Do Surfers Take Christmas Off?

Surfer at Sunset Beach, Christmas Day, 2011. Okay, so it wasn't totally packed at Sunset Beach but it did take a while to find parking.

Santa Claus & Mrs. Claus, Hawaiian Style

Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus -- Hawaiian Style, Festival of Lights, City Hall, Honolulu, Hawaii. Mayor Frank Fasi started an annual Christmas tradition (many years ago) with huge Christmas figures and a wonderful display of decorated trees originally from a Christmas tree charity comnpetition and now from the different departments in the city. There was even a Hawaii-inspired wreath competition. Even better, meter parking on holidays is free so you can go down and see the festivities at your leisure. Note that Santa is flashing a Shocka (friendly Hawaiian greeting) sign and Mrs. Claus is wearing a Muumuu!

Still Festive in the New Year

If the gulls can be festive, so can we! This little guy was posing by the Christmas wreaths that the city of Imperial Beach so graciously tied around the IB Pier. He was watching me carefully, just in case I had a handout or two but, alas, it was just another camera.

Where's Santa?

While the guys were out decorating the beer tree, where was Santa? Well, Santa was out playing a quick game of baseball (with a rubber playground ball instead of a baseball)! Santa was having fun and I hope you all are too. He's earned the day off, grin. Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.

Beer Tree

Every guys dream. A christmas tree decorated with beer! I figured I check out Mission Beach to see what craziness was going on for Christmas day and ran into this beer tree. Santa hats were pretty popular too.

Christmas Cheer and A Little Grilling

Here's a little mug of me with the grilled portabella mushrooms. It's that Christmas party time of year which means that it's time for me to cook up some grilled terriyaki veggies and some of my famous Wayward mystery bread (zuchinni, carrot, bannana...this time anyhow) for the annual Christmas potluck. It was really nice to see the friends.

We open presents tomorrow (grin). Dog has a nice new furry pillow to rest those aging doggie joints on and some tasty treats. She's been sniffing around the tree for days now (and I think she hasn't found them yet this time -- although I probably ought to peek to make sure they're still there!). Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas as well.

A Little Christmas Poetry

I found this guy with his dog driving the "Star-Trike", a motorcycle spiffed up to look like the Star Trek Enterprise! The dog was pretty occupied looking at the passing people but Santa was very happy to pose! Merry Christmas to you all! Here's a little California poetry for the season!

Twas the night before Christmas,

When all through the beach,

Not a creature was sunning,

With lotion at hands reach.

When out from the waves,

Surfboard in tow,

Came Santa a-swimming,

Merry Christmas to all!

Good surf and good cheer.

Awesome Christmas Trees

Sometimes you see amazing trees at stores and malls and you wonder how long it takes to put them up. It turns out, my neighbor, a florist put up this totally amazing tree. The answer, 5 hours of going up and down a ladder to deck out this very large tree. I was totally impressed (although not impressed enough to spend 5 hours on a ladder to do it myself, grin).

Now, I like my tree (shown a few days ago) with perhaps about an hour of two of us popping up ornaments and shell garlands but wow, this is something else. Admittedly the doggy pillow/treats and big pile of presents under our tree add a little something warm and special that a big formal tree doesn't necessarily have but for wow factor, the neighbors have it!

Oh Christmas tree oh Christmas tree...

Yep, it's that Christmas tree time of year. We started off thinking about getting a little one but somehow the big ones looked sooo much fluffier. So there she is, Ms. tree, in all her glory. If you look good you can see the seashell garlands and the little coconut husk Angels. Of course, you have to have tinsel as well and lights too! Overall, putting up the tree was fun although I always seem to end up being the one to water the tree each week.

Good Cheer Indeed

The Christmas cards continue to come in. Some are fun like the one from one of my friends in Las Vegas who sent pictures of the two of them posing with various television celebrities. Others are downright depressing. In fact, I've had two really depressing cards already (and it's only the 11th), one talked of how his mother had just passed away and another, how his wife had a massive stroke and was unconscious and paralyzed. I tend to wallow a little in the sad ones.

I just got back from visiting my Mom and I realize that, as much as we would prefer otherwise, we are all aging, our friends, our loved ones and all that we care about. Less I wallow too much, it also gives me incentive to get out of the house and do things like travel and spend quality time with the people I care about. Aging is as much a part of life as youth, death as much as birth. The key thing, I suspect, is keeping a positive perspective on the whole experience. Ah yes, the picture is me posing with a wooden pig in Overland Park, KS.

Almost Christmas

My Christmas shopping is mostly done and there are lots of presents for the niece and nephews under the tree. The shopping mall here in Honolulu was absolutely packed with people shopping like there was no tomorrow. In fact, there were so many people it created a horrible traffic mess getting in and out of Ala Moana Center.

Every Christmas, the center brings out their kiddie Christmas train that plays holiday music and drives slowly around the center. It gives us food for thought in watching how little kids find joy in the simplest things like riding a musical train while adults seem to need to go to such terrible lengths including huge houses and fancy cars and still end up unhappy. Perhaps there is something to be learned from the children about happiness in the little things like riding on a musical train or going to the beach. Perhaps indeed.

Snow!

I'm back in Kansas City and it's snowing something fierce. The highways are coated in about 6 inches of snow and they're talking about 18 inches of snow by morning. I'm guessing it only makes it to 8 or 10 inches of snow as the snow is slowing down a little but either way, it's cold, windy and slippery out. After a dinner with co-workers of Kansas City Barbeque, I'm feeling ridulously full (and wishing I didn't eat quite so much...). Hopefully, it will not still be haunting me tomorrow morning.

We managed to drive out to one of the shopping areas off of Stateline road to look at the lights. The stores were all closed already but admittedly, the lights reflecting off of the snow and the nearby river walk area were really beautiful. There were also stunning displays at some of the mansions along the roadside.