We decided to opt for a fun craft project for our Christmas tree instead of buying a live tree this year. We collected driftwood on various hikes all over Maui and arranged them according to size. We then drilled a hole down the center of all of them and stacked them up on a metal rod. We love the outcome. It looks very beachy and the colored lights bounce off the light wood. I hope we are able to build a six footer one day!

Going up to The Kula Lodge is a nice way to feel like you are in fall or winter weather. Temperatures are in the 50s-60s most of the time, dipping even cooler at night and cooler, still, when you get to higher elevations. At the top of Haleakala, many times it snows in the winter. It’s pretty amazing that you can see snow and 80 degree weather on a beach in the same day. Usually we take the harley up to the Kula Lodge and share hot chocolate in front of the fire place.

For Christmas Eve, we went to our friends Carolina and Rodrigo’s house. We played games and had a fantastic meal. It is a pretty good feeling to have found friends that feel like family, especially when you are so far away from those you love.