A new person at Microsoft (not me) sent out a request for ideas of things to see in the Seattle area around Christmas. This is a typically thorough and exhaustive Microsoft email response.
· There’s a Winterfest that goes on every year around this time in Seattle Center with music, ice skating, train rides, etc. that might be worth checking out.
· Also, we went to this last year in the Bellevue Botanical Gardens and it was pretty neat: http://www.bellevuebotanical.org/events/fmevents_gardendlights.htm.
· The City of Redmond has a festival called Redmond Lights with a parade on 12/7: · www.redmond.gov/recreationarts/redmondlights/redmondlights.asp
· Bellevue has “snowflake lane” and “garden d’lights” – both very pretty
· Ballet production of “The Snowman” put on by BalletBellevue, Dec 13 and 14th at the Northshore Performing Arts Center in Bothell. Or Dec 28th in Bellevue. It’s wonderful and based upon the book by Raymond Briggs.
· Leavenworth - www.leavenworth.org
o Nice day trip
o Get snow tires or chains!
· Puget sound Christmas activities - http://gonw.about.com/od/eventswa/a/seatacholiday.htm
· The Pacific Ballet Nutcracker is the classic Seattle Christmas show. http://www.pnb.org/season/nutcracker/
· You can get a permit from the forest service and still go out into the woods and cut your own Christmas tree. An old-time tradition that can be fun for everyone. Or closer in, there are plenty of Christmas tree farms.
· The Dickens Carolers are fun to see.
· The Seattle Yacht Club puts on a show every year where all the members dress up their boats in Christmas lights and sail around the lake in a parade.
· Also somewhat unique to Seattle is the Christmas ship festival. A bunch of boats with Christmas lights tour around Lake Washington and Lake Union with carolers and music. It can be fun to hit a local park or marina and watch them go by (with some hot chocolate…) Argosy cruises also offers dinner packages where you ride on one of the ships with holiday festivities and dinner. They depart from the Kirkland Marina on many of the nights: http://www.argosycruises.com/themecruises/xmasSchedule.cfm
· At New Years, go downtown to watch the fireworks at midnight.
· Stevens and Snoqualmie passes: Skiing! Or sledding, snowboarding, tobogganing, etc.
· If it gets cold enough to snow or freeze, see Snoqualmie Falls with snow & ice on the rocks.
· Dinner at the Space Needle – bring binoculars to see all the lights all over the city.
· For Christmas lights, the longest tradition of Seattle neighborhood lights is Candy Cane Lane. It can get crowded and isn’t really that big, but tons of lights at each house. Coming over from Kirkland, you may want to plan to visit the University Village shopping district nearby to make it worthwhile: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/mbase/cgi-bin/DisplayPage.pl?source=edb&source_id=42272
· Downtown Seattle also has many Christmas activities such as the Christmas Carousel, gingerbread village at the Sheraton. Lot’s of great restaurants to try all around as well although nothing particularly Christmasy. http://www.downtownholidays.com/
· The Black Nativity at the Intiman theatre is also good. http://www.intiman.org/2008Season/bn.html
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