Honolulu City Lights ornaments serve up shave ice

This year’s ornaments by the Friends of Honolulu City Lights showcase a tasty island treat: shave ice.

"We did a holoholo series of Santa going around Oahu, and he went to Hanauma Bay, he went to Waikiki, he went to Waimea," said Owen Ho, who designs the City Lights set and the ornaments. "This year we figured shave ice and Haleiwa."

Haleiwa is, after all, the capital of shave ice, he said.

One ornament features Shaka Santa, standing next to the beacon Honolulu City Lights holiday tree, hoisting a shave ice in the air with his left hand. Tutu Mele pours the syrup for the keiki lined up in front of a shave ice truck.

The other ornament depicts Santa and Tutu Mele offering shave ice to keiki in a rainbow of colors and flavors from behind a counter in Haleiwa, using an old-fashioned, hand-cranked ice shaver machine.

Proceeds from the collectible ornaments, which have been for sale annually as part of Honolulu City Lights since 2000, help keep the monthlong celebration free to the public. Friends of Honolulu City Lights is a nonprofit that supports the holiday celebration.

"I had fun. I went and got shave ice," said Ho about the inspiration for the ornaments. He remembers how shave ice in his childhood was 5 cents per cone, 15 cents with ice cream.

The ornaments are designed in Honolulu and made by ChemArt, a company in Rhode Island that also creates custom ornaments for the White House. And, of course, a set of Honolulu City Lights ornaments is sent to President Barack Obama at the White House every year.

Ornaments ($18 plus tax) can be purchased at Macy’s and First Hawaiian Bank Oahu locations or online at honolulucitylights.org. The Friends will also have a booth on King Street at the Honolulu City Lights opening night, Dec. 5, where buyers check out the ornaments.