Mele Kalikimaka 2007

The Christmas season is always a busy time. Shopping, baking and parties all conspire to steal away every free moment. Don't get me wrong, the part of me that never grew up loves the wonder of Christmas. I see that same joy mirrored in the eyes of my four year old son as he asks daily, "Is it Christmas, yet?" Finally, I can answer "tomorrow!"

In all the hustle and bustle, it's easy to lose track of the history of Christmas. Whether you buy into the whole baby-in-a-manger story or not, this pidgin paraphrase from Da Jesus Book: Hawaii Pidgin New Testament of the original Christmas story (Luke 2:1-21):

Jesus Wen Born

¹ Dat time, da king fo da Rome peopo, Augustus Cesar, wen make all da peopo sign up fo find out how much peopo get every place. ² Dis da first sign up dey wen make wen Quirinius stay governa fo Syria. Everybody wen go back to da town dea ohana come from fo sign up.

4 So Joseph wen go from Nazaret town Galilee side, to Betlehem Judea side, King David’s town, cuz he come from King David’s ohana. 5 He go ova dea fo sign up wit Mary, da wahine da ohana wen promise fo marry him. She stay hapai. 6 Wen dey stay dea, da time come fo her fo born her baby. 7 An she wen born her numba one boy, an wrap him up some cloths, an lay him down inside one ting fo hold da cows food, cuz no mo room fo dem inside da small hotel.

Da Sheep Farmas An Da Angel Messenja Guys

⁸ Dat nite, ova dea inside da fields, get sheep farmas taking care dea sheeps. ⁹ Right den an dea one angel messenja guy from da Boss Up Dea Inside Da Sky come by dem. All around dem one awesome light wen shine from da Boss. An dey wen come real scared. 10 But da angel guy say, “No scared. I come come real scared. ¹⁰ But da angel guy say, "No scared. I come fo tell you guys Good Stuff From God dat goin make you guys l da peopo stay good inside. ¹¹ Dis day inside King David's town, one boy wen born dat goin take you guys outa da bad kine stuff you stay doing. He da Christ Guy, da Spesho Guy God Wen Send. He da Boss. ¹² Dis how you goin know him. You goin find one baby dat stay wrap up inside plenny cloths, lying down inside one ting fo hold da cows food."

¹³ Right den an dea uku paila angel guys from da sky wen show up wit da first angel guy. Dey saying good stuff bout God lidis:

¹⁴ "Up inside da sky wea God stay,
He stay awesome!
An ova hea on top da earth,
If God like wat peopo doing,
He goin make dea heart rest inside."

¹⁵ Den da angel guys wen go way from dem an go back by God inside da sky. Da sheep farmas tell each odda, "Eh brahs, we go Betlehem fo see dis ting dat wen happen, dat da Boss Up Dea Inside Da Sky wen tell us."

¹⁶ So dey run an find Mary an Joseph, an da baby stay dea, lying down inside one ting fo hold da cows food. ¹⁷ Wen dey I see da baby, dey tell everybody wat da angel guys wen say bout dis boy. ¹⁸ Everybody dat wen hear dat stay tinking bout wat da sheep farmas wen tell dem. ¹⁹ But Mary wen put all dese tings inside her heart, an tink plenny how spesho dey stay. ²⁰ Da sheep farmas wen go back, an dey tell everybody how God stay plenny good an awesome, cuz all da stuff dey wen hear an see, was jalike da angel guy wen tell dem.

His Name Jesus

²¹ One week lata da time come fo cut skin. An dey give da baby da name Jesus, jalike da angel guy from God wen say befo Mary come hapai.

If you'd like more of this kind of thing, past years have shared Wuz da nite befo' Christmas and Numbah One Day of Christmas. FInally, over at melekalikimaka.com, You know you're celebrating Christmas in Hawaii when...

Mele Kalikimaka and Haʻuoli Makahiki Hou!