Thanksgiving is here: you know where you’re eating, you know what you’re bringing, and you know who’s in charge of the turkey – which hopefully is in the fridge for thawing! But what are you doing next week? And the week after that?
Here in Seattle, those are not tough questions to answer, other than choosing from the huge list of Seattle holiday events, fairs, craft shows, concerts…….you get the idea. And you need to carve out time to spend with family and friends that are traveling to our amazing city to visit you. Why not save some time and do both? While a lot of the events go for the entire month, there are also many that are one or two days only, and you don’t want to miss them!
Nerdy
Holiday Market, Nov 29th – Dec 1st
Nowadays,
nerd is a term of endearment and we all have one or two on our shopping list.
Why not find that special something handmade by other nerds? Head to Hangar 30
at Magnuson Park for the GeekCraft Expo Seattle
Holiday Market and shop from over 70 vendors who promise ‘something for
every geek on your Christmas list’.
Caroling
at Westlake, Dec 6th
Join dozens
of caroling teams, and about 10,000 of their friends and family, for the 33rd Annual
Great Figgy Pudding Caroling Competition at Westlake Center from 6pm – 8pm.
There will be carolers on every street corner, and the top teams advance to the
sing-off on the Figgy Main Stage! The event raises funds for the Pike Market
Senior Center & Food Bank.
Jule Fest
in Poulsbo, Dec 7th
If you’re
feeling up to an adventure, hop on the ferry and head to Poulsbo for Jule Fest. Start
the day at the Poulsbo Sons of Norway for their annual holiday bazar, which
includes homemade Lefse and other yummy treats. Then head to Muriel Ivereson
Waterfront Park at dusk and watch the Poulsbo Sons of Norway Vikings (yes, Vikings!)
escort the Lucia Bride to the bonfire, which will be lit while the Viking King
reads the Winter Solstice proclamation. Dancing and merriment to follow.
Stay with
the Best
Days spent adventuring in all the Seattle holiday events deserve nights spent in a luxurious home away from home. Cook in the gourmet kitchen, relax on the comfy couch, or head to the hot tub or pool to unwind. The professionals at Seattle Oasis Vacation Rentals are here to help you find the perfect place to call home. Contact us today for more information and to begin planning your trip.
For many,
traveling to see friends and family for the holidays is all about spending time
together. My family spent several Christmases in California with our huge
family – sharing meals, playing games, trips to the beach – as long as we were
catching up and sharing our stories from the time we spent apart, it didn’t
really matter what we did.
If you’re looking to make some new traditions with your loved ones this year, Seattle is a great place to do it! We have so many Christmas activities in Seattle during the holidays, both secular and religious, that offer memories for years to come!
Take a
Trip Down Candy Cane Lane – Dec. 7th – Jan. 1st
Christmas just isn’t the same without those evening journeys through sparkling neighborhoods that are decked out in lights. There’s no reason to leave this tradition behind when you head to Seattle for Christmas this year. Instead, elevate the experience by taking a trip down the city’s infamous Candy Cane Lane. Located at NE Park Road and the cross-section of 21st Avenue, this street has been dazzling holiday viewers for decades. The collection of 23 Tudor-style homes takes Christmas décor to the next level and delights visitors with sparkling rooftops, mechanical decorations and inflatable holiday accessories that bring the neighborhood to life.
While most people drive through, especially on the wet and windy nights, I recommend bundling up and walking. Many of the home owners and their families are out greeting people and spreading Christmas cheer. This event is free and there are donation bins at either end of the drive for donations of food and warm clothing for local families in need.
Visit the
Woodland Park Zoo – Nov. 29th – Jan. 5th
You might
say that you’re not really a zoo kind of person, which is ok. But I would challenge
that label until after you’ve been to Wildlights
at the Woodland Park Zoo. This annual event at our amazing zoo is an enchanting
way to spend time with your loved ones as you encounter animals, sip hot
chocolate and wander the grounds which are decked out in their holiday best. More
than 700,000 LED lights adorn the zoo this time of year, creating one of a kind
light display that’s sure to inspire. You can buy tickets on their website, $16.95
for adults and $12.95 for kids.
Skate at
Winterfest Rink – Nov. 29th to Dec. 31st
While the Emerald City can get cold for the holidays, it doesn’t usually get ice-skating-on-your-local-pond cold. And there’s just something about ice skating that puts you in the holiday spirit. Lucky for you, we have the Winterfest Rink at Seattle Center. This area is part of the greater Winterfest event, which covers the entire Seattle Center, and transforms Fisher Pavilion into an oasis of wintery fun for the entire family. While much of Winterfest is free, the cost to ice skate is $8 for adults, $6 for kids 6-12, and $2 for kids 5 and under.
Be sure to experience these fantastic Christmas activities in Seattle.
Savor the
Best of Seattle
Whether
you’re in town for the holidays or traveling this direction at any other time
of the year, be sure you’re booked into a customized and accommodating home
away from home with the help of the professionals at Seattle Oasis Vacation
Rentals. Contact us today for more information and to begin
planning your trip.
Thanksgiving is over. The leftovers have been divvied up, the dining room put back together, and you’ve slept off all that wonderful food. In my family we put on our layers and comfy shoes and headed downtown for a day of Christmas shopping and taking in the sights and sounds of a magical Seattle Washington Christmas vacation! Here in the Emerald City, the day after Thanksgiving is when we officially kick-off the holidays, and this year November 29th will be no exception. The Macy’s Holiday parade, the Westlake and Pike Place tree lighting ceremonies, holiday décor at its finest….the list goes on. Want to see the city’s largest gingerbread house or professionally decorated trees, all while supporting the kids at Seattle Children’s? We have that. Looking for a super cute photo op for the kids with ginormous teddy bears? Check. Ice skating through a light maze? We have that too. With so many choices, I thought I’d put together a handy guide to help you get in the holiday spirit!
First things first – the parade! Macy’s has long been putting on the holiday parade here, and it’s one of the best in my humble opinion. The route starts on 7th and Pine and winds through downtown ending up at Macy’s on 4th. It includes Santa on his sleigh and at the end the big guy heads up to open Santaland on the 2nd floor of the store at 11 am. The parade starts at 9 am and lasts about an hour. Get your seats along the parade route early, pretty much the entire city shows up for this. Pro Tip: wear layers. All of the events on the 29th happen rain or shine, but unless you’re an actual gingerbread person a rain jacket will let you enjoy the festivities regardless of how mother nature is feeling that day! The parade is a unique Seattle Washington Christmas activity.
After the parade head up to the Fairmont Hotel on 4th
and University. There you can warm up, grab a hot beverage, and check out three
very cool attractions. The first is their annual Festival of Trees in the main
lobby. Each tree has a unique theme and is decorated to honor the brave kids at
Seattle Children’s Hospital. Next, head up to the 2nd floor to the
Teddy Bear Suite – yes, one of the amazing suites at the hotel is transformed into
a teddy bear wonderland that is too cute for words. Get a photo with the little
ones (ok, or yourself) for picture-perfect holiday cards. Finally, head to the
lower lobby to see the huge gingerbread house made with over 4,000 real
gingerbread bricks. It looks good enough to eat, but please don’t.
Our fine city offers not one, but two great tree lighting ceremonies and it’s hard to recommend one over the other. The first is Magic in the Market, and it’s personally my favorite. It starts around 11am and offers Santa pictures (for free!) under the Market Clock, cookie decorating in the Market Atrium Kitchen, and holiday music. I’m a huge fan of supporting local artisans, and the Market offers unique gifts, along with yummy food and beverages. At 5 pm Santa will lead the countdown to light the 20-foot holiday tree and lights that extend throughout the entire market! Your other option is the head to Westlake Park for their tree lighting ceremony that starts around 4:30. There you can hop on the Holiday Carousel, grab a bite to eat from one of the many great food trucks, or head into Westlake Center for some holiday shopping. Santa is a busy guy, and will be making an appearance at this event as well! There’s so much more to see and do for a fabulous Seattle Washington Christmas vacation, but I’ll tell you about those next week.
After a day of holiday merriment in the city, why not come home to
a cozy, relaxing place with super comfy furniture where you can put your feet
up and enjoy a glass of wine? You can cook up the local fare you got at the
market in the well-appointed kitchen, or just order in and savor some quiet
time away from the hustle and bustle of downtown. The team at Seattle Oasis
Vacation Rentals is here to make sure each of our guests enjoys a customized
and luxurious stay right in the heart of it all. Contact us today for
more information on our property options.
November is here, and with it the cooler weather and the last several years some snow. Which makes an amazing backdrop for all the fun holiday events going on. I personally love to bundle up on a sunny, cold day – even better if that day includes hot beverages, great food, and of course Christmas lights! Ok, I know there is another holiday between now and the best one, and our city doesn’t take a break in offering you some great places to shop, eat, take in a show, give back, and even visit a State or National park for free. Here are a few Seattle events you might like to try….
Food and Beverage. November starts out strong with The Whiskey Extravaganza at the Rainier Club on the 1st, offering unlimited tastings of over 100 whiskeys, delicious bites to go with, and even a master class! Oyster New Year on the 2nd not only offers 30 varieties of that delicious treat from the sea, which is reason enough for me to go, but also includes a seafood buffet, wine from 60 different wineries, microbrews, and live music at Elliott’s Oyster House on Pier 56. (P.S. Elliott’s is also the best place for HH if you love oysters as much as I do. Trust me.) Seattleites love our food, so we not only have Restaurant Week in the spring, but the late fall as well! Join other like-minded food-lovers the 3rd – 7th for special deals on three-course meals at 165 different restaurants all over the city. If you watch “America’s Test Kitchen” you won’t want to miss the Seattle Eats Festival which includes chef-made food, drinks, cooking demos, and even a chance to meet the cast members! November 8th and 9th, 21+ only. The 9th and 10th brings us the Northwest Chocolate Festival with tastings, workshops, and vendors offering the latest and greatest…basically all things chocolate! There are also several beer and spirits tastings, cruises, cabarets, bar crawls…seriously anything you could want to do that involves food and drink. Visit the website at Events12 for all the listings.
Conventions, festivals, and fairs. Obviously
the biggest event at the beginning of November is Dia de los Muertos, with
events happening all over the city. I recommend visiting El Centro de
la Raza or Court in the Square on the 1st
or the Armory at
Seattle Center on the 2nd and 3rd. Next up is the Earshot Jazz Festival the 1st – 6th at multiple locations
throughout the city. If jazz is your thing, you will not want to miss this. The
Seattle
Women’s Show on the 2nd at the Women’s University Club offers lots
of great shopping, a wine and champagne bar, and gourmet food trucks for
refueling. The Best of
the Northwest the 8th – 10th is where I have gotten
almost all of my holiday shopping done for years. This juried show has 120
artists offering everything from jewelry to wall art to clothing – even
sculptures and gourmet food! Need some feel good with your gift-buying? The
artists that you are supporting here donate art that is auctioned off in the
spring to help support Uncompensated Care at Seattle Children’s! Need more? If
you are active or retired military, you get in free. Speaking of military,
there are a lot of local parades, dinners, and events happening in almost every
neighborhood for Veteran’s Day. Take some time to thank those that keep us safe
and allow us to celebrate the holidays in any fashion we wish. Thank You
Veterans!
Turkey Day Offerings. Cranksgiving
on the 16th is a fun scavenger hunt done on your bike. You look for
food that is later donated to the West Seattle Food Bank, and you get prizes at
the after party! The Green Lake Gobble & Mashed
Potato Munch Off on the 17th is a fun way to get some exercise in and
help support the Union Gospel Mission. Held at Green Lake Park, this event
offers a 10K and 5K walk/run, a free kids dash, and a mashed potato eating
contest. What more could you want? On Thanksgiving Day, there are tons of
restaurants offering special menus. Everything from traditional turkey,
stuffing, and mashed potatoes to ethnic cuisine with a traditional twist. The Eater,
OpenTable,
and TripSavvy
sites all have great recommendations of where to go for your perfect Turkey Day
meal. Before all that eating, drinking, and merry-making, you’re going to need
to go for a walk. Or maybe a run. How about a Trot? The Seattle Turkey Trot in Ballard is
a 5K benefiting the Ballard Food Bank starting at 9am. Bring your food donation
and your furry friend – oh, and don’t forget
your costume! The Turkey Trot
at Magunson Park at 10am is a 5K/10K/15K benefiting Teen Feed and the
University Food Bank. Cash and food donations accepted at both.
…….and the Holiday Festivities Begin! The 29th is the opening ceremony for Christmas in Seattle, and it’s an event you absolutely have to see. The Macy’s Holiday Parade is at 9am and has all the things you want from a proper parade: floats, marching bands, costumes, and of course Santa! Afterwards the Man in Red will be delivered to the 2nd floor of Macys where he will be listening to the kiddos and posing for pictures through December 24th. The annual Westlake Holiday Tree Lighting Celebration happens later in the day, along with the Macy’s Downtown Seattle Starlighting. Basically, just wear your warm layers and plan on spending the day at Westlake Center! The 30th is the annual Magic in the Market starting at 11am and concluding with the famous Pike Place Market Tree Lighting! After these Seattle events, there is something Holiday almost every day. A few notables are the Nutcracker at the Pacific Northwest Ballet, Winterfest at Seattle Center, Lumaze at Smith Cove, WildLights at the Woodland Park Zoo, Enchanted Christmas at T-Mobile Park (which includes a really cool maze)….it goes on and on.
All this holiday fun can be exhausting, why not come home to a
luxury unit with super comfy furniture and a view to die for? You can cook in
the fully stocked gourmet kitchen or just enjoy a glass of wine and conversation
with loved ones. The team at Seattle Oasis Vacation Rentals is here to make
sure each of our guests enjoys a customized and luxurious stay right in the
heart of it all. Contact us today for
more information on our property options.
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