Christmas At Our Home: Part 3

In warm, sunny Hawaii it can be difficult for a person raised in cold wintery Europe to create that special Christmas feeling she grew up with. No snow, no ice, just sunshine and warm breezes. Lovely, yes. Christmasy? Not really. 

So I do what I can to make the house sparkle, and evoke the magical Christmas atmosphere we all long to have.  Here are some of the details, small and larger, around our house that make a Hawaiian Christmas.

When it is lush and green outside, bring winter in 

with lots of white, silver and sparkle. 

Christmas At Our Home: The Tree

Every year we put up two Christmas trees. One goes in the living room, and I must admit I am very particular about decorating it. The second tree is in the family room, which the children decorate with mostly home-made ornaments, color lights and tinsel. We put our Christmas village around it. These photos are of our front tree, which I finally finished decorating a few days ago. 

The finished tree is sparkling with lights.

Christmas at our Home

It is the season... to celebrate, eat, drink, party - and of course to decorate your home for all the celebrating, eating, drinking and partying that is to take place in the next few weeks.  I spent the last few days working on our Christmas decorations. Here are some pictures of the results.

Pine cones and ribbons decorate closet doors in the hallway

Crete

Time flies, and summer seems like a far-away memory.  To bring it back, here are some of the pictures I took this July on the picturesque island of Crete. Amid the charming old buildings, quaint cafes, and panoramic bays, what struck me was signs of the hardship and poverty the Greek economic meltdown brought to this lovely island. Graffiti abounds, many of the buildings are in disrepair, and there are boarded up storefronts everywhere. Don't get me wrong: Crete is still beautiful and vibrant. We had a great time exploring the market, tasting some wonderful Greek food and wandering the narrow streets. I do hope there will soon be renewed prosperity for this pretty island in the Mediterranean Sea. 

Colorful doors and buildings

A New-Old Hawaiian Home

Lucky me, I get to visit broker's open houses on many a Thursday, because of my friend and realtor extraordinaire, Debbie. Here are some photos I took at a lovely Kailua home. This home is brand new, but its layout and feel is very "old Hawaii". It is spacious without being pretentious, open to the cooling winds and has a lovely canal-front setting. Check it out if you have a chance. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy my photos.