Old Fashioned Hawaiian Holiday

by Michele Cheplic | More from this Blogger

10 Nov 2007 09:02 PM

I know we haven't even eaten our way through Thanksgiving yet, but it's no secret most people already have their holiday travel plans set in stone. If you are one of the lucky ones who plan to spend the holidays in paradise you may to add the following traditional Hawaiian Christmas event to your to-do list.

This year on the Big Island of Hawaii the H.N. Greenwell Store is set to revive some local holiday customs during a series of special events called "An English Christmas in the Hawaiian Kingdom."

Henry Nicholas (H.N.) built the 1,000-square-foot structure located in Kealakekua from lava rock and lime mortar around 1875. Back then it doubled as the local post office, and community hot spot. Time marched on and the area began developing. The store sat unused until the mid 1980s when the Kona Historical Society came up with the idea of restoring it as a living-history museum.

Today the store is a popular tourist destination on the Big Island's Kona coast. It provides visitors with a unique glimpse of what everyday life was like for ranchers, farmers and their families in Hawaii in the late 1800s. And this year museum curators decided to try something new for the holidays. For three-weeks in the month of December the store/museum will offer "An English Christmas in the Hawaiian Kingdom" program where guests can see what goes into hosting an old-fashioned Christmas.

The store/museum will be decked out for the holidays and will feature items that locals would have purchased as holiday gifts centuries ago. Among the festive items on display will be ladies' hats will embellished with ostrich feathers; lace and ribbon festooned party dresses; toys such as marbles, jacks, wooden train sets and rag dolls with porcelain faces; and there will also be a Christmas tree decorated with paper chains, fruit and candy. In the evenings the store will be lit with lanterns and candles to add to the holiday atmosphere.

If you are traveling to the Big Island of Hawaii consider checking out these other related articles:

Visiting Hawaii---Where To Go

Hawaii's Glass-Bottom Boat Tours

Let's Go Snorkeling

Hilo's Hot Spots

Adventure Travel--A Trip to the "Valley of the Kings"

Hawaii--Visiting the Big Island's Best Waterfalls

Star Gazing In Hawaii

Learn more about Michele Cheplic

Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism.

View Full Profile | More from this Blogger