For more than a decade, Adam Kolesar has hosted an annual Mele Kalikimaka party in his Brooklyn home. As the proprietor of Orgeat Works, which makes syrups for cocktails, of course tropical cocktails prepared in a bar carved out of an old Airstream are part of the draw. But it’s also a relaxed, inclusive way to greet the holiday season—one that guests (including this one) look forward to each year.
“My wife and I are avid collectors of vintage Christmas gear,” explains Kolesar, who’s also known as “Tiki Adam.” “So, the template for us is it’s a celebration of vintage Christmas collides with a tropical party. Everyone dresses the part; it centers on mid-century.”
“Mele Kalikimaka” is Hawaiian for “Merry Christmas,” a phrase popularized by a song written by Hawaii-born composer R. Alex Anderson and covered in 1950 by Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters. But the holiday celebration itself developed over centuries.
To be clear, the evolution of the holiday is fraught, as it’s tied into the colonization of Hawaii. It wasn’t part of Hawaii’s Indigenous traditions and was introduced after Christian missionaries arrived from Europe and the American mainland, in the 1820s. Yet, Hawaiians transformed it into something that reflects their unique culture and vibrant spirit. The resilience of the Hawaiian
