With Andy gone the first week of December and the whole flying to the mainland again on Christmas day, we had a lot of Christmas preparation stress and not a lot of spare time. We spent time we didn’t have, neglected the house and garden, and all got sick on top of it. But we made it to yet another traditional Kaua’i activity–the Christmas lights and displays at the old County building.
This explains a bit about the background of the festival:
The Festival Of Lights is a celebration created by the community to continue a local tradition and preserve the glorious collection of Folk Art created by Auntie Josie Chansky. It all started 50 years ago when Auntie Josie began turning “trash into treasure.” Her glorious creations crafted from humble materials such as soda cans, bottle caps, and styrofoam cups were displayed at her home. Lovingly known as “The Christmas House”, it became a holiday tradition for generations of families who came to see such favorites as a Christmas tree made of 7500 green toothpicks and wreaths made of egg cartons. The Festival of Lights showcases Auntie Josie’s beloved decorations and the dazzling new creations crafted by our volunteers.
The county building. all lit up
Not the best picture of the lights, nor the best picture of people, but the only picture of the lights and the people:
Inside the building, they have trees decorated with crafty items, here cut and curled soda cans. The idea was started many years ago by a local lady, and many of her ornaments and wreaths are still on display here. But volunteer and schools come up with new ideas each year and add to the display.
They also had Mr. and Mrs. Claus:
Andy got a few great photos of the ornaments and trees:
Mermaid and ocean themed “tree” (maybe mermaids decorate the branching coral for Christmas):
Surfing snowmen:
