Christmas Already?

For many Mainland states, the holidays are ushered in with a dropping thermometer, maybe even a dusting of snow. Here in Hawaii, though, we rely on more man-made symbols. Aside from the Honolulu Hale’s extravagant lighting display, the most noticeable sign of the coming festivities we Honoluluans get is the huge star that goes up at the top of the state’s tallest building, the First Hawaiian Center. It’s even visible from the H-1.

The star went up again last week, but did you know that the FHC star actually stays up there year-round? It’s too big to dismantle and cart up and down the stairs, so it simply folds down out of sight after the holidays are over. Good luck seeing how it works up close in person, though—the building’s rooftop is off-limits to the general public, a fact we learned in August when we wrote about the 10 coolest places in Hawaii you can’t get to.

Photos by David Croxford