ALOHA!

Every year our ward's awesome Activities Committee (aka The Phelps) put together a fun, festive Adult Ward Christmas Party. The ward party is always adults only, no kids allowed. Every so often someone will bring up the idea of having a family Christmas party, but that is quickly shot down, it being made very clear that there is a small but vocal contingent in the ward which wants a nice festive seasonal party with absolutely no children represented in any way. That, they argue, is what Breakfast with Santa is for.

So every year the Phelps put together a Saturday evening party complete with a delicious dinner and an entertaining show, which always adheres to some sort of theme. A few years ago it was a Christmas village, with snow covered house facades glowing with lights and candles in the windows, fake snow all around, glowing lamposts, candy cane and gingerbread decorations, cozy lighting and traditional fare. Jokes, carols and a variety show were the entertainment.

Last year it was Journey to Bethlehem, with the set up being like an ancient middle eastern market - large cut out camels hung on the walls, along with three bright stars in the distance. The food was served from different stalls ringing the cultural hall, complete with striped awnings, and baskets of breads, cheese, fruits to choose from - soup in bread bowls was the main dish. The entertainment was an exchange of the gifts we brought bearing, a sort of white elephant.

This year we enjoyed Christmas in the islands. As we approached the building there was a line of lit tiki torches stretching along the sidewalk up to the front entrance. In the main foyer there were greeters wearing traditional hawaiian shirts and grass skirts, saying "aloha" and slipping flowered leis and shell necklaces over our heads. We paused for a photo with the oversized tiki totems and palm fronds.

Inside the tables were decorated with edible fruit centerpieces and there was a tiki bar complete with fancy flower straws in your fruit punch

The food was roasted pork sandwiches on sweet hawaiian rolls, teriyaki chicken and rice, salads of every variety and desserts made with coconut.

The entertainment was the definite highlight. A Polynesian dance group from Garden Grove known as "Tekurio Nui", complete with drummers, callers, singers, hula and other dancers performed, raising the roof for most of the evening.

The dancing was more Tahitian and Samoan than traditional hula (not that I know anything about any of that really) but it was very fast paced and active, not slow and flowing like hula seems to me. There were several different groups of dancers, including one of three little girls about 10 years old, and an obviously pregnant woman in a one shouldered sarong dress doing a slower hula dance, ironically while a man and his ukulele played "White Christmas". It was so fun to watch them all.

Of course at one point in the evening the bishopric was pulled up on stage by the amazing dancers and "taught" to dance - Peter was dreading it, but was a very good sport.

He was really pretty good, actually.