That’s Merry Christmas for all of you who aren’t as familiar with this Hawaiian greeting as you may be with Aloha!

By now you’ve completed your Christmas shopping and are simply looking forward to getting together with the family, sitting back and enjoying, as the wrapping paper is shredded and boxes torn opened and in mere seconds, days…weeks…months of finding the perfect gift, is over.

These are difficult times that we are struggling to get through, the best way we can.  Hawaii, with its tourist based economy, is especially hard hit by the world economic slow down.  Tourism is down, hotel rooms sit idle, and restaurant revenues are less than they’d like, which means higher unemployment levels throughout the state.

Its a good time to remind ourselves that Christmas is NOT all about the gift giving or receiving.  It is a time to celebrate the Christian beliefs or whatever beliefs in a higher power you may hold.  It is truly a season for giving, but not necessarily in a physical gift.

It is the sharing of the gift of love for one another that no lack of money can take away.  In fact, often the tougher our finances become, the more the power of family, of Ohana, comes through the strongest.

So, with that in mind, I wish you all a Very Merry Christmas!

Now, don’t forget to cheer on the University of Hawaii Warriors at tonight’s Sheraton Hawaii Bowl…8:00 PM EST!

Randy