West Seattle, Washington
16 Saturday
Another holiday tradition has had to evolve because of the pandemic. Local realtor and preparedness coach Alice Kuder usually sponsors a free holiday movie. Can’t do that this year – so she’s come up with a scavenger hunt! “Winter Wander” is happening now through December 13th, open to all, free to participate. There’s a prize drawing for $200 in local-business gift certificates if you send qualifying selfies to WinterWander2020@gmail.com. The clues to more than 30 local businesses and homes, and map, are on her website – and if you have a question, you can email her at that same address.
Tomorrow night (Saturday, December 5th), the biggest West Seattle Junction Hometown Holidays event of the year happens online, starting at 7 pm. The community Christmas tree lighting is part of it – but there’s more! First of all, Santa Claus will welcome you. You’ll hear a few words from King County Councilmember Joe McDermott, recorded today at Easy Street Records in a chat with Junction Association executive director Lora Radford:
Wouldn’t be a tree lighting without the Endolyne Children’s Choir, who will seasonally serenade you. Then West Seattle’s Mr. Christmas, Jack Menashe, has something to say about the season, before Santa joins him for the countdown to light the tree. You can watch it all here. Right after that, Santa reads children’s stories live (watch here or here) – with elves helping out by reading your Christmas wishes and answering questions.
P.S. Hometown Holidays continues Sunday with a way for you to give gifts to neighbors in need – donate coats, gloves, and/or scarves at the Kiwanis booth at the south end of the Farmers’ Market, 10 am-2 pm.
Austin Street Lights is back. Mark Bader sent the video, photo, and an invitation to come enjoy the music-synched show:
Our Christmas light display on Austin Street is up and running! This will be our 5th year with our lights set to music. We enjoy putting this together each year, and hopefully this helps put a smile on your face during these difficult times.
The best way for you to experience the lights is from your car – tune your radio to 99.5 and listen to a number of songs synchronized to the lights. Please be respectful of the neighbors and of course, if you feel the need to dance in the street, make sure you social-distance.
The songs will play from 4 pm to 10 pm through New Year’s Day. We are easy to find, on SW Austin Street and 37th Ave SW [map], at the top of Gatewood hill.
This might be West Seattle’s only music-synched light show this year, since West Seattle Lights is no more and West Seattle Yuletide is taking a pandemic break. We’re adding it to the list in our West Seattle Holiday Guide and welcome suggested additions, with or without photos/video – westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
Quick reminder of two major West Seattle events happening online tonight:
SOUTHWEST SEATTLE HISTORICAL SOCIETY GALA/AUCTION: 7 pm tonight is the official virtual champagne gala and auction, but you can bid even sooner – go here to register. You can go here for a look at the auction items – which include an autographed Pearl Jam poster, a chance to create your own Husky Deli ice-cream flavor, even a chance to have Desmond Hansen paint a signal box for you! (Added: If you’re not bidding, you can watch here.)
OLG’S VIRTUAL ‘LIGHT UP THE NIGHT’: The first Friday of December is always the night Our Lady of Guadalupe lights West Seattle’s highest-elevation Christmas tree, in front of the church at 35th/Myrtle, and tonight it’s still happening – music and all – but don’t go in person; this time, it’s livestreamed! 7 pm is when to watch, here.
Two more West Seattle holiday notes today, in case you haven’t already seen these in our Holiday Guide:
DRIVE-BY SANTA: Gretchen at Circa (2605 California SW) says, “Santa will be in front of Circa from 5-7 pm this Saturday [December 5] for people to drive by and wave and let kids toss their wish lists into his big red wish box. There will be music and fake snow. The most socially distant Santa!! Heading south on California past Circa will be the best way to enjoy seeing him.” (Gretchen says they’ve been doing the fake snow many evenings, weather permitting, minus Santa, between 5:30 and 6 pm.)
FREE HOLIDAY PHOTOS: Gail Ann Photography will be offering free holiday photo sessions – in exchange for food (or pet-food) donations.- at Fauntleroy Schoolhouse (9131 California SW), 9 am-3 pm December 12-13. No Santa, but lots of holiday cheer. You need to make an appointment – all the info is in our calendar listing.
Yet another option for online holiday shopping – the Delridge Grocery Co-op, working toward a food store in the heart of Delridge, is taking orders for gift baskets through December 11th. You can support the co-op and local producers by buying one (or more)! If you haven’t already seen it in our Holiday Guide, here’s the announcement:
The Delridge Grocery Co-op is now selling its first Holiday Gift Basket in addition to its weekly DGC Essentials produce box. Packed full of sweet, savory, spicy, and soft local delights, the DGC Holiday Gift Basket is great for sharing with friends and neighbors, sending as a gift to work colleagues, or treating yourself. Priced at $60 for pickup or delivery, it includes a specially curated selection of delightful foods from local businesses around Seattle and the Pacific Northwest plus a hand-dyed tea towel — all in a reusable wooden half-bushel basket.
You can order the DGC Holiday Gift Basket now through December 11, and it will be available for pickup or delivery on December 19. You can get a box delivered to your home, or specify another West Seattle address to receive the box. (Deliveries are limited to the West Seattle peninsula, as far south as Roxbury.)
Here’s what you’ll get in the DGC Holiday Gift Basket:
Vanilla Salted Caramel Gourmet Popcorn (Cobb’s)
Preserved Lemons (Villa Jerada)
Pickled Green Beans. (Seattle Pickle Co.)
Black Truffle Mustard (Mustard and Co.)
Everything on Everything, Classic Blend (Stocked Kitchen)
Haxan Hot Sauce, Various Flavors (Haxan Ferments)
San Juan Sea Salt Chocolate Bar (Patty Pan Cooperative)
Blueberry Jam (Sidhu Farms)
Shibori-Dyed Indigo Tea Towel (hand-dyed in West Seattle by DGC board member)Get details on all the Holiday Gift Basket contents at the DGC website.
As for the DCG’s ongoing Essentials Boxes – see our story from earlier this fall.
This year, West Seattle’s two big tree lightings will be viewable from your own cozy home.
OLG VIRTUAL LIGHT UP THE NIGHT, FRIDAY: At 7 pm Friday, Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish & School will be lighting West Seattle’s highest-elevation community Christmas tree (which is at 35th and Myrtle), “with song and joy.” The event will be streamed; viewing info is here.
WEST SEATTLE JUNCTION VIRTUAL TREE LIGHTING, SATURDAY: At 7 pm Saturday, this too will be streamed – as part of West Seattle Junction Hometown Holidays (with community co-sponsors including WSB):
Join together online for a jolly good time, all from the comfort of your living room. Starting at
7 PM, tune into the Junction’s Facebook page as we light up the holidays with a West Seattle tradition – the lighting of the West Seattle Christmas tree!Listen to the sweet voices of the Endolyne Children’s Choir. The children will bring you some holiday classics the entire family can sing along to, plus some new favorites from the archives.
Then settle in after the tree lighting as Santa reads children’s stories via Facebook and Instagram live, along with answering questions and reading aloud what you would like for Christmas.
These of course are also both listed in our West Seattle Holiday Guide for later reference.
(Photos courtesy West Seattle Polar Bear Challenge)
Even if we don’t see snow or ice, we will see an abundance of polar bears in West Seattle this season – thanks to the West Seattle Polar Bear Challenge. It’s all sorts of good things bundled up in one, according to the announcement we received to share with you:
The mission of the West Seattle Polar Bear Challenge is to:
*Create holiday fun for the West Seattle community – A Polar Bear Scavenger Hunt
*Collect food for the West Seattle Food Bank at polar bear locations
*Build awareness about “supporting local” and drive business into local stores and restaurants for takeoutThe West Seattle Polar Bear Challenge is a scavenger hunt with a cause.
There are already 40 participating homes and businesses around our community, and the numbers are growing every day. You can view the interactive Polar Bear Scavenger Hunt map here. Big or small, an inflatable or simple picture in your window, the more polar bears and bins the merrier.
The West Seattle Polar Bear Challenge begins on December 1, 2020 and will run through January 1, 2021. On January 1, 2021, our Polar Bears will be down on Alki, the famous location of the Polar Bear Plunge, for one final opportunity to contribute to the West Seattle Food Bank.
Learn more and get involved here:
wspolarbearchallenge.comTo make it easy to participate, the website includes a form to submit your address to be included on the map, downloadable signs and donation bin labels, and more.
Organizers tell us this is simply an “effort of several families and friends that have come together to make it happen.” (We’ll of course be adding it to the WSB West Seattle Holiday Guide – anything this season that you want the community to know about and/or be part of, let us know!)
Our West Seattle Christmas lights spotlights continue, starting earlier than usual this year because we need a little extra brightening these days: Out looking for lights tonight, we noticed that well-decorated house at Walnut/Hinds [map]. What we also noticed after stopping for a photo – many neighbors on that block of Walnut, south of Hinds, have lots of lights up already too. So we’re adding it to the list in our West Seattle Holiday Guide – we welcome tips, with or without photos = westseattleblog@gmail.com – your own lights or someone else’s – thank you!
(WSB photos)
It’s our second night of showcasing West Seattle Christmas lights this season. Thanks to the Baber Family for emailing to let us know their display is up and running in Admiral, west side of the 2700 block of 45th SW [vicinity map], just west of PCC:
They explain they “wanted to try and place some holiday spirit out for everyone! We have yard holiday decorations that are already in place through January 1st. Lights and a large amount of inflatable characters. Yard is on from 4:30 pm-11:00 pm daily. Please be careful and safe! If outside, six feet is required and must be wearing a mask.”
We noticed again tonight on the way to and from photographing this display, lots of lights are up already – if you want to recommend yours, or someone else’s, for our nightly feature and Holiday Guide (where we’re keeping a running list, or you can scroll through this archive), just email us – westseattleblog@gmail.com – photo(s) welcome but not required, as we’re planning to be out nightly with our camera.
Our list of West Seattle independent small businesses offering online shopping – so you can keep it local without even leaving home – has grown today: The list in the Shopping Spotlights section near the top of our West Seattle Holiday Guide now has 40+ businesses, with direct links to their online shops. Also, we’ve received a few more individual businesses’ announcements and added those – among them, Mode Music Studios (WSB sponsor) and Mode Music & Performing Arts, where you can sign up for lessons, classes, and camps at a discount through 9 pm Sunday. (Need instruments for your lessons? WSB sponsors Thunder Road Guitars and The Bass Shop have a sale in the Holiday Guide too – and both offer online shopping.) We’ll keep beefing up info on local businesses as the season goes; got something to add/share? westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
(WSB photo: The Y crew @ donation drive)
Reminder that while we’ve talked a lot about shopping today, it’s also a day for giving – right now until 3 pm, the West Seattle YMCA (WSB sponsor) has a drive-up donation drive, accepting warm pajamas and unwrapped toys for local students. The Y’s at 36th/Snoqualmie. Here’s our preview with details.
(Photo by Theresa Arbow-O’Connor, at Lincoln Park)
The Saturday after Thanksgiving has become THE day to focus your holiday shopping on independent, small local businesses. Better yet, spend your money with those businesses every day. Online shopping is easier. you say? Good news – almost every local retailer offers online shopping. We have a long list in the Shopping Spotlights section currently atop the WSB West Seattle Holiday Guide. Plus:
SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY DEALS: The West Seattle Junction Association has a list! Browse it here. And our aforementioned Shopping Spotlights section in the Holiday Guide has first-weekend-of-the-season local deals too.
Also today:
PAJAMA & TOY DRIVE: The West Seattle YMCA (WSB sponsor) would love to see you this afternoon:
Join us for a drive-thru pajama & toy drive on Saturday, November 28, from 12:00 – 3:00 pm at the West Seattle Y [36th/Snoqualmie] to support Y families this holiday season. We are looking for warm pajamas, sizes 5T through size 16, and unwrapped toys. A few favorites include Legos, art kits, board games, Paw Patrol, Hot Wheels, and all kinds of balls. If you are not able to join us for the drive-thru, please see our online wish list.
CHRISTMAS TREE SHOPPING: Local lots are listed in our Holiday Guide (including no-contact tree-shopping options).
KIWANIS CLUB OF WEST SEATTLE AUCTION: Raising money for charity in place of the organization’s usual holiday Pancake Breakfast. “Silent auction” online, continuing through December 5th – go here.
HOLIDAY SHOW: ArtsWest presents “A Very Merry Kraken Tea Party,” now available for online access. Details are in our preview.
Got something for our calendar and/or Holiday Guide? westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
(WSB photos)
As noted in our West Seattle Holiday Guide, we’re spotlighting lights again this year. We noticed while out this evening that many have theirs up already – from houses’ yards to apartments’ balconies – not surprisingly (today’s dry weather might have helped). We’ve already received a few spotlight suggestions, including this announcement from Ken Arkills:
“The Arkills home on the corner of 39th Ave SW and SW Trenton in Fauntlee Hills is in full display mode. The response from the children and parents and those walking and driving by has been incredible and has touched our hearts as we see their smiles and hear their words of appreciation during such difficult times. With all the challenges in 2020. we knew we had to turn up the electricity here and deliver for our Community. … We are on a corner off the beaten path and folks are able to walk or drive by and enjoy the display from many vantage points and still maintain social distancing and they do.”
Lots of cheery characters – some animation, too. Here’s a map.
If you have – or know of – decorations/lights to share, let us know! Photos welcome but not required; we’ll be out with our camera many nights. westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
(Luna Girls on Alki, photographed by Marc Milrod)
It’s “Black Friday.” Please spend local. We start today’s preview with some of the ways you can do that – from home OR in-person:
BLACK FRIDAY @ THUNDER ROAD GUITARS & THE BASS SHOP: These WSB sponsors at 6400 California SW welcome you to the showroom starting at 10 this morning. Or:
Up to 15% off most guitars, basses and amplifiers! 15% off all pedals! Sale LIVE now online: www.thunderroadguitars.com. Showroom doors open Friday 10 am.
Worldwide shipping, Curbside Pickup and FREE local delivery (Seattle) available and encouraged. Let us help pair you up with your new guitar this holiday season! Due to current COVID-19 restrictions only 5 customers in store at a time.
BLACK FRIDAY & BEYOND @ KID-FRIENDLY FOOTWEAR: From the shop at 4832 California SW:
Go outside & play!
We are well stocked with what kids & babies need to stay warm & dry.
Now through December 1st mention West Seattle Blog for 20% off new boots including Bogs, Keen, Stride Rite, & Hatley.
Find many other in-store discounts up to 1/2 off.
Shop open 10-5 all weekend, closed Tuesdays.
JUNCTION BLACK FRIDAY/SMALL BIZ SATURDAY DEALS: Some start today – see the full list on the West Seattle Junction Association website.
Also:
OPENING DAY FOR HOLY ROSARY TREE LOT: Special early opening if you’re ready to get your Christmas tree, 9 am-9 pm today. You can even pre-order, or shop without getting out of your car. Delivery available too. All the details are here. (42nd/Dakota)
Plus – today/tonight, online:
ST. NICHOLAS FAIRE: Presented by the First Lutheran Church of West Seattle, online bidding 6-9 pm tonight on unique gift items and more to raise money for the West Seattle Food Bank – info here.
KIWANIS CLUB OF WEST SEATTLE AUCTION: Raising money for charity in place of the organization’s usual holiday Pancake Breakfast. “Silent auction” online today through December 5th – go here.
HOLIDAY SHOW: ArtsWest presents “A Very Merry Kraken Tea Party,” available for online access starting today – details in our preview.
Got something for our calendar and/or Holiday Guide? westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
As noted in our West Seattle Holiday Guide, we’re spotlighting decorations again this season. Not just lights – this year, so many other types of displays have been created in windows and yards and on balconies, as we all look for ways to brighten our pandemic-constrained lives. Above and below are photos sent by LC in Admiral, who wanted to share the story of her painted window. The artist is known as The Deco-Meshin’ Mama:
She explains her technique via email: “I hand-draw each design with expo marker. I then paint a base layer with inter paint, with a eggshell or satin finish. Then I do all the details! I do a lot of deco mesh 3-D work, window painting, and murals.” She is a relatively recent arrival to Seattle – just before the pandemic – and while she had done a lot of work on business windows, she’s pivoted to residential, and it’s been a hit – she says she’s booked up for the next three weeks. You can see more of her work here.
Earlier this month, we published the John L. Scott Real Estate-Westwood (WSB sponsor) call for pre-Thanksgiving donations to be delivered to the White Center Food Bank. What you see above is just part of what generous donors brought in. The office wanted to share its gratitude:
Thank you, everyone, for making the John L Scott Westwood food drive, benefiting the White Center Food Bank, a success. People came from all over, and our bins were overflowing!
Please remember this holiday season to continue to give to our local food banks, as the need is great this year.
Donation information for the WCFB, which also serves part of West Seattle, is here.
(Photo by Machel Spence)
Happy Thanksgiving! We’re thankful for your presence, enabling us to continue serving our community by providing information we hope will be helpful – like this:
COFFEE SHOPS OPEN TODAY: Our list has 12 independent West Seattle coffee shops open for at least part of today – see them here. (Others? Please text us – 206-293-6302!)
GROCERY STORES OPEN TODAY: This list is in the Thanksgiving section atop our West Seattle Holiday Guide.
RESTAURANTS OPEN TODAY AND/OR TONIGHT: Short list this year – see it here.
THANKSGIVING TRANSPORTATION NOTES:
*Metro is on the Sunday schedule
*No Water Taxi service
*Sound Transit light rail and buses, Sunday schedules
*Washington State Ferries‘ Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth run is on its regular weekday schedule
*No charge for parking today on city streets in neighborhoods with pay stations
*Traffic cameras: West Seattle-relevant ones here; citywide views are available via this SDOT map
OTHER INFO:
*No trash/recycling/etc. pickup today – Thursday pickups will happen Friday; Friday pickups on Saturday
*Seattle Parks‘ ongoing closures
*No Seattle Public Library services today
Seasonal info for today and beyond is in the WSB West Seattle Holiday Guide. We hope you enjoy your Thanksgiving! (And if you see/hear news, please text/call 206-293-6302 – we are thankful for your tips 24/7/365!)
West Seattle Junction Hometown Holidays are happening this year – just, like so many other things, differently. Some of the joy is available in special Hometown Holiday Boxes, in the spirit of the Harvest Fest boxes sold earlier this fall, and they’re another way to support local small businesses. Friday is the deadline for ordering one (or more) of these goodie boxes – here’s the description of what’s available:
The Hometown Holiday elves will be packing the boxes for delivery and pick-up beginning Saturday, December 19th through Thursday, December 24th. Each box is filled with Hometown Holiday treats from around the Junction; every box is unique and hand-packed with care. All the proceeds go back to the small businesses!
1. The Holly Jolly Box – This box will be full of local items, plus hand-selected beer and cider. 21+, must present ID. $55
2. The Jingle Bells Box – This box will have local wine, plus some unique gifts that are a wonderful way to relax into the season. 21+, must present ID. $55
3.The Chocolate Box – it’s like a chocolate charcuterie! This box is filled with chocolates, cocoa, West Seattle mugs, plus other handmade treats. $45
4.The Kids’ Merry Craft Box – a delight for kids packed with ornament crafts (one for your tree, one for the West Seattle tree!), a holiday book, plus other little treats for busy holiday hands. $25
You can order yours – and see what else is up for Hometown Holidays – via this page on the West Seattle Junction Association website. (WSB is a Hometown Holidays community co-sponsor.)
The West Seattle YMCA (WSB sponsor) just announced two opportunities for you to provide holiday help if you can:
West Seattle YMCA Pajama & Toy Drive
Join us for a drive-thru pajama & toy drive on Saturday, November 28, from 12:00 – 3:00 pm at the West Seattle Y [36th/Snoqualmie] to support Y families this holiday season. We are looking for warm pajamas, sizes 5T through size 16, and unwrapped toys. A few favorites include Legos, art kits, board games, Paw Patrol, Hot Wheels, and all kinds of balls. If you are not able to join us for the drive-thru, please see our online wish list:
West Seattle YMCA Virtual Giving Tree
During the holiday season, the West Seattle & Fauntleroy YMCA hosts the Giving Tree, which is full of requests from youth who are participants of our programs. We invite you to join our virtual Giving Tree to support our community while also keeping everyone safe.
We’ll be adding these ASAP to the list of giving opportunities in our just-launched West Seattle Holiday Guide.
Every year, we assemble a long list of local info for the winter-holiday season. This year, the list is a lot shorter because the pandemic has quashed many events, but there’s still plenty for a West Seattle Holiday Guide, so we’ve just launched version 1.0. It includes everything from our West Seattle Christmas tree lot list to online holiday events to donation drives and much more. As always, we’ll be adding to the guide as the season goes on. The Thanksgiving list currently atop the guide includes links to the annual “who’s open” lists. So far, the restaurant list is a lot shorter than usual too; some venues offered pre-ordering (those aren’t included, just places that said they’re actually open tomorrow for takeout). We have a coffee list, too, plus info on grocery-store hours. We appreciate your help with additions and updates, for the Thanksgiving lists or the Holiday Guide now through New Year’s – westseattleblog@gmail.com or text 206-293-6302 – thank you!
(WSB file photo)
Yet another local holiday event has reinvented itself for the pandemic – the St. Nicholas Faire, presented every year by First Lutheran Church of West Seattle to benefit local nonprofits. It’s usually a celebration in the church’s festively decorated lower level, centered on silent auctions for potential gifts – specialty baskets put together by church members, and gift cards to businesses. This year, it’s an online auction, and it’s happening Friday night (November 27th), 6-9 pm. All you have to do is register and bid! As organizers note, “This is an excellent opportunity to purchase some gifts without having to leave your home.” Proceeds go to the West Seattle Food Bank. But the bidding will happen just during those three hours Friday night. You can register in advance, and preview some of the items, by going here.
As Thanksgiving approaches, so does Christmas-lights season. But as with so many things, the pandemic has changed plans.
(WSB photo, 2019)
MENASHE FAMILY LIGHTS: Usually by now, installation would be well under way at the Menashe Family‘s legendary display on Beach Drive SW. But after driving by a few times in recent days and noting the absence of the requisite bucket truck, we called the family’s shop today to inquire. Josh Menashe tells us they’ve decided to scale way back this year, for obvious reasons – anything that draws a crowd (or requires many helpers to install) is dangerous right now. (And they’ve already been through one COVID-19 scare.) They’ll put up a small amount of decorations this weekend, he told us, but nothing like the usual all-out light show. And after that, if you do go by for a look, the family implores you, please keep moving – don’t get out of your car (or off your bike).
WEST SEATTLE YULETIDE: Ken and Cora Iverson have canceled this annual animated-lights show northeast of The Junction:
It is with a heavy heart that we are announcing that West Seattle Yuletide will be cancelling our Yule light
show for 2020. We had hoped to host a limited display but with the recent increase in cases and the associated increases in restrictions, we feel that we can’t justify the risks involved in attracting crowds. The last thing we would want is to be the reason people, especially the local children getting sick.It’s been a terrible year but we are hopeful that things will change next year and hope to return with a 2021 show. Be safe and stay healthy.
P.S. We’ll be featuring home decorations as we did during Halloween season – info welcome at westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
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