The holidays are probably the most popular time to visit Hawai‘i. For those used to a snowy and cold holiday season, the idea of tropical sunshine and warm ocean water can be an enticing change of scenery. Weather aside, it’s not too different from the mainland when it comes to celebrating Christmas. Food, family, friends and gift giving are all still part of the picture. Just as important is the holiday music. Whether it’s listening to holiday standards, singing Hawaiian-style Christmas music, or playing music together on ukulele and guitar in a group (called kanikapila), the sounds of Christmas are just as big a part of the experience. Hawaii has even exported one of the more popular Christmas tunes found on many playlists. Here’s a few songs to give your holiday playlist a more Hawaii-inspired flair.
Mele Kalikimaka
When it comes to fun, holiday standards, the classic song Mele Kalikimaka has been one of the top picks for holiday music for the past 70 years. Originally written in 1949 by Hawaii born composer R. Alexander Anderson, it is probably best known from the recording made the following year by Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters. The song has been in heavy rotation since its inclusion with Bing Crosby’s Merry Christmas album in 1955. Besides the airwaves, the song has appeared in numerous Christmas movies (I always remember it in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation) and has been covered by nearly everyone that’s made a Christmas album through the years.
The writer and composer of the song has a pretty cool story. Robert Alexander “Andy” Anderson was born in Honolulu in 1894, and lived a long and eventful life. He flew combat missions in World War I and was shot down over France and captured. He made a miraculous escape from the Germans, the story of which was part of the original plot to the 1938 movie Dawn Patrol. Anderson went on to the world of business, but writing and performing music were his true passion. He attended the prestigious Punahou School on O‘ahu (as did former President Barak Obama) and wrote both their school song and football while a student there. He is one of the most well-known composers of the hapa haole genre of Hawaiian music, which combines English lyrics with stories, themes and instruments from Hawai‘i. Many of his songs are played to this day at lu‘au and during music sets looking to evoke early to mid-century Hawai‘i.
Numbah One Day of Christmas
Not as well known outside the islands is the Hawaiian pidgin take on the 12 Days of Christamas, Numbah One Day of Christmas. Written in 1959 by three friends Eaton “Bob” Magoon, Ed Kenney and Gordon Phelps, this song has become a holiday music classic in the islands. It is often heard being performed by school children at Christmas concerts this time of year, as well as on local radio stations. It is a fun and funny rendition of the holiday standard, switching out the “true love” gift giver for “tutu” or grandmother. The gifts are replaced with things familiar to those that grew up in Hawai‘i and what they may have wished for as a kid in the 1940s and 50s. The main refrain of “a partridge in a pear tree” is given the Hawaii-centric “one mynah bird in one papaya tree”. If you’ve never heard it before I don’t want to give away all the changes—just know it a fun and funny retelling of the Christmas song that always seems to go on for too long!
Christmas Lu‘au
This holiday music incorporates more of the Hawaiian language in its lyrics than previous examples, but is still primarily in English. As with much of the hapa haole music of its era, it mixes English lyrics with very Hawaiian themes and traditions. Written by Leonard Hawk in 1950, this song lures the listener in with the classic Christmas line of “Twas the night before Christmas…” but quickly subverts expectations by referring to the hale instead of the house. The song is incredibly catchy and after one listen, you’ll be hard pressed to keep from humming it throughout the rest of the holiday season. It’s been covered many times by musicians across Hawai‘i through the years. One of the more recent covers by Kimié Miner and Paula Fuga has been in our rotation for a while. Give it a try and see if you can resist singing along about holiday kau kau (food).
If there’s one thing you take away from this blog, it’s that holidays are a special time here in Hawai‘i. There is so much great Hawaiian holiday music to be found that we couldn’t possibly list it all. If these songs only whet your appetite for more, try searching for Hawaiian Christmas music on your favorite streaming platform, or if you’re lucky enough to visit Hawai‘i during the holidays, look for live music performances at the resorts, shops and restaurants nearby. Another great way to discover more music is through the radio stations that play Hawaiian music year round—most include holiday tunes this time of year.
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