(11/24/2012 photo by Nick Adams for WSB)
Bright lights and big hearts! We’re talking about not only West Seattle Lights mastermind Jim Winder and the hosting Helmstetler Family, who put on the famous music-synched Christmas-light show for free, but also about the show’s fans, who donate money and food to designated beneficiaries – Jim has just sent this season’s official announcement:

West Seattle Food Bank:
Cash: $1315 – up $421 from 2011′s $895
Food: 1100 lbs – down 333 lbs from 2011′s 1433 lbs

NW Parkinson’s Foundation:
Cash: $1194, up $329 from 2011′s $865

Total for the three years:

West Seattle Food Bank:
Cash: $2642
Food: 3599 lbs

NW Parkinson’s Foundation:
Cash: $2441

Cash Total For Three Years: $7,173!!!! This includes the $1,200 for the Kingstons, $500 for Teachout Family, and $391 for Pushing Boundaries.

Thank You West Seattle, and see ya later this year!!!!

Jim Winder
West Seattle Lights

If you didn’t get around to donating to this year’s beneficiaries, but appreciated the light show, you can still use the direct links from the WS Lights page – just go here.

We’re bringing out the West Seattle Christmas Lights map tonight because we just got word of one more home to add. From Ken and Cora:

We have another light show up and running. Its one that’s inspired by the Helmstetler family show and we use similar equipment, although a much more modest display (this year, at least). Our light show follows a number of Holiday songs and we broadcast on FM at 101.9 MhZ and have a small set of speakers set up, too.

We are located at 4120 38th AVE SW (just a few blocks away from the Helmstetler family display).

Currently our shows occur at 6:00PM, 6:40PM, 7:20PM, 8:00PM and 8:40PM. The program lasts about half an hour.

For those planning to go out looking at Christmas lights, we’ve added a few more stops to the map, including the home above (3726 Belvidere – thanks to Logan for the photo), Fauntlee Hills (the west side is most brightly lit – turn onto 41st SW from Barton, and both 41st and Concord have sights to see), and the home in the 7900 block of 32nd SW that we featured last year (Kevin says it’s all lit up again).

Any more updates tonight, please let us know – then the map’s a wrap for the season, since we’ve observed over the years that some turn their lights off after Christmas Eve.

P.S. One of the spots on the map, the Helmstetler Family Christmas Spectacular/West Seattle Lights, will have free hot chocolate 6-8 pm Christmas Eve.

Since the weather is suddenly lovely – we know some may go out for a walk or ride tonight to look at Christmas lights, and we’ve mapped some of West Seattle’s most brightly lit homes, as in years past. Among them, the home you see above – 4152 46th Ave SW, where Duane Davis explains that they “have been decorating the home for 17 yrs and now have 10,000 lights – half are the energy efficient LEDs. Drive by and enjoy the cotton candy trees, our home, and our well lit neighborhood. Merry Christmas, West Seattle!” We expect to add at least a few more after tonight, but here’s what we have so far:

To make the map printable, we left off the descriptions, but note that a few spots have multiple homes – in particular, the vicinity of 4043 Fauntleroy Way SW, which is the stub of Fauntleroy that is something of a frontage road along the southwest end of the bridge – that house is great, and even more of the neighbors have joined in this year.

Meantime, if you have other homes/apartments to suggest, please comment, or e-mail us the address to check out (photo/s welcome too if you have them): editor@westseattleblog.com – we’re adding this map to the WSB West Seattle Holiday Guide so you can find it if you need to, in the nights ahead.

Continuing the annual WSB Christmas-lights spotlights – we photographed two of note along 36th SW south of the Admiral area last night. The house above is on the east side of 36th just north of Hinds (map); next, barely a block away, a unique “tree” outside a house that gets its annual dose of fame during an earlier holiday:

Our photo does not do justice to the tree of lights and plastic illuminated Christmas characters that rises outside the house on the southwest corner of 36th and Hanford (map), known for “Skeleton Theatre” every Halloween. This too is a must-see – we’ve never seen anything quite like it.

From a little ways directly west of there, Valerie shares this photo of the shining McKean House at 3431 48th Ave SW (map):

Working right now on a map in time for weekend Christmas-lights driving/riding/walking – stand by! And whether you have a photo or just an address to share – please let us know about your display, your neighbors’ display, something you drove by … editor@westseattleblog.com – thanks! (Meantime, our archived Christmas-lights spotlights, including past years, can be seen here, newest to oldest.)

Thanks to Nicole for sharing the photo of bright Christmas lights at 1315 SW Trenton (map) in Highland Park. We’re working tonight to build our traditional annual map of West Seattle’s dazzling decorations, as the peak time for light-viewing approaches. Also in the spotlight: A great collection of photos by High Point resident Wendy Hughes-Jelen, who is again photographing the light-decked porches in HP – you can see more than 50 photos in her album on Facebook; find it here.

If you have a Christmas-lights photo to share – here are all the ways to get it to us. Or, if you’ve seen or heard of cool lights in West Seattle, White Center or South Park, but don’t have a photo, please e-mail us the address (or even add it here as a comment) – editor@westseattleblog.com!

When we stopped by Jack and Linda Menashe‘s Beach Drive home last Sunday to see how the first day of decorating was going, the family was planning to ceremonially turn on their dazzling display tomorrow night. Then we spotted a post on the Menashe and Sons Jewelers (WSB sponsor) Facebook page this afternoon announcing it would happen tonight instead. The actual “lighting” is generally casual anyway – the lights were on when we pulled up around 6:45, and then there was a quick off-then-on lighting just after 7 to make it official.

If you’ve seen the lights but never met the family – here are Linda and Jack Menashe, stopping for a moment in tonight’s rain to pose under the light show that went up as usual with so many family and friends:

(added) Some new features this year – can you spot them in this closer look?

(If you’re going to see it, the house is in the 5600 block of Beach Drive – no close cross-street; it’s a little closer to the south end – Lincoln Park Way/48th SW intersection – than the other end.)

The Sunday sunshine was a boon to many who wanted to get their Christmas lights up – including the small army of family and friends working on West Seattle’s biggest and brightest display at the Menashe family’s home in the 5600 block of Beach Drive. They started work at 8 this morning, Josh Menashe told us, and by the time we stopped by about five hours later, they’d made a lot of progress. We got to meet two exuberant helpers – two of Jack and Linda Menashe‘s grandchildren, Jacob Menashe‘s daughters Sophia and McKenna, who were riding in the cherry picker:

The girls helped show us some of the new/newer decorations waiting in the yard – including candy canes taller than they are:

Here’s the biggest of the light-laden stars waiting to be put up around the property:

And while some of the shrubbery already was decked with bulbs, more lights – in boxes and tubs – waited to be added to the mix:

The Menashes will continue working on their display throughout the week, and they’re expecting to officially turn the lights on at 7 pm this Saturday (December 1st) – if you want to be there, that’ll give you (and us!) time after the West Seattle Junction Christmas Tree Lighting celebration, (5 pm Saturday). Another date to note – the evening of December 15th, Santa will be at the house for photos, as a benefit for the West Seattle Food Bank.

A special event tonight at West Seattle Lights/Helmstetler Family Christmas Spectacular, designer Jim Winder‘s music-synched light show at a little house on SW Charlestown across from the water tower: Singer Judy Pancoast flew cross-country for a free concert to open her holiday-season tour, visiting homes with animated Christmas-lights displays that incorporate her music. In our video, two versions of “Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer” – and you’ll notice the dancing during the second one, since the audience was in the street, closed one night only so the concert, followed by the light show, could be enjoyed block-party style. Photos to come!

ADDED 1:53 AM: Scenes from the show, by WSB contributing photojournalist Nick Adams:

That’s WSL mastermind Jim Winder with a wave for the crowd. Among those watching, Mike and his dad:

After the concert, the colors:

13 more scenes, ahead:

The show’s appeal crossed generations – here’s Ixa Rivera dancing with her 17-month-old grandchild Dovan Vognild:

Jeff Chapman danced with 4-year-old Keegan:

Whole lot of dancing going on!

During the concert, some of the lights stayed on as a festive backdrop:

The voice of Judy, a 2011 Grammy nominee, kept spirits bright

Some brought – or bought – their own lights:

Some helped Judy serenade the crowd:

At Christmastime, after all, there’s a lot to sing about:

Some answered the call to donate, like Barb Broderick:

And everyone was there to savor the season:

The street closure was for Friday night only – the rest of the time, you need to watch from the sidewalk, or from your car pulled up across the street – like 8-year-old Jaden MacDonald:

You can listen to the light-synched music on 101.9 FM while visiting West Seattle Lights, which continues nightly through New Year’s Eve (see the nightly schedule on the WSL website).

And enjoy the lights in the surrounding neighborhood, too!

Good news for West Seattle Lights-lovers … Monday’s mini-windstorm didn’t wreak too much havoc with designer Jim Winder‘s setup at the Helmstetler Family Christmas Spectacular HQ on SW Charlestown, across from the water tower. Just one star was damaged, Jim told us last night. In fact, despite the resurgent rain, he kept an early-evening appointment with WSB to run through one lights-synched song, which you can see in our clip above. (The audio’s somewhat muddied by the rain and wind, but the lights are big and bright!)

Some things you’ll want to know, especially if you missed our November 1st preview report:
-The lights launch Friday night; the schedule is on the official website – note the “special shows” for Christmas Eve/Day and New Year’s Eve (which is the final night of the season).
-The official lighting ceremony is Saturday night, with the free Judy Pancoast concert, at 7 pm. DIFFERENT THIS YEAR: Charlestown will be blocked off, that night only, for that block only – so come enjoy the block-party atmosphere! And bring donations for the West Seattle Food Bank; you can also make cash donations, which will be split between WS Food Bank and NW Parkinson’s Foundation (as explained on this webpage – where you also can donate $ any time).

How many lights? Jim is STILL adding them. You’ll find plenty of numbers on the website’s “Fun Facts” page, but there might not be a final tally till showtime! This is the fourth year we’ve covered this extravaganza, which keeps getting literally bigger and brighter.

Less than a week till Thanksgiving and the holidays are rushing in. Our annual WSB West Seattle Holiday Events/Info page will be up soon as a one-stop shop for all the events/dates you’re looking for (have you sent us YOUR holiday event/s yet? thanks! editor@westseattleblog.com) – and in the meantime, we now have a slate of holiday lighting ceremonies you can plan on attending:

WEST SEATTLE LIGHTS/HELMSTETLER SPECTACULAR: Just a reminder that, as first reported here two weeks ago, the popular synched-to-music light show on SW Charlestown will debut with a concert and free coffee this year – 7 pm November 24. (Bring a nonperishable-food donation!)

WEST SEATTLE JUNCTION HOMETOWN HOLIDAYS: The 9th annual Tree Lighting is set for 5 pm December 1st in Junction Plaza Park (42nd/Alaska) – with music and special guests as always. (Here’s the full slate of Hometown Holidays events.)

WHITE CENTER TREE LIGHTING: 5 pm December 1st is also when the official White Center tree at Veterans’ Triangle Park (Roxbury/Delridge/16th) will be lit in a festive ceremony.

OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE TREE LIGHTING/FOOD DRIVE: Just out of the WSB inbox, Our Lady of Guadalupe School and Parish invite you to “mingle and jingle” December 7th while helping them fill a sleigh with canned-food donations. Caroling, cocoa, cookies, and Santa too, as the event continues in the new OLG gym after the tree (the city’s highest-elevation tree, at 35th/Myrtle) is lit at 7 pm.

We’ll also be featuring West Seattle’s best and brightest again this year – once yours is up and running, share the location (and a photo if you have one, or we’ll go check it out) – here’s how. Not just blazingly lit homes – creative/unusual outdoor decorations, too – can’t wait to see ‘em.

(WSB photo from the show’s first night of this past holiday season, November 26, 2011)
The music-synched Helmstetler Family Christmas Lights Spectacular is dark till next November, but mastermind Jim Winder has a postscript – a final report on the donations made by visitors/fans:

Thank You West Seattle for another great Season of Giving

TOTAL GIVING FOR 2011!! $2960.86

$1200 for the Dr. Ed Kingston Memorial Fund
$865.43 for Northwest Parkinson Foundation
$895.43 for the West Seattle Food Bank

PLUS
1433 lbs of food

If you just can’t wait till next holiday season – there’s already a countdown calendar on the show’s official site!

Merry Christmas! We’re suddenly running out of holiday time to show you the great displays people have sent tips about, so this time around we have three, all in the greater Admiral area – two from tips, one that we spotted near a tipped location. Above, the red-and-green-lit skyline is in the yard that every Halloween is transformed into the stage for the amazing animatronics of Skeleton Theatre, 36th/Hanford (thanks to the person who texted us about it today). Not even a full block south, we found this home, where the lights (adorning its side as well as its front) are even grander than our photo suggests:

And then a mile west, we checked out a cute sight – a candy cane in lights, on and in a tree in the 2700 block of 48th SW:

All three are now added to this year’s WSB West Seattle Christmas Lights map.

Whimsical is the word that came to mind when we checked these out, on the recommendation of Thad – so much, we needed to take photos from two angles.

The house is on the west side of 32nd SW, south of SW Cloverdale – and that stretch of 32nd has several other nice displays. We’ve of course added it to the WSB West Seattle Christmas Lights map. Still a few more to check out before Christmas!

It’s been four years (and one day) since we previously featured this display – the Santa-hat tree at 36th/Roxbury. But hey, four years feels close to forever, and two people sent us tips about it this week, so we couldn’t resist. It’s now on the WSB West Seattle Christmas Lights map along with more than 20 other sightings, all of which we have archived here – still taking tips, since it’s not Christmas yet. Thanks to everybody who’s helping make this season truly bright!