If longtime entertainment columnist Wayne Harada seems to sparkle just a bit brighter around the holidays, it’s not only from the warm glow of Christmas. It’s also the glitter in his hair. And on his arms. And forehead.

For more than 30 years, Harada has been the Kris Kringle of crafting between Thanksgiving and Christmas. The 72-year-old journalist embarks on a frenzy of gift making that would put Santa’s elves to shame. From a makeshift workshop in the living room of his Honolulu home, he turns out well over 700 to 800 miniature trees, knickknacks, pins, greeting cards and other decorative items — all to be given away to friends and associates.

During this intense period of Christmas industry, Harada and his glue gun are inseparable. Burned fingers are not uncommon. Although he leaves assembly to the weeks leading up to Dec. 25, Harada collects buttons, twigs, garlands, beads, miniature toys and other gewgaws and trinkets throughout the year.

"I always keep an eye open for that something different on my trips — cords or webbing in New York, washi paper and tape in Japan — because you never know what you’ll use till you need it," he said in an email.

He also incorporates recycled items into his one-of-a-kind pieces. Some of the scores of unsolicited CDs he receives as an entertainment writer end up as bases for his displays. Scraps of wrapping paper are used for card designs, and ornaments and baubles are cannibalized for festive finishing touches.

Although he could most certainly sell his unique Christmas creations, Harada chooses not to do the craft fair circuit. That would require he start work months in advance, and "I can’t do Christmas in July," he said.

"The bottom line for me isn’t about selling."

Instead, Harada enjoys sharing his work and seeing his pieces around town. The biggest collection may be the one on display at Hair Razing Experience at Puck’s Alley on University Avenue, where the columnist has been getting his hair cut for decades. More can be found at Iolani on Kona Street, near Ala Moana Center.

"It’s fun. It’s therapy. It brings me joy," Harada said.

"Isn’t that part of the reason for celebrating the holiday?"

Read Wayne Harada’s "Show Biz" column Sundays in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser’s Today section and find his "Show and Tell Hawaii" blog at www.staradvertiser.com.