🌺 About the Song
“Mele Kalikimaka” is the Hawaiian way to say “Merry Christmas,” and if you’re strumming a ukulele, you’re legally obliged to know it.
Written by R. Alex Anderson in 1949 and made immortal by Bing Crosby and The Andrews Sisters, it’s a postcard from paradise — all palm trees, steel guitars, and cocktails with paper umbrellas.
The title came from how “Merry Christmas” sounds when translated through Hawaiian phonetics — “Mele Kalikimaka” literally isn’t a translation, it’s a sonic approximation. Anderson thought it sounded charming and wrote a song around it — cheeky genius.
It’s since become a Christmas staple that feels like rum punch for the soul.
🎸 Ukulele Playing Tips
We’ll play it in C major, which keeps that vintage warmth and fits most voices.
You’ll need C, F, G7, A7, D7, and E7 — all bright, breezy shapes.
Main progression:
Verses: [C] – [A7] – [D7] – [G7]
Chorus: [C] – [F] – [G7] – [C]
Keep tempo around 105 bpm, swing gently, and smile while you strum.
Strumming pattern: down–chuck–up–up–chuck or down–down–up–up–down–up with a light island swing.
Add a soft mute on beats 2 and 4 for that “tik-tak” Hawaiian rhythm.
If you want to get fancy, pick the bass note (string 4) first on each chord for a “Hawaiian thumb lead” sound.
Vocal tip:
Lean into the croon — Bing never rushed, and neither should you.
Sing it smooth, round, and warm — like sunshine melting snow.
💡 Trivia You Can Drop Casually
- Written in 1949 by Honolulu songwriter R. Alex Anderson, who also penned Hawaiian standards like “Lovely Hula Hands.”
- The Andrews Sisters version with Bing Crosby hit the airwaves in 1950 and became a holiday perennial.
- The Hawaiian phonetic system doesn’t include “R” or “S,” hence “Merry Christmas” becomes “Mele Kalikimaka.”
- The song appears memorably in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989) during Clark Griswold’s pool daydream scene.
- It’s one of the rare Christmas songs that sounds just as good at the beach as by the fire.
🌈 Final Word
“Mele Kalikimaka” is musical sunscreen — the sound of Christmas without the frostbite.
On ukulele, it feels completely at home: light, happy, and cheeky enough to play in flip-flops.
Play it like you’re halfway through your second mai tai and the lights are twinkling on a palm tree.
