"But that's not going to come true," said Singha Thai Cuisine owner Joy Chaowasaree, older sister of Chai Chaowasaree of Chai's Island Bistro. "I'll be at the restaurant from 10 a.m. on Christmas Eve and Day."

For the past year, Joy has maintained a grueling schedule, waking up at 9 a.m., and not returning home until 3 a.m.

"It's become my daily routine," chuckled the tireless Joy, while prepping to open for dinner. "I've got to make sure that everything is done right, from inventory to sauces."

A self-admitted perfectionist, Joy likes to prepare all of her sauces from scratch, including some of her curry pastes, which are made with ingredients that have to be pounded over and over again until they're pummeled to a fine powder.

"And I can't use a food processor because I'll lose some of the flavors," Joy said. "Even when I do buy some curry pastes, I still add my own touches to it because they don't taste like what my grandmother and mother taught me when I was 16."

For Christmas Eve and Day, Joy has a complete dinner for four, costing $36.95 per person.

The menu will include an appetizer platter, consisting of such signature starters as fresh ahi katsu, crispy duck lumpia, Alaskan king crab cake and kataifi-and-macadamia-nut-encrusted jumbo black tiger prawns.

Main entrees will be served family-style, including the grilled beef tenderloin, Thai red chicken curry, wok-seared jumbo black tiger prawns sauteed in a chili-ginger-and-light-black-bean sauce and seafood pad Thai noodles mixed with prawns, scallops, calamari and crab meat.

"I have people from Thailand who come here to eat," Joy said, "and when they're finished, they tell me my pad noodles are better than what they have at most Thai restaurants back home."

On New Year's Eve and Day, a five-course, prix-fixe menu will be available for $49.95 per person, which includes blackened fresh ahi summer rolls, encrusted tiger prawns, tom kah kai (creamy coconut soup), grilled fresh Island fish with Thai chili ginger, stuffed quail with foie gras and, for dessert, Hawaiian Vintage chocolate pyramid with berries.