the scent of green papaya

if the holidays are all about gifting those you love with something they would never buy for themselves, i present to you fresh papayas shipped direct from hawaii's volcano isle fruit company. this is such a wonderful last minute gift idea since orders will arrive on the mainland in 2-3 days (of course, it's best to double check the current holiday turnaround to guarantee xmas delivery).

mainland dwellers know that papayas grown in other parts of the world are not nearly as ono as ones from the islands and when a hawaiian papaya can be found at the market prepare yourself for sticker shock. thanks to the wonders of fedex, two jacksons (no, not tito or rebe . . . think along the lines of the u.s. mint) will get a 10 lb box of either sun red or rainbow varieties or a papaya mix from the big island straight to the door of your favorite foodie.

on another note, it may be the busiest day of the year but i have to dash to the post office to drop off a few packages to hawaii (thank goodness for online postage) but check back later today for more holiday inspirations for all the procrastinators (you know who you are!).

no. 10 - honolulu theatre for youth

going to a performance of the honolulu theatre for youth was one of the highlights of growing up in hawaii. it's magical to see stories brought to life on the stage and the hty, the only professional non-profit theatre company in the islands, has exposed millions of kids to the dramatic arts since they were established 51 years ago.

even though their home stage is on oahu, every year the company takes their act on tour around the neighbor islands so kids all over hawaii have a chance to see productions like christmas talk story or tales of old hawaii in person. the hty also holds drama workshops for aspiring thespians as well as for the teachers who inspire them in the classroom.

click here to learn how you can make a difference!

'oiwi tent sale tomorrow

'oiwi terry hoodie

just a quick note to let you know that 'oiwi ocean gear is having a huge tent sale tomorrow. swimwear from past seasons will be marked down and i have been told that the super cute lanikai line which i posted about earlier this summer (and quickly sold out at athleta) will be 20% off.

in addition to the $5 t-shirt table, all regular priced tees & paddling jerseys will be 10% off and 'oiwi is also running a xmas special on their cozy women's terry cloth line (hint: you can snap up a few pieces over in the online sale section for 40% off). also, david from 'oiwi recently sent over a sneak peek of their cool new designs which they are hoping will be ready to make their debut at the shop this weekend.

details:

• when: sat, dec 16th
• where: 'oiwi's kailua shop - map it
• hours: 10a to 6p

treats for your sweet

crunched for time and dread circling the mall for parking, are all thumbs when it's time to wrap presents, and equate standing in line at the post office days before xmas like being stuck in dante's inferno? lucky you, click over to big island candies which has a sweet selection of holiday treats wrapped and ready to be shipped straight to the mailboxes of everyone on your gift list.

it's no secret that people from hawaii love food and kama'aina on the mainland always appreciate goodies from the islands. you might also want to check out new goodies like bienvente lavender cookies, tropical chocolate truffles (with hibiscus & coconut), and there's even some sugar-free joy for the health-conscious.

one tip: get your order in this weekend since big island candies' shipping deadline is on sunday.

no.11 - microloans on maui

so if you tune into the news, you may have heard that this year's nobel peace prize was given to dr. muhammad yunus of grameen bank which is working to pull people out of poverty via microloans. if you're not familiar with this concept, the idea is ingenious in its simplicity since basically it is a small loan given to a person who wants to start a business and who the mr. potters of the world consider too insignificant to help. it's a hand up instead of a hand out and since the repayment rates on microloans are very high the cycle can continue on to help more people.

in a developing country, as little as $20 can turn someone into an entrepreneur overnight but in the states it takes a bit more. maui economic opportunity (which also has branches on lanai & molokai) helps fill that need in hawaii with their business development corporation. the program launched in 1997 and has since helped create over 500 businesses in the islands. the average loan is $3881 but loans as low as $500 are available to recipients.

something as simple as a loan to kickstart someone's dream has a tremendous trickle down effect when you take into consideration the impact it has on the business owner's family, new employees and the community at large.

meo does lots of other good things like running maui's head start program, providing down payment loans to maui residents, operating housing for the disabled & aids survivors, and teaching financial literacy to island teens.

click here to learn how you can make a difference!