New Year’s Eve isn’t what it was

Another New Year’s Eve is approaching, and it will be interesting to see what happens with applications for fireworks permits on Oahu.

Last year — the first New Year’s Eve after all fireworks except firecrackers were banned on the island — applications for the $25 permits fell by roughly 1,500, from 10,008 in December 2010 to 8,461.

Maybe the thrill was gone. Maybe it was the economy. Maybe the Chinese tradition of using fireworks to scare away evil spirits was less widespread than earlier believed.

Whatever the case, the fireworks permits for this New Year’s Eve now are available from satellite city halls; they allow the bearers to buy up to 5,000 individual firecrackers each, and there is no limit on how many permits a person may buy.

Lucky you live Hawaii, sort of …

President Barack Obama’s regular vacation getaway, Kailua, has the highest average home prices in Hawaii, according to Coldwell Banker Real Estate. The average price of a four-bedroom, two-bath home in the area is $1.24 million.

But, of course, not everyone in Kailua lives large. The lofty figure comes from averaging out those multi-million dollar beachside estates — like the kind Obama rents — and the modest tract homes further inland.

Still, with an average listing price of $742,551, Hawaii as a whole has by far the most expensive homes in the nation.

And with the cost of everything else being higher, too, it’s a wonder how we make ends meet.