Hawaii gets all decked out for the Christmas holiday. Though you’ll see some of the same decorations that we have on the mainland, like Santa ornaments, you’ll also see lots of decorations inspired by the Hawaiian and island cultures. Let’s take a look at some beautiful Christmas decorations around the Hawaiian islands.
The following photo has a bit of an musical theme with an ukulele and an uli uli, which is a Hawaiian feather-topped gourd percussion instrument.
Red, glittered flip flops (or slippahs as they call them in Hawaii) for a Christmas ornament? Why not?! Note that they say Mele Kalikimaka, which is the Hawaiian way to say ‘Merry Christmas.’
We don’t typically think of fish as Christmas ornaments, but in Hawaii, it makes perfect sense.
A wooden honu (turtle) ornament makes a great Hawaiian-style Christmas ornament, too.
This next ornament pays homage to a Hawaiian quilt pattern. Also, note the orchid in the tree.
Tropical flowers make great Christmas tree adornments in Hawaii.
The following Christmas tree has a tropical flower theme with hibiscus, ginger and orchid blooms.
Though not unique to Hawaii, poinsettias are used widely at Christmas. The first time we visited Hawaii at Christmastime, we were surprised to see poinsettias growing outside as the weather is far too cold for them to grow outdoors in many parts of North America.
The following outdoor container garden includes tropical poinsettias next to pineapple plants.
We like the juxtaposition of a Christmas tree surrounded by palm trees.
The Honolulu City Lights displays are a delight for both visitors and local residents. In the following photo, you see Shaka Santa and Tutu Mele along with the City Tree. The City Tree is either a Cook or Norfolk pine that are commonly used for live Christmas trees in Hawaii.
How about a surfboard-toting “Sanda” Claus sculpture to put you in the Hawaiian Christmas spirit?
To see more Hawaii Christmas photos from our collection, see this link.
What do you think of these Hawaiian Christmas decorations?
Sheila Beal
2 comments
Hello, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Love all the Christmas Photos. Just a small correction. It is Mele Kalikimaka, you said Mele Kalimaka. A slip of the keyboard. I love your website. I live in Australia and have been to Hawaii four times in my life. Hope to get there a few more times before my time is up. Thankyou.
Thanks for that correction. I fixed the error. I’m going to ask Santa for a Hawaiian word spell checker. š
Mele Kalikimaka and Hau’oli Makahiki Hou!