KAILUA-KONA — The theme of the 32nd Annual Kailua-Kona Community Christmas Parade may have changed this holiday season from ‘Songs of Christmas’ to ‘A Hawaiian Style Christmas,’ but for spectators, much about the celebration remained indiscernible from those that defined their youth.
Eager keiki lined the parade route, tote bags in hand, to catch the candy raining down from procession floats, as music, dancing and bright lights spread a festive mood throughout the streets of Kailua Village.
Jazlyn Kawasaki, 12, and her sister Shayla, 9, have been attending the event ever since they can remember, but the wide-eyed young girls have yet to tire of it.
“It kind of feels the same. I actually saw a few people I know, and I just like seeing everyone and all the lights and decorations,” said Jazlyn, bucking the stereotype that keiki line up almost exclusively for the sweets. “Candy you can get at any store.”
Her sister Shayla was most impressed with the canine component of the parade.
“I like the animals,” she said, “I liked the dogs that were dressed up like reindeer.”
Brandi Liberato and Tisha Chandler, who have both lived on Hawaii Island their entire lives, said they began attending the parade religiously when they had children of their own.
And for them, that’s what the celebration is really all about — the kids.
But they added that the parade also serves as sort of a kickoff to the holiday season, particularly this year.
“It especially (feels like Christmas) with this weather,” Liberato said. “It’s cold, it’s rainy, and there’s snow.”
Brad Ballesteros who has been attending, and often photographing, the parade for around 20 years echoed the notion that Christmas has now officially arrived in Kona.
“It starts getting festive about Thanksgiving, but with this parade, it’s definitely Christmas now,” he said.
Ballesteros noticed more than most the minor shift in aesthetic, noting more participants were dressed in a Hawaiian style rather than in strictly holiday garb. And he said as far as Christmas parades go, this year’s version was one of the best in a while.
“It goes up and down (in size and quality),” Ballesteros said. “This year, it’s pretty good.”
The festivities were grand enough to pull some first-timers to the crowd, as well. Russell and Rhonda Machado, who come to Hawaii every year and are visiting the Big Island for the fourth time, missed their hometown parade in Lodi, Calif.
They said they were happy to supplement their holiday season by celebrating Christmas Kona style.
“It’s similar to our parade, although our police officers don’t get dressed up like yours do. It’s awesome,” Russell said. “The Hawaiian theme makes it unique, and everyone seems to know one another, which is really cool.”