Christmas Caroling In Hawaii 2006

Well, our church went out for our annual Christmas Caroling tonight. Every year we walk down the street to a nearby apartment complex (that includes low-income units) and sing to the good folks who live there.

My family and I have been doing this for 13 years and our church for more years than that. The apartment people look forward to our arrival each year. They stand on their balconies and clap and cheer. Some come out and join us and others bring us gifts of cookies and other goodies.

Afterwards everyone joins my family at our house for more cookies and conversation. We then phone up church friends who have moved to the "mainland" and sing "Mele Kalikimaka" to them. We especially enjoy waking up our friends on the East Coast since it is around 1:30 am their time when we phone. No one has ever complained, except for a few who wondered why they didn't get a phone call from us!

Here are a few photos showing how we "do" Christmas caroling in Hawaii:


First you get about 25 people together . . .


And you start singing . . .


Sometimes we look better than we sound . . .


Every age joins in the singing . . .


And everyone who looks like a garden gnome has to go off and stand by themselves . . .


My wonderful wife and Daughters #2 & #3 made an edible wreath with fruit dipped in chocolate . . . yum.

"Star of wonder! Star of might!
Star with royal beauty bright!
Westward leading, still proceeding,
Guide us to thy perfect light!"

I can't wait until next year so we can do it all over again!