Coconut, palm trees, canoes and… Santa Claus!

The snowman was well proportioned, all was in its place, only instead of being made of snow… it was made of sand, a beautiful fine white sand, the sand of Hawaii! In fact, Will was tired of the bitter cold and had decided to continue his pursuit of happiness in a slightly warmer place. Joy, mad with happiness, ran and pirouetted on the sand, while Will could look around. The palms were decorated with candles and, if he listened carefully, he could hear the notes of Jingle Bells played with the ukulele almost everywhere. The calm, however, was broken by some noise, children were running around happily, boys and girls were crowding on the beach with their drinks sipped directly from the coconuts. Will, intrigued, walked towards the shore. At first there was nothing on the horizon but then, here it was! A red canoe was coming towards them, on the canoe boys and girls with a nice red hat and in the middle, Santa Claus, with a red cap and ... Hawaiian shirt. A woman, seeing Will's surprise, explained that their tradition did not want reindeer, but paddles, and not a sled, but a beautiful red canoe. In this way Santa Claus came from the sea and started the celebrations! And that's not all, continued the woman, whose name was Delailani, we Hawaiians also look forward to the arrival of the ships! Every year, at Christmas, ships arrive carrying fir trees from the Oregon forests in special refrigerated containers. When the Christmas firs are there Christmas can start, she added, stepping aside as a group of girls with flower wreaths and grass skirts danced past. Will thought that this fusion of traditions and nature was truly magical, all around him he heard laughter, he saw cheerful eyes, it was as if the inhabitants of Hawaii knew that, whatever could happen, they could turn to the natural wonders that surrounded them to find the energy needed to face every obstacle. He felt pervaded by waves of well-being, but there was also another feeling, something that told him to continue the journey. He called back Joy, who came to meet him with a wagging tail and a garland of colored flowers around his neck, a gift from some child, and the two walked away from the beach. Behind them Delailani shouted Mele Kalikimaka, and noiʻi maikaʻi, Merry Christmas ... and good search!

Hapuia is sometimes called the Hawaiian coconut pudding and can be found practically anywhere on these islands, in restaurants, bars or bakeries. So let's bring a bit of Hawaii to us too. You only need four ingredients, 400 ml of coconut milk, 30 grams of brown sugar, 5 tablespoons of wheat starch, 120 ml of water. In a bowl, combine the starch, sugar and water, mix well. Pour the coconut milk into a saucepan and heat over medium heat, stirring often. Slowly pour the mixture of water, starch and sugar, stirring with a whisk. Lower the heat and continue to cook, stirring until the mixture has started to solidify. Pour the mixture into a small pan with high sides, 8cmx8cm, let it cool down. Then put it in the fridge for a few hours. Cut into squares and serve!