(WSB photos and video)

11:11 AM: Santa is under the disco ball at West Seattle Realty (2715 California SW; WSB sponsor) as the Admiral Neighborhood Association‘s “Winter Wonderland” begins. You can stop here for photos with Santa in the coolest suit he might wear all season. This is one of more than a dozen stops on the stroll – activities and treats await you at various local businesses along a mile, from North Admiral to South Admiral – find the map/list here. We’re off to another stop – this is on until 2 pm.

11:34 AM: Need a holiday pic of your pet? Anna is behind the camera at Mud Bay Admiral (2611 California SW), where we photographed her as Henry posed. Steps away, co-proprietor Bill – in festive Christmas sweater – is serving up free cocoa outside Circa (2605 California SW; WSB sponsor):

Near the corner of California and Admiral, the Admiral Church carolers were offering holiday faves:

And now we’re at Brookdale Admiral Heights, where West Seattle High School art students are selling handmade ornaments in the lobby (look for the sign outside):

Face-painting is available here too. We’re off to a few more stops!

12:33 PM: We can guarantee you that Winter Wonderland is the only holiday celebration with an Official Penguin (that’s what The Penguin’s badge says, honest). To complete our tour, we wandered up to the two participating independent North Admiral coffee shops, both with craft stations – here’s a young visitor making an ornament at West Seattle Grounds:

At Current Coffee, ornament-making involves paper coffee filters that you can hang in the shop window or take home!

The sun has even appeared – Winter Wonderland can mean wonder-ful weather, after all. Here’s the map/list again – some activities are stretching beyond the official 2 pm end time; pet photos at Mud Bay continue until 4, and there’s an afterparty of sorts at Welcome Road Winery (3804 California SW; WSB sponsor), starting at 3 pm. The Admiral Neighborhood Association organized Winter Wonderland as a chance to celebrate the community and introduce you to some of the great local businesses you might not have visited before.