CLUB MANAGEMENT
HOLIDAYS AND TRADITIONS
The holidays remain a time-honored tradition here at The Pacific Club—where hallmark occasions meet new memories. Throughout our history, the Club has celebrated the season in style. In the early 1900s, members gathered for December Jubilees featuring Russian caviar and 1820s brandy. During the 1920s, holiday banquets and New Year’s Eve balls lit up the lanais with lanterns and laughter. Through the financial challenges of the 1930s, members celebrated alongside the University Club during a brief merger. Even during wartime blackout orders in the 1940s, members found ways to connect with candlelit gatherings. All reminders that the true spirit of the holidays lies in community.
AMY DAMON General Manager
The postwar boom of the 1950s and ’60s brought the celebration of our centennial and the planning and construction of our current clubhouse*. Amidst this transformation, holiday traditions endured. In the 1970s, members gathered for lively New Year’s Day Open Houses, a tradition that toasted each year with family and fellowship. That spirit continues today. While the 1820s brandy is long gone, you can still enjoy caviar, along with Sommelier-curated wine pairings for Candlelight Dinner and Christmas Eve, and holiday craft cocktails by our Head Bartender—offering elegant touches to savor all season long. Family-focused events from the 1980s and beyond, like Christmas with Santa, featuring games, crafts, and presents for the keiki, or Trolley Night, with its festive rides through Honolulu’s holiday lights, remain beloved traditions across generations. We’ve also added newer favorites, like The Pickleball Holiday Party (launched in 2021), which reflects the energy of our athletic community. And, just as our members once envisioned a new clubhouse in the 1950s, we now embark on a new era of long-range planning to ensure The Pacific Club continues to meet the evolving needs of our members and their families for generations to come. As we honor these traditions, we also extend our heartfelt mahalo to you, our members, for supporting another time- honored custom: the Employee Holiday Fund. For over a century, members have generously contributed to this expression of appreciation for our staff. In fact, the 1917 Board minutes record a spirited discussion about whether to pay staff bonuses in war bonds, but ultimately, the Club chose to pay in “coin.” On behalf of our entire team, thank you for helping make the holidays meaningful, not just through programs and parties but through the enduring sense of community that defines The Pacific Club. Please take a moment to read Nikki’s Holiday Do’s and Don’ts and browse the Social Calendar in this issue—you’ll find there’s truly something for everyone this season. * The Club engaged celebrated local architect Vladimir Ossipoff (a Club member since 1939 and later recognized as a Life Member) to design our current clubhouse to honor the character of the Cleghorn estate while embracing the principles of tropical modernism. DID YOU KNOW In the library you will find an oil painting of William Lowthian Green, a charter member who helped establish The Pacific Club in 1851. A prominent merchant, scholar, and government official, he was known not only for his leadership in business and politics, including service as Minister of Foreign Affairs, but also for his deep curiosity and intellect. He authored one of the earliest works on Hawaiian volcanology and remained a respected civic voice throughout his life. This enduring tribute reminds us that our Club’s traditions and character were shaped by visionary individuals like Green—whose legacy still resonates in the spaces we gather today.
This painting was donated by his daughter, Mrs. J.N.S. Williams, to the Club for Christmas in 1927.
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