My son repeated a trick he employed as a university freshman in Honolulu—a Christmas tree drawn on butcher paper, hung on the wall. Back then, all trees shipped to Hawaii were sold. Now, he said he would help me win the decoration prize for this apartment renter at my old folks boarding house. Kelson cut butcher paper, drew a Christmas tree, and asked his bride to paint a beautiful ornament. He hung the drawing on
Category: Christmas
Only a Paper Tree
The Kamehameha fourth-grade school teacher warned us. She had moved from Colorado to Honolulu six years before I taught a year at the University of Hawaii. Your son Kelson said he plans to furnish the Christmas tree for your condo apartment. He had better buy one as soon as the freighter arrives from the Mainland. Sometimes there is no second-tree shipment. Freshman Kelson didn’t buy early. And there was no second freighter. Undaunted, my son bought
Traditionalist
When I read, “…traditionalists which are aged 73-92…” in my Wall Street Journal, I took umbrage. At age 93, not only am I a ‘traditionalist,’ but I lay claim to starting the ‘tradition’ of flying the family to the holiday reunion. These end-of-year 2021 holidays will be remembered for the airline workers who called in sick, few stewardesses to help passengers get a Rudolph red-nose on, and few pilots to get airborne and switch controls to
Talk Story
When I spent a year professing in Hawaii, my oldest daughter and son-in-law brought my first two grandchildren from Texas to visit. Britt was two, Kara was six-months old. My daughter Sheryl discovered Hawaiians still retain a version of some native words. Grandparents are Tutus. Grandmother is Tutu. And Grandfathers are often called Tutu Kane. Outsiders give us a strange look when they hear Britt, now a Colonel in the Air National Guard, call his
Famous Christmas Givers
Annie was a great gal. Her only niece Margo remembers, as I do, a ‘cornucopia’ of Christmas presents that Anne Van Buren mailed from Colorado to our homes. However my sister-in-law insisted on specific Christmas tree rules. To wit: NO presents opened before Christmas morning. Excepting when the northern cat smelled the ‘nip’ wrapped and sent by the Colorado feline who always signed as ‘Claws.’ ONLY one present from ‘Auntie’ or ‘Sister.’ All other wrapped presents