Christmas in Hawaii looks different from the snow globe version, and that's part of what people miss when they leave. Whether you grew up in the islands and now live on the mainland, or you're sending something to someone who did, a Hawaii ornament puts a piece of home on a tree that's a long way from it.
Here's how to choose one from our Hawaii gifts and souvenirs collection. Every ornament is engraved to order in our workshop in Hilton Head, South Carolina.
Three materials
We make Hawaii ornaments in slate, wood and leatherette. They carry the same kinds of designs, so the choice comes down to look, weight and where the ornament is headed.
Slate
Dark natural stone with the design engraved in light. It's the heaviest of the three, in a 3 or 4 inch round, with a pre-drilled hole and hanging string. The 3 inch sits into a full tree; the 4 inch is big enough to hang on a door or a window all year.
Wood
Light natural wood, 3.5 inches across and about a tenth of an inch thick, with the design engraved dark into the grain. It comes with a twine hanger already tied on.
Leatherette
A thin, 3 3/4 inch disc in black, blue or brown, with a cord attached. It's shatterproof, which makes it the one to mail and the one to hang low if kids or cats are around.
Pick the design
The islands, simply
The Hawaii slate Christmas ornament comes in our Hawaii state designs, including HI Initials, Hawaii Script, Home Sweet Home and Est. 1959, the year Hawaii became the 50th state. The same designs are on the wood and leatherette ornaments, so you can match a set across materials.
Merry Christmas From Hawaii
For someone far from the islands, the Merry Christmas From Hawaii slate ornament says it outright: the words arch over the island chain, with the name in script and a laurel wreath underneath. It also comes in wood and leatherette.
The Aloha State
The Aloha State wood ornament pairs the islands with a volcano, palm trees, a hibiscus and a sea turtle, plus "The Aloha State" and "EST. 1959." It's the most scenic of the designs, and a good choice for a tree that could use a little island scenery.
Honolulu
If home is Honolulu specifically, the Honolulu skyline slate ornament has the city with Diamond Head at one end and the Pacific at the other.
An ornament a year
Some families add one ornament every December and remember where each one came from. For someone who moved away from Hawaii, a new island ornament each year keeps home on the tree even as the tree fills up with everywhere else. Start with the state design, add the Merry Christmas From Hawaii the next year, and the skyline after that.
Order timing
Ornaments are made to order: each one is engraved after you buy it and ships within 1 to 3 business days in a protective sleeve. Add carrier transit time, and order early in the season if it needs to arrive by a particular date.
Find every Hawaii ornament, along with the coasters, boards and wall art, on the Hawaii collection page.
