Paul Swortz added that photo to the WSB Flickr group pool back in October, but it seems more evocative of the New Year’s Eve party mood as people start staking out Harbor Avenue viewpoints for tonight’s Space Needle fireworks. Here’s what else is on the schedule as the New Year approaches:

TAKE A WALK: The Emerald City Wanderers have New Year’s Eve and Day walks planned here in West Seattle again this year; tonight, start between 4 and 7 PM at St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church and head down to Alki Beach. Free! More info on the ECW website.

CLOSING EARLY: Not all-inclusive, but a few that we’ve heard about/found … Seattle Public Library facilities close at 6 pm (and are closed tomorrow); state liquor stores are open till 8 pm; PCC Natural Markets (WSB sponsor) close at 10 tonight, open 9 am-7 pm tomorrow …

NEW YEAR’S EVE DINNER – multiple restaurants listed on the WSB West Seattle Holidays page (and if you have trouble finding contact info for any other West Seattle restaurant, consult its page in the WSB Restaurant Guide, where we also have linked its Facebook and/or Twitter pages if they have ’em).

NEW YEAR’S EVE NOT-SO-SILENT NIGHT PARADE, AND HIGHLAND PARK IMPROVEMENT CLUB PARTY: Gather starting at 6:15 pm in the Highland Park Improvement Club parking lot at 11th/Holden; the parade is at 6:30, party following – full details here.

NEW YEAR’S EVE BASH AT MENCHIE’S FROZEN YOGURT: 7 pm-11 pm: Balloons, coloring contest, games, party-room raffle (1 raffle ticket with each purchase), pictures with Menchie & other surprises – facebook.com/menchiesadmiral.

NEW YEAR’S EVE BURLESQUE: At Skylark Café and Club, 8 pm. Facebook event page has more.

LOTS MORE NEW YEAR’S EVE BAR/LOUNGE PARTIES – listed on the WSB West Seattle Holidays page

FIREWORKS AT THE SPACE NEEDLE: Just in case you’re new in town, if you can find a spot with a view of the Space Needle, you can enjoy the eight-minute fireworks show at … no, not midnight, the Needle reminds you via Twitter, 11:59 pm. But don’t wait till the last minute. And please note that traffic along Harbor Avenue, pretty much all the way up to Alki, is generally absolute gridlock late in the evening, so don’t wait till the last minute to go look for a spot (we speak from experience).

NEW YEAR’S EVE AT THE HELMSTETLER FAMILY SPECTACULAR CHRISTMAS LIGHTS SHOW: Want to catch it one more time? Free cocoa tonight, as mentioned a couple weeks back. Official website with directions and lots more info, here.

WANT TO TAKE OUT THE CHRISTMAS TREE? If you just can’t wait till next week’s pickup, you can take it for free to the South Transfer Station. Details on the Seattle Public Utilities website.