There are some differences this Christmas in Waimea, COVID-style. It is quieter, but still quite festive and lovely. There are many more people out and about than there were on last Memorial Day weekend, but we are nowhere close to the pre-COVID level of activity.

We’ve always hustled over to Church Row in Waimea the day after Thanksgiving to buy our trees. (If you don’t get there pretty early, you may be disappointed.).

This year, the Chong family did not set up their tree stand. Rumor has it that because of the travel restrictions, and the relatively poor quality and limited number of trees available in Oregon, they decided it was not worth the effort of flying over to select trees.

I know of people who bought their trees at Costco in Kona, but were very disappointed in the quality. I followed a friend’s advice and drove into Kuhio Village, which is a Hawaiian homes land subdivision in Waimea, and found quite a lovely collection of trees. Not only that, but I bumped into a dear old friend and was able to catch up with her.

No Christmas Parade this year. Usually, on the first Saturday of December, many of the truckers in the area decorate their semis, and smaller trucks, with lights, and pull floats through the center of town at dusk. Kids and their parents line the street, and collect a ton of candy thrown by the people on the floats. Families stake out their spots pretty early in the morning, and by evening it is standing room only. There are sidewalk sales at the shopping centers, and the town is a little too packed for my liking. But folks have fun.

Even without the events, big and small, that usually mark the season, the town feels festive. The pop up store with locally produced crafts seems to be doing a good business. They’ve got some lovely things in there. The shopping centers are decorated, and Christmas music is playing all over.

There are more tourists and returning college kids in town, which can be nerve-wracking while we’re all facing the possibility of infection, but they are almost universally abiding by our mask rule and their joy at being here is infectious!

People seem jollier than they’ve been in a while, and the weather has cooperated with some chilly nights, a little snow on Mauna Kea, and some sparkling clear, warm days.

Christmas in Waimea, COVID-style, is turning out to be quite lovely! Here’s a great source for more on the history of Christmas celebrations in Waimea.