Mele Kalikimaka 2012 from the staff ohana of HAWAII Magazine!

From: HAWAII Magazine’s staff ohana

To: our HAWAII Magazine & HawaiiMagazine.com reader ohana

A very Mele Kalikimaka (Merry Christmas) to you and all the best in the new year. Hauoli Makahiki Hou (Happy New Year)!

By the way, if you happen to be on Oahu this week or next, the 28th annual Honolulu City Lights will be glowing every evening until Jan. 1.

The Mele Kalikimaka scene, which got under way earlier this month, features larger-than-life holiday displays, such as a 21-foot shaka-flashing Santa seated next to a lei-draped Tutu Mele (pictured, above) at a fountain pool fronting Honolulu Hale (Oahu’s city hall). There’s also an island-style snowman and his family (pictured, top of page) as well as an elaborately decorated 50-foot Norfolk Christmas tree. Inside historic Honolulu Hale (constructed in 1928), you’ll find a lineup of Christmas trees, each cleverly decorated by personnel in government offices and other volunteers. If you go, have fun — and bring a camera. For more information about Honolulu City Lights and related special events, click here.