Mele Kalikimaka

12 Days of Christmas - Hawaiian Style

Numbah twelve day of Christmas my tutu (grandpa) give for me

Twelve television,
Eleven missionary,
Ten can of [soda],
Nine pound of poi,
Eight ukulele,
Seven shrimp a-swimmin',
Seex hula lesson,
Five big fat'peeg,
Foah flowah lei,
Tree dry squid,
Two coconut,
An'One mynah bird in one papaya tree.

Christmas caroling with the Guests Services Department today was a blast! We drove around in 2 of the trams the missionaries use to give temple tours in, all the time re-using jokes that we hear/ tell our guests everyday. It was pretty funny. We stopped by the houses of all the big shots of the PCC and then the houses of our supervisors. We sang carols and hymns in Japanese, Samoan and English. We attempted spanish too, but the pauses in between each Feliz Navidad were kind rather awkward.

Did you know that "Merry Christmas", "Noel" and "Gloria in Excelsis Deo" is the same in English as it is in Japanese?

Driving around the town was especially uplifting for me because I hadn't seen all the Christmas deocrations and lights people had put up before. Beautiful. Definitely made it feel like Christmas - if singing on the top of our lungs didn't already.
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The last song we sang was the 12 days of Christmas "Local Style". People always dream of spending Christmas here in Sunny Hawaii, and I get to actually do it. What a blessing it is.


If you're not here, this is what you're missing out on every day.


Look what I get to work with!


"Five to a row, five to a row!"


My lovely sister Su, Xue Lian (Mary) and Tekura.


Antlers? Hah. Nice disguise for your horns. *grin*


Now that's my kind of Christmas tree!
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No more complaining about the lack of Christmas cheer from me. That was exactly what I needed. More than that, I was reminded today about what Christmas is really about. Fun, laughter, friends, cookies, lights, presents and carols are all wonderful, but the Savior is what makes this time of year especially meaningful. I hope I never forget that ever again.

"Oh that we could always see such spirit through the year."