Spreading holiday cheer as a green lightbulb
by Emily Miyashiro | Dec. 18, 2024
Sometimes the best opportunities to spread holiday cheer come when you least expect them! On Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024, Hawaiian Electric joined other organizations to help kick off the holidays in Honolulu at the 40th annual Honolulu City Lights!
As a digital communications and social media specialist, I was planning on livestreaming the Honolulu City Lights Electric Light Parade on our company’s Facebook page. However, due to a last-minute cancellation, I was asked to step in as the green lightbulb and join the other walkers in the parade! At Hawaiian Electric, adapting to unexpected challenges is part of the job — it’s what makes it fun and interesting! So, when they needed someone to step in, I was happy to help. Before I knew it, I was in a green inflatable lightbulb costume with LED lights!
I have to admit that walking in the parade as a green lightbulb wasn’t an easy task. The costume was hot, and navigating King Street in downtown Honolulu was tricky suited up as a green lightbulb. However, none of these challenges mattered once I saw how much joy my fellow lightbulbs and I brought to the community that evening.
The most memorable moment for me was when a father and his young daughter approached me to take a picture! He explained to me that his daughter’s favorite color is green, so they absolutely had to take a picture with me! This made me realize how small actions — like saying yes to wearing a lightbulb costume — can have such a positive impact. The holidays are all about giving back and bringing people together, and I was glad to be a part of that!
If you missed the parade, you can watch the rebroadcasts of the parade on the following dates:
- Dec. 21, 6 p.m. on KGMB
- Dec. 22, 8 p.m. on K5
- Dec. 22, 9 p.m. on KHNL
- Dec. 25, 3 p.m. on K5
Be sure to visit the Honolulu City Lights, open daily from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. on the Frank F. Fasi Civic Center Grounds throughout the month of December!
Emily Miyashiro is a digital communications and social media specialist at Hawaiian Electric.
