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On this Christmas night, we visited 36th Avenue SW just south of SW Hanford, to see if the Gai Family‘s Madonna is in place and brightly illuminated again this season, and indeed, that’s what we found. It’s been two years since Ron Gai, son of the display’s creator Phil Gai, crafted this crown-shaped setting, and seven years since he brought back the display, which his baking-entrepreneur father had retired in 1996.

See all the displays we’ve featured this season – and previous years – by scrolling this WSB archive section.

WEST SEATTLE WEATHER: Christmas Day makes a splash at waterfront parks, plus – what’s next

December 25, 2025 3:24 pm

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| West Seattle news | West Seattle weather

High tide plus north wind brought seawall waves again this morning along the West Seattle waterfront. Above is Tom Trulin‘s photo from the north shore of Lincoln Park; below, an Alki photo by Mike Burns:

No alerts in the forecast right now, but some potential highlights include the ever-popular “wintry mix” Friday night if precipitation remains in the area as temps drop into the 30s, and Saturday at this point is predicted to be mostly sunny.

WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Bank burglary (updated Sunday)

December 25, 2025 1:39 pm

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| Crime | West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

(Photo added Thursday evening)

ORIGINAL REPORT: Thanks to “Prop” for the tip about multiple police vehicles at WaFd Bank on the north edge of The Junction early this morning. Archived police radio indicates they were investigating a burglary. Security monitoring via video feed reported an intruder in the bank before 4 am, described only as “unknown-race male, all-black clothing, ski mask.” No one was inside when police searched the building, but a large window on the SW Dakota side of the bank building had been broken; SFD was called to board it up. No word on what if anything was taken; we’ll be requesting the report narrative. If you have any information, the SPD case # is 2025-375888.

ADDED SUNDAY: We received the report narrative from SPD today. This was the heart of it:

… Officers and XXXX determined the unknown suspect entered the building through the north window. Then, the suspect smashed a hole in the wall (XXXX), into a small room that accessed the back of an ATM. The back of the ATM appeared undamaged/untampered by the suspect. It appeared the suspect exited the building the same way he entered, through the north window he originally smashed to gain entry. …

Christmas Day 2025 in West Seattle: Who’s open and what else to know

December 25, 2025 5:58 am

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| Holidays | West Seattle news

(WSB photo from Christmas Eve)<

Merry Christmas and happy Thursday! Here’s info we hope will be useful on this holiday:

BUSES: Metro‘s running on the Sunday schedule.

WATER TAXI: Not sailing today.

STATE FERRIES: The third boat tied up early Wednesday because of crewing – check the alerts page for status today.

MORE TRANSPORTATION NOTES: No charge for street parking in areas of the city with pay stations … West Seattle-relevant traffic cameras are here; see all cameras citywide via this map.

COFFEE SHOPS OPEN TODAY: We found 10+ – here’s our list. (Plans can change after our research, so if you encounter a change, please text or call us – 206-293-6302 – thank you.)

RESTAURANTS AND BARS OPEN TODAY: 15+ restaurants and five bars are on our list – see it here. (And please let us know of any changes!)

GROCERY STORES OPEN TODAY: Again this year, as noted in our Holiday Guide, only the three Safeways (Roxbury, Admiral, Jefferson Square) are open (8 am-5 pm) – all other West Seattle grocery stores are closed until tomorrow.

CHURCH SERVICES TODAY: Several of the churches on the list in our Holiday Guide have Christmas Day services.

OTHER NOTES: Trash/recycling pickup is delayed one day for the rest of the week (next week too) … Seattle Parks closure info is here … Libraries (city and county) are closed.

TAKE A NATURE WALK: Meet on the Lincoln Park shore at 9:30 am for this guided walk – details are in this preview.

SEE A MOVIE: The Admiral Theater (2343 California SW) is open this afternoon/evening – first screening of the day, 2 pm.

ASTRA LUMINA: Celestially inspired light show continues tonight on the grounds of the Seattle Chinese Garden at the north end of the South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) campus, opening at 5 pm. Timed tickets and info here.

OTHER LIGHTS TO SEE: Scroll through our archive to see the local homes we’ve shown all month!