West Seattle holiday scene: Proposing a new Junction tree tradition

| Holidays | West Seattle news

If you’ve walked past the West Seattle Junction Christmas tree in the past few days, maybe you noticed that single shiny ornament. It was placed there by Wesley and Jacqui, who shared the photos, saying they hope to inspire others to do the same next year and beyond:

We just wanted to share our new tradition of adding our personal ornament to the Junction Plaza tree. We look forward to adding our ornament as soon as the tree is lit next year and hope other West Seattleites can add their ornaments as well.

The West Seattle Junction Association arranges for the lights on the tree and the smaller trees in the park, as part of Hometown Holidays, which WSB co-sponsored again this year. We’ll make a note to get the ornament idea into next year’s holiday coverage; the tree is usually lit on the first Saturday night in December (here’s our coverage from this year)!

JayDee December 27, 2015 (5:13 pm)

I am thinking of maybe putting some if my heritage ornaments up next year. As the youngest of the siblings and inheritor of a third of the ornaments, perhaps that would be better than having them wait until my demise to find a home. If they get broken, no worse than being forgotten.

Jeb December 27, 2015 (11:27 pm)

Interesting. Do we need to return after the holidays to clean them off the tree? What becomes of ornaments that are left on the tree? What if this becomes the gum wall of West Seattle and the tree is overrun by ornaments that blow off into the street? I’m not trying to be negative, just wondering about a few things… I like the idea.

WSB December 28, 2015 (12:37 am)

If the idea takes root, certainly that can all be addressed. But first you’d have to get 10 ornaments before you worry about 20, 20 before you worry about 30 … and so on. We’ll see what happens next year – hope Wesley and Jacqui will remind us all! – TR

Northwest December 28, 2015 (7:31 am)

I am going to make a guess and say these folks who decorated live in an apartment close by where Christmas trees possibly are not allowed nor having any type of landscaping trees and bushes to decorate and find the next closest thing a tree in a local park. Maybe this could springboard into other residences in apartments close by taking in more responsibility in local parks throughout the year. We could wrap presents during Christmas and set them underneath: weeding tools, work gloves, trash grabbers, brooms and dustpans. I am all for this. Just curious when was the last time a community cleanup a,sprucing up was done in this park by local neighborhood group?

Junction Mom too December 28, 2015 (9:10 am)

I love this idea, I think my family would make one for the tree and, after taking a picture, would be okay with it being stored, given away, etc. when the season was over. We helped once with the flags, I think we would be likely to help with the tree if they needed it.
I bet someone like Theresa at West Seattle Art Nest would even put together an ornament making table!

Silly Goose December 28, 2015 (10:05 am)

I dont want to be the ba hum bug to this story but why do we need ornaments, I like the rawness of the tree, I do understand you want it to be a community thing blah blah but really I would prefer everyone enjoy their ornaments in the privacy of their homes and just let this tree be……