Mela Kalikimaha

This year both my sister and I will be spending the holidays in Louisiana with our in-laws. As a result we had to hold an early Christmas celebration with our local family. Our Christmas traditions are varied and have been gathered from various places and people through the years. Dad is French Canadian so he likes to have a french Canadian meal on Christmas Eve and then open presents that evening. Mom thinks opening presents "early" ruins Christmas. JP (22, brother, basement dweller) doesn't care as long as no one forgets to buy him gifts (this hardened once but that is a story for another blog). Mom hates to shop, Dad LOVES to shop and he always gets the right things so he shops for everyone. Christine (sister, Mother of Jazz 4 and Eli 3) just likes to party.

Honestly my mom didn't like Christmas much when we were kids because it forced her to do all the things she didn't like and thought she wasn't very good at. ie: shopping (before Dad took it over a few years back) cooking, decorating ect... She took on those roles because she thought it was what she was supposed to do as a wife and mother. But she hated those things, we as kids thought she just didn't like Christmas, we had to become adults before we really figured out what was really going on. If we were being honest everyone hates doing things they don't think they are good at. Who wants a whole season that shows us all our weak spots.

As we all grew up and had families we have slowly divided up the responsibilities of holidays based on what we are all good at. Dad shops, he grins as he runs out the door to the mall, his credit card hot in his hands he returns and smoke is coming out of his wallet as he lugs in his gifts for all the grand kids. Christine picks up decorations and fun things to do on Christmas. This year we did a Hawaiian Luau for Christmas. There were flowers, palm trees and even a huge angel fish we blew up. The guys play video games while I do what I like best COOKING!!! I made Kalua Pig, Pancit and salad we had pineapple and papaya for desert. We opened gifts on the 11th of December. All in all we had a great Luau it was beautiful, the food was great and Mom played in the hot tub with the kids which as it turns out is what she is BEST at. Merry Christmas!!! or Mela Kahlikimaha as they say in Hawaii