SATURDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2016

Hi everyone! This is the last post in my Hawaii Happenings series and it’s about one of the most wonderful times of the year: Christmas! I know it’s already the first of March… but if I’ve learned anything about blogging so far, it’s that it takes time. Anyways, at this point in my Hawaii trip, it was Christmas eve! That meant spending a lot of time with family, which my brother and I were very happy about since we only get to see our extended family once or twice a year. To celebrate this day, we decided to grab family dinner together at Moku Kitchen. The place was cute and trendy, and it seated all of us comfortably outside. Since there was about fifteen of us, we ordered pretty much one of everything on the menu and very much enjoyed eating off of each others plates. As we finished up dinner, the younger kiddos and my brother went to go run around the plaza that the restaurant was in. Once the adults caught up with them, it was time for some family pictures. You can see how well those worked out above…

Outfit:
Choker: Forever 21 // Hawaiian Shirt: Kmart // Top: Urban Outfitters // Shorts: Brandy Melville

Then, we headed off to downtown Honolulu to see all of the Christmas lights. It was hard to miss the gigantic Christmas tree, lit up and covered in decorations and rising high above the surrounding palm trees. It was a beautiful sight to behold and people from all over had come to see it. This particular tree was not only surrounded by even more giant Christmas decorations, but was also in front of the entrance to Honolulu’s annual tree decorating contest, which was full of different themed Christmas trees. The fire department had decorated their tree with a million mini fire engines, an elementary school had made a Finding Nemo themed tree, and others had created an entire tree out of Legos! After admiring all of the whimsical Christmas trees, we headed down the street to find more huge decorations, hot cocoa stands, and little kid rides. It was a great way for our family to start off the holidays, and I couldn’t wait to see what other family adventures Christmas day had in store for me next.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2016

I finally got to spend Christmas in Hawaii! We usually vacation there in the summer so I had never gotten to spend the holiday with my mom’s side of the family before. I was super excited! We woke up bright and early to get ready and get into the holiday spirit. Our dinner was Italian themed, so we all had to bring an Italian dish to my second-cousin’s house where we would be meeting for dinner. My mom, aunt, and I had decided to make my simple chicken pesto bake recipe. It doesn’t take that long to prepare or to bake so it was the perfect dish for us to contribute and I was happy to be a part of it. Once we were dressed in Christmas colors and our food was all packed into the car, we headed off to dinner!

Mele Kalikimaka! That means “Merry Christmas” in Hawaiian, and what a merry family gathering it was! I got to see so many cousins, aunts, and uncles that I hadn’t seen in years and being able to catch up with them was pretty awesome. The house we were at was huge, with several rooms, a pool, and a stunning view of Diamond Head. There was also so much food! Everyone brought pasta and appetizers and desserts. I had an overflowing dinner plate and loved trying all the different homemade dishes. I got even more excited for dessert, as there was cake, ice cream, and painstakingly decorated Christmas cookies. Everything was delicious and beautiful to look at. Then, it was time for presents! One of my cousins dressed up as Santa Claus and everyone had to sit on his lap as he handed them a present. It was adorable and hilarious all at the same time. I definitely enjoyed spending Christmas on such an amazing island with such an amazing family.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 26, 2016

Yes, the day after Christmas was our last day on Oahu. What were we to do? Go to the beach, of course! Well, first we had to stop for some grub and there was no better place to do that than at Zippy’s! It’s hard to describe exactly what kind of food place Zippy’s is, but they’re only in Hawaii and they are great! We all decided to order our food to-go so that we could eat lunch on the beach. I got a Zip Pac, which comes with fried chicken, spam, beef, and rice. We also ordered a box of Zippy’s infamous naples, which are deliciously flaky apple desserts.

The beach we ended up at was Nanakuli Beach, close to where my cousins live. We found a nice spot on the sand and laid out our towels so everyone had room to sit down and eat their lunch. Everything was as delicious as expected, and I was reminded how good naples tasted. Eventually, we all stripped down to our bathing suits and went to test out the clear blue water. It was beautiful and pretty warm, especially in comparison to the water in southern California. My brother and our cousins were like little fish swimming in the water, collecting rocks and chasing after each other. Floating around in the water was so soothing and just felt good for the soul. I honestly never wanted to leave. The only thing that got me out of the water was the sun starting to set and the water starting to get colder.

Outfit:
Top: Billabong // Skirt: H&M // Bikini Top: San Lorenzo // Bikini Bottoms: Victoria Secret // Sunglasses: Tag Envy

We all got out, dried off, and packed up before heading to my cousin’s house for some Costco pizza for dinner. We relaxed and enjoyed each others company, not wanting to face having to pack our suitcases later that night. There are really no words to describe how amazing of an experience my trip to Hawaii was. There’s nothing like spending time in such beautiful place, especially with your family around the holidays. I can’t wait to be back in this tropical paradise soon…

xo, Rachel