‘Iolani’s gift of song cheers Christmas with child’s wonder

When parents of ‘Iolani School students received an emailed holiday greeting from the school last week, they got a lot more than a simple "Merry Christmas" card.

The email included a special video featuring the original song "Through the Eyes of a Child," written by ‘Iolani summer school music teacher Roslyn Catracchia.

The sweet Christmas tune is sung by students, with solos by fifth-graders Wyatt Nako and Celine Carr, and sophomore Alisa Boland, under the direction of music teacher Mary Hicks. It culminates with a short but incredibly adorable solo by first-grader Alexa Tamanaha.

Catracchia, who has been involved in the Honolulu theater scene for more than 25 years, said she wrote the song over 15 years ago when she helped produce a holiday show at Ala Moana Center.

"When I was writing it, we were trying to capture ‘What is the magic of Christmas?’" said the Aina Haina resident. "So I just got into a very quiet room and thought about what makes Christmas so special to me. And to me, it’s seeing kids and the wonder of Christmas. … And as we get older, it gets harder — how am I going to pay for the gifts? But when we see it through the eyes of a child, all of the wonder is there."

The song was used again 10 years ago in a production of Lisa Matsumoto’s "The Christmas Gift of Aloha" at Ala Moana.

Catracchia included the song on her holiday album, "A Christmas Wish," released two years ago. That version was sung by an adult, with children coming in only at the end. When approached by Hicks to collaborate for this year’s ‘Iolani holiday greeting, the two realized having students sing it would make the song much more meaningful.

"I think the reason why it’s so special this time, truly, is because it’s children singing it," said Catracchia, who works as director of worship and performing arts at First Presbyterian Church of Honolulu. "It’s all their voices now, which I think is gorgeous. It kind of just takes it to a whole ‘nother level."

In the video, the song plays over a montage of photos of students from all grade levels participating in school activities ranging from athletics and classroom work to graduation and the ‘Iolani Fair. It also shows the soloists recording their parts at a Kailua studio.

The video was edited by ‘Iolani alumnus Aaron Namba and includes graphics by Leigh Morrison.

To see the video and lyrics to "Through the Eyes of a Child," go to iolani.org/holiday-greetings.