebrating the holidays in Hawaii, but the most important things remain; gathering friends and family together to reaffirm the appreciation we have of each other…in other words, Good Will and Peace On Earth! Mele Kalikimaka everyone!
ONO GRINDS; No restaurant this time because everyones house has such awesome goodies that no Restaurant can compare! And they all keep bringing them into the office! Diet? What diet?
REAL ESTATE STATUS: Most subdivisions are holding pretty steady as far as home prices go, what has slowed is the quantity of sales but the selling prices of homes are still heads above where it was a few years ago and appears to still be rising. The median home list price in Nanawale as of December 7th is holding steady at $219,000.00. In Hawaiian Paradise Park the median home list price has dropped a bit and is now $350,000.00. In Leilani Estates the median home list price has risen to $329,000.00. And In the Hilo area the median home list price has risen a bit to $450,000.00
FEATURED PROPERTY; Two side by side lots in cool and lush Hawaii’s Eden Rock estates, lots of yellow ginger and Ohia trees on these 1 acre lots just 1 lot away from paved roads, these are some of the most affordable one acre lots on the market at $22,900.00 and yes they have access to Electric and Phone, water is catchment and gas is Propane. Check them out here;
http://www.realestateshows.com/106600
Like more info on these or other properties? Just e-mail or call me and I will be delighted to provide you with all the information you need.
FEATURED SITE; This is a wonderful information site hosted by my parent company Hilo Brokers, Ltd. It really is a valuable resource, give it a look and let me know what you think can be improved… I value your input!
www.hilobrokers.com
TIP OF THE WEEK; Technology is our friend, Real estate professional or consumer alike can make better use of technology to be well informed, try some new technology in December (or you can put it of till January if you are to busy but we are going to be having fun with out you!) Depending on your existing skill level, try texting with your cell phone; its simple, fun, and sometimes will work even when a actual phone call will not get through, if you have trouble the instructions are in your users manual. For a more mid range skill level, try setting up your cell phone to receive your e-mails; sometimes you can choose which e-mails you want to receive with a filter setting, it depends which service you have, call your tech assistant with your cell subscriber or your e-mail service, be aware though that some of these cool sevices can charge and some are limited on what you can view over your phone…I use a Treo 650 and MSN and have no trouble getting everything I want to come through. For you techno geeks; Create a Holiday Podcast and send it to your friends and family (& then call me and walk me thru it to, OK?)
ECLECTIC TRIVIA FOR THE WEEK; All of the Islands have “Nicknames”, some have more than one… what are they and where did they come from?
Well, lets start from my Island and work our way North;
Hawaii- known as the Big Island and the Orchid Isle for the obvious reason that we have choke (choke is pidgin for more than plenty) Orchids, we even are growing vanilla Orchids now, soon we will be able to eat a chocolate bar that only has ingredients from Hawaii!
Maui- known as the Valley Isle and is home to beautiful Haleakala (house of the rising sun).
Kahoolawe- known (tongue in cheek) as the Target Island as it was at one time the target for military ordinance practice, it is completely uninhabited and is actually off limits to the public, the clean up process is currently underway and it is a truly beautiful island.
Lanai- Known as the Private Isle and it really is, very little is published about Lanai. Though it is said to have one of the most fascinating and culturally important collections of prehistoric petroglyphs in the Island chain.
Molokai- Known as the Friendly Isle, ironic as it was at one time the most feared of all the isles, Molokai was the forced home of individuals suffering from Hansens disease once called leprosy, and Father Damien gave his life in service to the unlucky individuals that came to be ostracized from the rest of society in this lovely but remote location.
Oahu- Known as the Gathering Place because in ancient times it was exactly that and still is today. Honolulu is a busy multi ethnic international city with all the ills that come in that position yet it still feels like Hawaii and it would be wonderful if all big cities could have even half the Aloha this one does, quite often we forget about the rest of Oahu but it to has wild places and restful spots that remind you where you really are.
Kauai- Known as the Garden Isle and one trip will convince you that this is the true Garden of Eden! It is argued that there are more waterfalls on Kauai per area than any other place on Earth. Kauai has been a very popular location for Hollywood, more movies have been filmed on this one island than all the others combined.
Niihau- Known as the Forbidden Isle, no one goes to Niihau without express permission of the Robinson family and it has been this way since 1915 when the Island was first closed of to all outsiders…Niihau is now in something of a economic recession and it remains to be seen what will happen to this remote and forgotten island in the future.
There are many more islands in this chain but most are atolls and bird Islands that are rarely visited by any one but the monk seals and whales.
NEW TRIVIA; Whats up with that Hawaii state quarter? Why all the fuss?
MAHALO everyone…please don’t be shy about asking questions, sharing recipes andgreat beach locations, or a story of Aloha Spirit…always love hearing about some aloha, no matter where it is coming from! Remember; Big Island Hawaii No Ka Oi!
