Merry Christmas

Ahh...it's Christmas day...I'm waiting while the boys get ready to leave for the weekend...thought I'd write some nice stuff in the meantime.

I woke up this morning to Kekoa's phone call..."Mom...are you awake? Did you just wake up? Come to breakfast in 1/2 hour..." Last night the boys spent the night with my brothers playing the Wii at Keaka's house. It's a different kind of Christmas Eve now that the boys are kind of grown...they'd rather hang out with my crazy brothers than wait for Santa ;)

I have to admit that I do not miss the Christmas Eve's where I gnawed on 9 carrots and ate some cookies or donut that was left for Santa...when they were little, the boys always checked to make sure that Santa and the reindeer had eaten their treats...yuck haha.

We had our traditional Hanamaikai Christmas Eve dinner and gift exchange at Keaka's house. Britney had the nieces and nephews perform the Christmas Story. It's adorable to see children bundled up in various towels and sheets, dragging each other around the room, the way the crying enrupts amidst the laughter and dazed gazes off into space as they kneel around a little doll in a basket. It was precious. I remember Kekoa's first Christmas...he was the doll in the basket that year...ahh, what a darling baby.

After the end of the Christmas story, I played Joy to the World as my annual violin solo showing and the family sang together. After that it was all a mess of wrapping paper and clapping as we took turns opening gifts. I tend to melt back into the scenery and watch my family, how they have all grown up, how the nieces and nephews are not babies any more either, but most of all, I just watch and wonder how did so much time pass since it was me, Quinn, and Kaleo teasing Haruko on her smurf big wheel while Keaka sneaked our candy out of our stockings...sigh.

This morning I got ready and headed over to my Mom's house for breakfast. It's so nice to walk into the house, warm and a buzz with all of the voices of the people I love the most. As I entered, I was greeted by "KUULEI!!!"...hahaha...they love me ;) I teased Kiko with a nod to Harry Potter by wishing her a Happy Christmas, then we broke down laughing...Kiko and her "Hogwarts is not real, but I wish it was" issues.

We had a lovely breakfast...just a lot of talking and then opening of gifts. My fav gift this year was the book, "The Alchemist" that my Mom got for me. It's perfect for me, if you know the book you'll know that it is me. The boys got me earrings from Argento and a beautiful red scarf. They know how to love and spoil their Mommer :)

This year the boys are so grown up that it was just clothes. It's not as fun as buying toys for them like when they were little, but they are happy strutting around asking, "Hey Mom...this looks good huh." Mmhmm! You are both ridiculously good looking!

Ah, I am beginning to feel that kind of anticlimatic melancholy right now...I'm at home and the house feels soo empty without the boys here with me. I miss them, but I know they are off to brighten the lives of the rest of their family...the boys, you are the best...you make your Mom so proud. I am going to head back to my Mom's house where I will pull out the violin for an encore performance at the neighbor's house as our family gift to them.

I just wanted to give you a glimpse into what Christmas is like for us. Not alot of glitz, but definitely a lot of love. Here is a favorite Christmas wish to all of you, my friends: I wish you all, each and every one, all your own dearly held hopes and wishes and dreams come true from this day forward as I also thank you all, each and every one, for all the joy, inspiration and grace you bring to my life. Merry Christmas :)