Hawaiian snow globe

‘Tis the season. Shopping, baking, decorating, wrapping, cleaning, tagging, lighting. It’s wonderful. Exhilarating. And sometimes exhausting. Even irritating.

The traffic. Rampant consumerism. Obligatory party invites. Whining (and wining) can creep into our conversations. And then we come back to the meaning of the season.

I love the music at Christmas time. And I love Hawai`ian music. So when you mix the two, I am in ecstasy. One of my favorite Hawai`ian songwriter/singers, Keali`i Reichel, released a new album this year called Maluhia (Peace in Hawai`ian.).

As uplifted and delighted as I was by the musical offerings on the CD, I was even more struck by the message he wrote on the inside cover. And so I want to share it with all of you.

“Aloha No I Ka Nani O Ke Au Maluhia”

This remarkable au maluhia, season of peace, is more than a ritual birthday commemoration, for it touches those of all different theologies and extends far beyond a particular holiday or a block of the calendar. It’s more of a mindset, a spirit that pervades the things we do, the ways we do them, and the people we reach out to and surround ourselves with.

The season is embodied in smiles that well up in the heart and bloom forth on the faces of children and grownups alike. Good will unfurls in our homes and neighborhoods as festive decorations and twinkling lights are put in place with no other purpose than to delight friends and passers-by. Presents, wrapped, ribboned, and offered up with joy, are mere manifestations of the smiles and good feelings within.

The sounds of the season generate a random chorus of giggles and laughter, hearty greetings and warm welcomes. These happy sounds all mix in with the songs of the season like an extended carol whose refrain goes on through the year’s end and into the year’s renewal.

It brings renewal for us all, along with affirmation of the love that we share with our own and those beyond. The care and compassion are in the fabric of our everyday lives, but they become more apparent, to ourselves and others, during this wonderful season of joy. The affirmation is important, for it is the love we share that makes it all worthwhile.”

Oh yes, what he said. Wishing aloha and maluhia to all of you this holiday season and in the coming years of our second act. Mele Kalikimaka (Merry Christmas in Hawai`ian.) And a joyful Solstice, Happy Hanukkah, wondrous Kwanzaa.

You can find Keali`i Reichel and other Hawai`ian music CD’s at mele.com.