(Gift cards at the Front Page are splendid gifts!)

Gentle readers,

This Christmas morning my thoughts are thousands of miles away. I have a son who will rise on the Windward Shore of the island of O’ahu, and another who is involved in the intricate mystery of life with his newborne and his wife. I have never felt so solitary and yet directly connected with them all.

My thought are with the other people I care about- some I love, others I would deploy to The Show with, and gladly. On this day, the very best to all!

I could dredge up some memories- there are plenty of them- but the new ones are quite suitable. There is a small posse of the Usual Suspects who are planning an adventure downtown at the fabled Round Robin Bar- more on that as it happens!

It seems appropriate to harness one memory this morning, one from the lovely islands that have such a place in the life of my scattered family.

You know- you hear Bing Crosby’s version this time of year a lot: Mele Kalikimaka! “It’s the island way to say Merry Christmas!’

And for all of us in this unsettled and unsettling world, hau’oli makahiki hou!

Vic