1856
Toys! Toys! for Christmas and New Year! had set a style for Hawaii's holiday advertising. There had been a big Christmas lottery one year and the first of the pre-Christmas auctions had been held. The Polynesian had reported that "Christmas is becoming to be more generally noticed in Hawaii". And Alex Liholiho, now Kamehameha IV, had a happy idea. There had been no royal proclamation of Thanksgiving for three years and all previous notices had named the last day of the year. The King, who had witnessed the great festival of Christmas in Europe thoughtfully set aside December 25th, 1856, as a national day of Thanksgiving.
It pleased everyone - European and Americans, Anglicans and Puritans. The king's aim was achieved. Everyone celebrated the day in their own way as a holiday. The Bethel, Fort Street, and Methodist Churches held joint services in Nu'uanu Valley, and later in the evening there was a lighter side. "I visited the circus," a celebrant recalled, "and at night attended a Mechanic's Subscription Ball. The most intricate quadrilles, foreign waltzes, polkas, mazurkas, redowas, etc., were danced to time and measure."
It was a year's experiment and it was not repeated, but Christmas was now a part of the life of the land. The evening 'auctions for Christmas' had become social events with front seats 'for the ladies'. There was more Christmas merchandise in the stores and more stores closed for Christmas. By 1858 there were just one or two rituals missing from the Christmas celebration. Then Mrs. John Dominis decided to have a party. And then there none missing. It was a Christmas Eve gathering for young people at the big house at Washington Place. There were a hundred round-eyed and delighted young people. There was a Christmas tree and party favors and then bells were heard at the windows ! There was Santa Claus with gifts for everyone.
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