Show Aloha Land Light Show

There have been a lot of new things that have come out of 2020, thanks to the pandemic - new restaurants, new ways of working and attending school, and now that we're in the holiday season, new ways to celebrate Christmas.  

The Show Aloha Land drive-thru holiday light show is the first of its kind in Hawai‘i’. The display is one mile long, and consists of 1 million LED lights, all synchronized and choreographed.  This event is a fundraiser for the Show Aloha Challenge (SAC) Foundation, which has been providing food and meals to families in need throughout the pandemic. Admission is $50 per vehicle, and all proceeds will go the SAC Foundation, so that the Foundation can continue its outreach programs, including a new program that will help Hawai‘i’s kūpuna age in place.

By the time I searched for a ticket for the show, most of the desirable time slots were sold out, so I settled for the 6-6:30 pm time slot on a Monday night (during Christmas break). As you can see from the picture below, it wasn't entirely dark yet at 6 pm, but we knew the sun would be going down rather quickly.

 

We got our QR code scanned for entry onto the course, bought a bag of kettlecorn, tuned our radio to 88.5 FM, and enjoyed the 30 minute drive thru show.

After going through the second of two light tunnels, we reached the end of the show. We proceeded to the 50 foot 'mega tree' to take photos and stretch our legs. Unfortunately since it was a Monday, we missed out on the In-Tent Grindz (click here for the menu), which only operates Thurs - Sunday.  

The show has been extended thru January 9, 2021. To purchase tickets, go to: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/showalohaland. The final week (January 3-9, 2021) is Make a Wish Week, where 15% of the gross proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to Make a Wish Hawai‘i’.

Happy Holidays!

 

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Central Pacific Bank & The Salvation Army's Angel Tree

Disclosure: this giving experience was funded by our sponsor. 

Thanks to the Salvation Army's Angel Tree program and community supporters like Central Pacific Bank (CPB), thousands of Hawaii's keiki and kupuna in need will receive what they wished for this holiday season. 

You can help too by stopping by one of CPB's branches island-wide and selecting one or more angel tags like the one you see pictured above.  

Each tag has a description of a recipient in need (age, gender) and a suggested gift for this person. All you have to do is purchase the gift and drop it off at the branch with the tag, and you have just fulfilled the holiday wish for someone who will get to experience the joy of the holidays on Christmas day. 

CPB invited us to experience the Angel Tree program at Kahala Mall.  I decided to bring the twins with me, as I feel it is important for them to learn about the spirit of giving to others in need, especially during the holiday season. 

We decided to select four tags, and off we went with our CPB reusable shopping bag and monetary donation (both were generously provided by CPB).

It didn't take us long to locate the gifts that were requested. They had fun 'hunting' for the items we needed to find.

After we made our purchases, we returned to the branch and placed the gifts in the area with all of the other donations already received by the bank.  The boys were amazed at how many gifts there were!

We were treated to refreshments from one of CPB's small business clients - Popoki + Tea. They may sound familiar to you, as they have been hosting kitty and boba pop ups periodically around town, and they are opening a cat cafe in Kaimuki soon. 

CPB will be accepting gift donations through Friday, December 13, 2019, and monetary donations through December 31, 2019.  You can also donate online at https://fundraise.salvationarmyhawaii.org/team/269260.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

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Sheraton Waikiki Celebrates the “12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS” In Sandsational Style!

Koi in the pond, poke boards, ukulele, beanbags in the pool, surfing Santas, swimming turtles, hula lessons, flower lei, pool towels, kalua pigs, mai tais at RumFire and a menehune with a Christmas tree…are all part Sheraton Waikiki’s sandsational holiday display this year. In what is the largest sand sculpture ever created at the hotel, the display is a festive countdown depicting 12 Days of Sheraton Waikiki Christmas.

 

Sandsational Sand Sculpting, a company based in Melbourne, Fla., has put the finishing touches on the second of two holiday sculptures at the hotel. According to Jill Harris of Sandsational, the first one was completed on November 9, uses 8 tons of sand, and portrays Santa enjoying mai tais at hotspot RumFire, as well as a menehune with a Christmas tree as the second and first day of Christmas, respectively. These are in the main lobby, while the second sculpture in the Sheraton Waikiki Porte Cochere took 50 tons of sand and features the third through 12^th days of Christmas.

 

This year, Harris and Thomas Koet, who have been the main architects of the sand sculptures at Sheraton Waikiki, were joined by another artist, Susanne Ruseler, for the larger sculpture and both sculptures took more than 250 hours over nearly three weeks to complete.

 

Since 2006, Sandsational has been creating visually stunning masterpieces in the Sheraton Waikiki lobby. Past sculptures have been a tribute to the Mālama Honua voyage by the Hōkūle‘a canoe and a Samoan warrior’s knife dance, performed before battle with the nifo oti, or “tooth of death” with the sculpture titled “Fireknife Dancers.” This past year featured Nāmaka, the sea goddess, and older sister of fire goddess Pele.

 

“Being on Waikiki Beach during the holidays is a dream for many and these sand sculptures capture the fun and magic of the most wonderful time of the year,” says Area General Manager Kelly Sanders, who is credited with bringing Sandsational to the Sheraton Waikiki, which remains the only hotel in Hawaii to feature sand sculptures of any kind.

 

The sand sculptures are huge draws for the thousands of guests who come to Sheraton Waikiki for holiday events and gatherings. The sculptures are expected to remain at the hotel through early 2018 when a new sculpture will be made in the lobby.

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Waikele Christmas Lights

For the past few years we've been taking the kids to see the Christmas Lights in Waikele - specifically Hopoe Place and Anapau Place.

On Hopoe Place, every single home is decorated.  Colorful lights and fun inflatables adorn trees, lawns, rooftops - even cars!

Just one street over, on Anapau Place, is a home that puts on a fantastic light show (if you can view the video below, you may have to view this post on your desktop).

Over the years more and more homes on the street have begun to participate in syncing up their lights to the computer system, which makes for a very neat display.

One house on the street also offers hot chocolate, and while we there a young girl walked all around passing out candy canes to the kids (and adults!).

These two streets in Waikele truly exemplify the holiday spirit.

The crowds have grown over the years, so get there early to find a decent parking spot so you can walk around and enjoy the lights!

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Don't Miss Ballet Hawaii's Nutcracker!

After seeing Ballet Hawaii's Peter Pan, my daughter and I have been bit by the ballet bug.  We love it!  We were thrilled to get complimentary tickets to the opening night of Ballet Hawaii's Nutcracker at the Blaisdell Concert Hall.  This year’s production of Nutcracker features an amazing cast of international dance stars and is choreographed by Tom Pazik, conducted by Ann Krinitsky and staged by Pamela Taylor Tongg.

First off, the sets were amazing, the costumes brilliant, and the choreography and dancing fascinating.  The Nutcracker is a two act ballet set to Tchaikovsky's most famous composition.  Who doesn't recognize the well known score that puts you right into the holiday spirit?

This was the first time both my daughter and I saw the Nutcracker ballet in its entirety.  We were absolutely captivated by the story, but our favorite by far was the dancing in the second act, The Kingdom of Sweets, where the Sugar Plum Fairy calls for her dolls in her kingdom to dance.  Among the equally amazing dancers are the Spanish dancers, Arabian dancers, Chinese dancers, Russian dancers, and more. 

Ballet Hawaii’s Nutcracker is a must see this holiday season and is sure to delight children and adults of all ages.  It was an absolute pleasure to see so many performers on stage enchanting the audience with the famous Christmas tale.

Tickets are still available for performances on December 20 and 21.  Tickets by phone: 800-745-3000 at the Blaisdell Box Office or online at ticketmaster.com   

Of course we couldn't leave without a Nutcracker of our own.

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Ward Centers' Honolulu City Lights Trolley

Every year we try to take the kids to see the Honolulu City Lights.  Usually we'll go down to Honolulu Hale and check out all the lights and displays up close, but this year we decided to try out the Ward Centers' Honolulu City Lights Trolley.

Tickets are $6 per person, and children 3 and under are free, but must sit on a paying adult's lap inside the trolley's cabin.  Children 45" and shorter must also sit in the inside cabin.

We ended up buying our tickets a couple weeks in advance - 2 tickets for the inside cabin, and 2 tickets for the outside since DS1 is tall enough to sit on the outside (pre-sale tickets have ended, but standby tickets may be available for purchase each night).

We had tickets for the 7:50pm trolley, so we ended up going to Ward a little early to have dinner.  At about 7:15 we arrived at the tent where the trolley passengers wait.  Two trolleys at a time are boarded, and the ones we saw had different configurations (e.g. the middle seats were facing each other on one trolley, the middle seats were facing outward on another trolley). 

When one of the 7:30 trolleys boarded, it was fairly empty, so the attendants asked if we wanted to go on instead of wait another 20 minutes.  After we asked if we'd still be able to get a good view (we made sure we were first in line for the 7:50 trolley so we could get good seats), and the driver said yes, we hopped on the earlier trolley.  We had almost the entire middle cabin to ourselves (our friends were actually on that trolley!).

The trolley ride is about 30 minutes long, and we went through downtown, passed the lights at Honolulu Hale and Kakaako, and went back to Ward Warehouse.

Overall the trolley ride was a lot of fun.

Although it was a bit scary for me to see the kids leaning against the window since the seats were facing inward, the kids enjoyed seeing all the lights and yelling "Merry Christmas" to everyone they saw.

Our trolley driver was awesome - very spirited and lively, and it just so happened that other passengers on the trolley were just as spirited - they were singing all kinds of Christmas songs!

We really enjoyed the trolley - it was a fun way to see the Honolulu City Lights!

The Honolulu City Lights Trolley runs through December 30.

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