Mele kalikimaka

Day 7 – Christmas Day
Lihue
81 F

Merry Christmas : )

A short entry today... it was an early morning, of course. Tia the Tornado was up early, and Charles and Doris were kind enough to let me sleep as long as I could... but I was still up at about 7am. We all exchanged presents, Charles violating the agreement for “no presents” much as Giselle ( the pseudonym I use in the blog for my ex-wife ) used to, now and again. Oh well.

Among the presents I got were a JambaCard for my new favorite place to spend disposal income under $10 a shot... Jamba Juice.

Sorry, Andy. : )

Andy ( on my Friends list as Digger ) -hates- Jamba Juice, and their silly, smug ad campaign.

Anyway. After that we went to the Marriot here in Lihue, on Narwiliwili bay ( where we spotted the whales and dolphins, if you'll recall ) for a bit of relaxation. Christmas Day at the beach resort.

One of the cooler things about being a haole in Hawaii is that you can pretty much walk onto the grounds and enjoy the facilities of any of the beautiful 5 star resorts here without anyone lifting an eyebrow... the low-level racism sometimes works in your ( the haole's ) favor.

That doesn't make it a good thing, and I still resent all the times people asking me in the stores “So... where are you staying?” automatically assuming that since I'm a haole I'm also a tourist. Blah.

Some time in the hot tub. Some time playing volleyball on the beach. Merry Christmas.

It's not very traditional, at least in the way I've been raised. And there's definitely something to be said for traveling over the river and through the woods, to grandmother's house via sleigh at Christmas time. But all in all, I think I prefer quiet, reflective time at the Marriot.

But then again, mostly holidays are about the people you spend them with, I guess. I knew it would be tough not seeing my mom, my brother, and the family and friends this year... but it's also the first holiday season I've had to spend without a significant other since... I was 16.

So I think maybe offsetting the being away from family with being in Hawaii helped a bit, there. I have a very cool and deep association now for it, the idea and thought of the holidays... one that doesn't have anything to do with being by “myself”.

Aaaaaaand before anyone jumps on me... I know I'm not really by myself. I have a wide social circle, filled with people who care very much about me. And I'm extremely lucky and blessed for this.

I guess I'm just talking about that person that when you go to bed, after a long day of preparing and setting up for family and friends, you hold close. Maybe you don't talk at all, but just the idea of their being there is more comforting then words can easily describe.

Merry Christmas, everyone. Mele Kalikimaka.