Christmas came by quick this year didn't it?  The last 10 years of Christmases have been super busy and hectic for me because my son's birthday is on December 23rd.  I have to juggle his birthday and Christmas and boy is it exhausting at times!!!  He's turning the big 1-0 this year so I am planning something special.  

While I was going through my secret Christmas hiding place (that locks so no one can peek) and realized that I haven't started wrapping presents yet!!  Am I the only one who is (not necessarily by choice) waiting until the last minute to wrap presents?!   I have a few more days to get a jump start on wrapping but it's somewhat overwhelming because of the birthday.  I could make lots of cute and smart plans to wrap and get it going so I'm not stuck at the last minute but knowing myself and my schedule, I'll probably be pulling my hair out on Christmas Eve trying to cram major present wrapping in just one night.  

Have you wrapped all your presents already?  Are you done with your Christmas shopping yet?  I'm not!!    Nothing like waiting till the last minute! Heh. 

The word Aloha (ahh-loh-ha) has over time, become synonymous with saying "hello" and "goodbye" but it's much more than that.  Aloha also means to show love, compassion, mercy and kindness.  It is a Hawaiian value that when practiced properly, exudes pure and welcoming love and warmth to everyone you meet.  In my nearly 30 years of life I've watched the true Aloha spirit dwindle and fade as greed and stress have monopolized so many peoples' lives.  There is one place though that truly maintains, exudes and shares the true aloha spirit and that's Uncle Clay's House of Pure Aloha.  Tucked away in the newly renovated and growing Aina Haina Shopping Center, HOPA has become a regular stop on my daily jaunts to and from work and home.  Once known as "Doe Fang", Uncle Clay's House of Pure Aloha has not only been newly constructed, but the focus has shifted in a positive direction.

What is Uncle Clay's House of Pure Aloha?

My son and niece absolutely love going to HOPA to get fresh shave ice whether it's hot or breezy outside. The shave ice is light and the dozen or so syrups are made from all natural, locally grown ingredients.  I'd be lying if I said that I didn't enjoy it as much if not more than they do.  I love this place.  The fact that they use all green and recyclable packaging really adds to it.  It's so refreshing to have an ecologically sound business that not only says they care about the environment, but they live it.  

The fact that all of the syrup is all natural is one of the big winners for me.  I have a 10 year old and I appreciate the fact that he's not getting a stomach full of high fructose corn syrup when he has a shave ice here.  They also give a lot of shave ice for the money.  Bottom line, the shave ice is healthy and delicious and you get a good amount for the money.  It's all natural and I don't have to worry about my son's blood sugar level when he eats shave ice here.  Add to that the fact that it's a family owned and ran business and they're always friendly and welcoming, and you have a real winner.  Added bonus, they support LOCAL farmers!!!  

The syrup they use for their shave ice at Uncle Clay's is all natural and made with ingredients from Hawai'i farmers.  I appreciate that I'm getting fresh ingredients and it's supporting the local economy.  I'm all about supporting local businesses. 

Whether you're in search of a healthy treat or looking for something to cool you down on a hot Hawaiian day, I suggest you take time to come visit Uncle Clay's House of Pure Aloha.  Uncle Clay and his nephew Bronson really had it right when they came up with this idea.  It's a great place whether you're a local or you're visiting Hawai'i on vacation.  They're always welcoming and kind.  If you're like me and you're trying to watch what you eat and limit the sugar and processed food you intake or you're a parent looking for a sweet treat that won't have your children bouncing off the walls on a sugar high, HOPA is somewhere you have to visit.  You and your kids, will leave very happy!! 

Do you ever have the chance to stop and take notice of how beautiful the world around us is?  Even if you're in a large city with few trees and lots of smog, there are still so many beautiful things you notice as you walk along.  It could be a beautiful sunset, a pretty flower or the smile on the face of a stranger but we are surrounded by beauty every day.  The trick is that you have to look for it sometimes because when your perspective is off, it's harder to notice the simple beauty of places, people and all the things on this earth.  How lucky are we to be alive?

I came across this photo today and it's so beautiful and peaceful.  It's the view of a sunrise from a mountain top and it's simply breathtaking.  I hope to have the chance to photograph something as beautiful as this.  I love taking photos.  It's funny how through the viewfinder of a camera you notice so many beautiful things that you might have just missed otherwise!

Do you have any pictures that you consider truly beautiful?  I think one of the most beautiful things to see as a parent is your child smiling or sleeping peacefully and smiling while he's dreaming.  That to me is perfect bliss.

It's a stormy and gloomy day here in Hawai'i but I kind of love it.  It's one of those days where I truly have writer's block and it happened to occur on a Wednesday!!  I think it's due more to the fact that I'm about to leave and run errands all over town with my son and I've got that on my mind than the fact that I'm kind of stuck on what to write.  

Do you ever get like that?  Are there ever days where you're without inspiration or days where you lack the focus and decisiveness to write about one particular topic?

The holiday season is something that I look forward to with excitement and a tad bit of dread.  The sheer mention of picking out a Christmas tree can cause me to cringe without even realizing I'm doing so.  The reason you ask?  Well it's because choosing the right tree is so difficult here in Hawai'i and because I've had some pretty tricky times setting up Christmas trees.  In Hawai'i there are several places with Matson crates full of trees but they're not as readily available these days as the economy has been steadily declining and the prices of trees are on the rise.

I come from a home of super picky Christmas tree lovers.  My mom was very detailed and specific on what kind of tree we had growing up and it's rubbed off on me I suppose.  Since I live with them because the cost of living here is so high, I have to accomodate the overall census and preferences of the household.  Big tree it is!!  Anyhow, there are so many different varieties of Christmas trees.  I prefer Douglas fir because the branches are stiffer and can more easily support the weight of all the ornaments I feel the need to adorn my tree with.  Last year I chose a tree that looked great at the shop but when I got it home, NOTHING worked to keep it from leaning.  Even a wire to the ceiling didn't do the trick.  It eventually fell on me one night, cutting my hand up terribly and I ended up ripping the tree down and got a new one.  Found out that tree's trunk was terribly crooked but that because of the fullness of the branches and their lengths, it appeared straight even though it wasn't.

Now that you have a grasp on why I tend to slightly dread the holidays, let me tell you why I LOVE them.  Christmas for me is a joyous celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ.  He's the reason for the season and the core of our celebration on Christmas.  I would be remiss however, if I didn't also admit that the reason I love this time of year is because of all the lights and presents.  As a child, it was such a treat to go and sit on Santa's lap and tell him my Christmas wish.  I always loved driving through the city looking at all the lights glowing and twinkling in contrast to the dark of night.  

One of my favorite things to do is stay up late and just lay on the couch and look at the glowing, colorful and sparkling Christmas tree.  Whether you celebrate Christmas or not, I'm sure you can agree that the lights, adornments and general splendor of the season are a beautiful sight to see.

I am really looking forward to baking with my son and making decorations for the house with him.  It's so much fun to watch children create something they are so proud of and see the joy in their eyes as they hang up their decorations.  An added bonus for me is that usually the weather here in Hawai'i gets cooler and it's a nice contrast from the normally muggy, hot and humid weather that we are used to.  Not that I'm complaining, but I rather enjoy crisp 60 degree nights and cool 70 degree days instead of the 90+ degree weather we had this summer. It gets so hot and stifling at times!

I was playing with my camera the other night taking bokeh (out of focus) photos of Christmas lights and my favorite ornaments.  I love how the lights glow warmly at night picking up all of the color and sparkle from the Christmas tree illuminating my living room. 

How do you decorate your trees?  What do you do for the holidays?  Do you have any ideas for decorating your home for the holidays?  Do you have any traditions or tasty recipes?  Share your experiences, tips and ideas in the comments below.  

Here are more pictures of my favorite bokeh shots and ornaments.