West Seattle, Washington
07 Sunday
Many West Seattle Farmers Market booths have holiday greenery today, but if you venture just a few steps south of the market, you can buy a handmade wreath that helps students. Pathfinder K-8’s famous wreaths and other “door decor” are available at a booth on the SW corner of California/Alaska. Above, Cienna and Kyra are there today; you’ll find volunteers there during market hours the next two Sundays too.
Thanks to Anne for the photos. If you’re heading to The Junction for the Farmers’ Market (or another destination!) today, you can browse and buy at a holiday bazaar too – the West Seattle Eagles’ bazaar. More than 18 vendors with items from preserves to art!
As featured on today’s event list and in our Holiday Guide, they’re planning to be open until 3 pm, at 4426 California SW (next to the. post office).
The tree in Junction Plaza Park is now aglow in its seasonal glory, after a West Seattle Junction Hometown Holidays countdown led onstage by District 1 City Counilmember Rob Saka and his kids:
Councilmember Saka’s sweater featured Christmas cartoon villain The Grinch, but the night’s mood was not grinchy in the slightest:
After the lights went on, it was serious selfie time beneath the tree:
Though tonight’s festival was the biggest event of this year’s Hometown Holidays, there’s more to come – Thursday night (December 11) is big too, with the West Seattle Art Walk, Shop Late Thursday, wandering elves and carolers!
Before the lights, the music! Three groups performed mini-concerts on the stage in Junction Plaza Park before the Hometown Holidays Tree Lighting. We got there too late to catch the opening performance by the Endolyne Children’s Choir, but recorded video with the two others. The show-stopping moment was the last song in our first clip above from the West Seattle-based Met Singers – a lyrical twist on “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” to tell the tale of Mariners slugger Cal “Big Dumper” Raleigh. Below is the second half of the Met Singers’ onstage caroling, starting with “Jingle Bells”:
.
The choir, directed by Laurie de Leonne, was preceded by groups from the West Seattle School of Rock – they took short breaks between songs to re-form, so we recorded their songs one by one. Here are four – first, “Hazy Shade of Winter”:
“Santa’s Got a Brand-New Bag”:
“Merry Xmas Everybody”:
And “Super Rock Santa”:
One more report ahead from tonight’s event – the tree lighting!
Things were a little chaotic but when all was said and done, a cat competing against about half a dozen dogs won the pet-costume contest that’s become a tradition on West Seattle Junction Hometown Holidays Tree Lighting night!
Emcee Brian Callanan called the kitty by the names War Zone and War Games, but whichever was correct, so was Winner – with prizes donated by All the Best Pet Care, one of the night’s sponsors. The kitty stayed remarkably calm throughout:
The dogs were fairly mellow too:
Another of the top three was Chef Coy-R-Gi:
Next up: Two of the groups that performed mini-concerts before tree time!
While we assemble our coverage from tonight’s big celebration in The Junction, we’re taking a moment to look ahead a week to next Saturday, when the Admiral Neighborhood Association invites you to wander a mile of local businesses for the Winter Wonderland party! The map’s live now, so here’s the full announcement:
Enjoy a full mile of festive fun on Saturday, December 13th from 11 AM-2 PM with the Admiral Neighborhood Association at our third annual Winter Wonderland!
Businesses throughout Admiral are offering a variety of family-friendly activities, specials, and promotions as we encourage our neighbors to shop small this holiday season. From holly-jolly pet photos and coffee-filter snowflakes to hot cocoa stations and artful nibbles; there’s snow place like Admiral this winter.
And while you’re out, don’t forget to stop by West Seattle Realty for a daytime disco party with Santa, take a break at the Admiral Theater for their special showing of The Nightmare Before Christmas, then sing along with carolers from the Admiral Church Choir. And be on the lookout for our roving Winter Wonderland penguin throughout the event.
Look for the penguins in the windows of participating Admiral businesses day-of and visit our website connecttoadmiral.org/winter-wonderland to see the full map and plan your route!
(Screengrab from 42nd/Alaska traffic cam)
4:28 PM: Happening right now in the West Seattle Junction – SW Alaska is closed to traffic between California and 42nd for the Hometown Holidays Tree Lighting festival, featuring a Night Market that’s open now(here’s the list of vendors). The schedule:
4:30 PM Endolyne Choir
5:00 PM School of Rock
5:30 PM Pet Costume Contest
5:45 PM Metropolitan Singers (carolers)
6:00 PM Tree Lighting (with carolers)
6:15 PM Holiday DJ spinning tunes
8:00 PM Night Market closes
Updates to come!
6:20 PM: The tree was lit on schedule and we’re back at HQ processing video and photos. The weather stayed dry and if you haven’t been yet, you can still go shop the market!
7:42 PM: Adding a few scenes from the market, including Santa himself, wandering and posing:
Cookie decorating too!
Some of the vendors are from elsewhere in The Junction, like Falafel Salam and Bakery Nouveau:
Separate reports are coming up about what happened onstage – from the pet costume contest to the tree lighting!
Among the places you can find unique creations for gifts – or yourself – are local art studios with special events, as featured in our Holiday Guide.
RAIN CITY CLAY: Deb Schwartzkopf is hosting a weekend show/sale at her Rain City Clay at 4208 SW 100th in Arbor Heights. We stopped by during last night’s opening reception.
More than 80 artists are participating, with more than 3,000 handmade ceramic pots, ornaments, sculptures and more.
Open until 7 tonight.
WESTWOOD ART STUDIO: Not far away, Westwood Art Studio at 9042 31st SW is hosting a multi-artist show and sale this weekend and next. Studio owner is Damian Grava:
He also opened the studio for a reception last night.
They’re also open until 7 tonight.
VIVA TOUR: And you can studio-hop both days this weekend with a ferry ride to Vashon Island, The VIVA (Vashon Island Visual Artists) Holiday Art Studio Tour is happening until 5 pm today, 10 am-5 pm tomorrow and both days next weekend, and sponsoring WSB right now to help amplify the invitation. You’ll find a map at vivartists.com. 40 studios and galleries, more than 140 artists!
Thanks to Lisa at CAPERS Home (4525 California SW; WSB sponsor) for the photo from the first of six mornings with Santa at the shop for selfies! Every weekend morning through December 21, 8:30-11 am – as featured in our West Seattle Holiday Guide‘s Santa photo-ops list – he’ll be there. DIY photos for donations benefiting the West Seattle Food Bank!
8:30 AM: That’s Al‘s plate at the Kiwanis Club of West Seattle‘s benefit pancake breakfast, happening right now at the Alki Masonic Center (40th/Edmunds in The Junction), continuing until 11 am. Only $10 at the door (kids are free with paying adults) gets you pancakes, ham, juice, coffee, tea … free Santa photo, and if you have new unwrapped toys to donate, a Toys for Tots drive too. More photos to come!
10:12 AM: Tons of toys, and as seen above, more kept arriving – we were there about midway through the four-hour event. Lots of people enjoying pancakes, too!
Lots of smiles with the Kiwanis’s kitchen crew:
This runs on volunteer power, including Scouts from Troop/Pack 284 who are helping serve:
Marines including Cpl. E4 Devan Sanchez are there for the toy drive, and Santa is there for pics:
We’re told Santa’s stand-in (shhh) this morning is Peter Gelpi, featured in a recent WSB story about his volunteer work in Ukraine, where he’ll also be standing in for Santa on Christmas Eve! The crowd, meantime, is all ages:
Proceeds will help fund the Kiwanis Club’s work with youth – raffle items and the online auction too:
And the pancakes keep flying out of the kitchen – by 9 o’clock they’d sent out 10 takeout orders too!
Next big event for the Kiwanis Club of West Seattle, the Hometown Holidays Coat Drive at their booth on the south end of the Farmers’ Market, one week from tomorrow, on Sunday, December 14, 10 am-2 pm – bring a new or gently used coat/jacket to donate, get cocoa!
Windy night for a Christmas tree lighting, but Our Lady of Guadalupe went on with the show tonight. Brian Callanan emceed the festive “Light Up the Night“ ceremony in which OLG lit the city’s highest-elevation Christmas tree, as you can see and hear:
OLG student singers and The Starry Crowns led caroling before and after the tree went on, with classic carols including “Joy to the World,” “Carol of the Bells,” and “We Wish You a Merry Christmas”:
(photos added) Another favorite, “Jingle Bells” with participants invited to jingle their keys:
(This photo, next 2, and tree above – WSB photos by Oliver Hamlin)
The tree lighting and caroling were just part of OLG’s annual community celebration:
Indoors, it was story time with Santa, and the fill-the-sleigh food drive for St. Vincent de Paul:
West Seattle’s other big tree lighting is at 6 pm tonight in The Junction.
If you can donate a new, unwrapped toy to Toys for Tots (or more than one), in addition to the ongoing drives we’ve mentioned in our West Seattle Holiday Guide, there are two special opportunities tomorrow (Saturday, December 6):
KIWANIS CLUB OF WEST SEATTLE PANCAKE BREAKFAST: Along with an incredible breakfast deal ($8/advance, $10/door for pancakes, ham, and beverage), U.S. Marines will be there to accept unwrapped toys for Toys for Tots. 7 am-11 am, Alki Masonic Center (40th/Edmunds), and Santa will be there too.
(WSB photo at Station 29 during last year’s toy drive)
SEATTLE FIRE STATION 29 TOY DRIVE: On Saturday afternoon, 2-4 pm, the Seattle Fire Department hosts a Toys for Tots drive at a few of its stations around the city. In West Seattle, Station 29 is participating – 2139 Ferry Avenue SW in North Admiral. Bring a toy and meet firefighters!
OTHER TOY/FOOD/ETC. DRIVES: See the Giving Opportunities section of the WSB West Seattle Holiday Guide – still adding to it!
(WSB photos)
5:43 PM: The Junction’s holiday-cheer level is running high tonight, with Santa Claus roaming and live music playing for the first Shop Late Thurday of this Hometown Holidays season.
Participating businesses are keeping their doors open later for holiday shopping. We’re roaming too.
7:30 PM: If you couldn’t get out tonight – you’ve got another Shop Late Thursday ahead next week!
Some shops are open late all the time – above, The Beer Junction is one. Here are other places twinkling with holiday lights tonight, like CAPERS Home (WSB sponsor):
Paper Boat Booksellers (WSB sponsor):
Other sights included the spot where Santa photos will be offered as an animal-rescue fundraiser on Saturday, at The Hydrant:
But tonight, Santa was out and about – umbrella in tow:
Our West Seattle Holiday Guide has a long lineup of Santa photo ops for the next couple weeks! Meantime, the biggest night of Hometown Holidays is this Saturday (December 6), with a Night Market on SW Alaska 4-8 pm (here’s the vendor list) and the tree-lighting event around 6 pm (scroll this page for the night’s full schedule).
The next West Seattle Junction Hometown Holidays event is tomorrow – Shop Late Thursday. Stacie from the Junction Association says, “Santa and his elves will be bouncing around the Junction tomorrow night from 5:30-7:30 talking to guests and handing out candy canes. Plus Better As Brass will be playing in front of Key Bank.” It’ll also be West Seattle Book Club night, with some Junction venues on this month’s list, and after shopping you can see “Penelope” at ArtsWest!
(WSB photo, 2024)
Saturday night (December 6) is approaching – the night when the lights will start shining on the West Seattle Junction Christmas tree in Junction Plaza Park, during a four-hour festival. SW Alaska will be closed east of California for the Night Market, which starts at 4 pm – here’s how the rest of the night rolls out, mostly on the stage, which will again be in the park:
4:30 PM – Endolyne Children’s Choir
5:00 PM – West Seattle School of Rock
5:30 PM – Pet Costume Contest (top prize worth $100!)
5:45 PM – Metropolitan Singers (carolers)
6:00 PM – Tree Lighting (with carolers)
6:15 PM – Holiday DJ spinning tunes
8:00 PM – Night Market closes
The Junction has published the list of vendors – more than 20 – see it here. And it’ll all happen regardless of the weather. See you in The Junction – where Hometown Holidays gets going two nights earlier, with Shop Late Thursday (December 4).
Out scouting Christmas lights again tonight, we wandered over to the Charlestown Standpipe (aka “water tower”) vicinity, where you’ll usually find several densely lit homes. A little early, maybe, as the only one we found in full force was this one on the west side of 40th just north of Charlestown.
We’ll visit again later in the season. Meantime, tips welcome if you have, or see, festive lights – westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
Thursday night, 5:30-7:30 pm, you’re invited to Brookdale West Seattle (4611 35th SW) for a holiday event during which more than a dozen decorated mini-trees will be silent-auctioned by the Rotary Club of West Seattle Foundation to raise money for community projects. Daily through then, the Brookdale lobby is open to visitors, 9 am-5 pm, for a preview. Here are just a few – a tree donated by Kelli’s Child Care that’s perfect for Seahawks fans:
Another, donated by Mike and Kate Price, hits it out of the park for Mariners fans:
If you love winter snow, the tree donated by the West Seattle YMCA (WSB sponsor) might be your fave:
And for dog lovers, West Seattle Thriftway (WSB sponsor) unleashed this one:
On Thursday evening, when the mini-trees (and some decorated wreaths) will be silent-auctioned, refreshments including hors d’oeuvres will be provided, and you can park across 35th in the West Seattle Stadium/Golf Course lot and catch a shuttle at 5:30 or 6 pm. This flyer has more info about the event/auction, which raises money for signature Rotary Foundation projects including the West Seattle Grand Parade and Pencil Me In For Kids.
(WSB photos)
From the Nativity, to Santa and his reindeer …
… to a cheery family of snowmen …
… to holiday trains …
… many a Christmas story is told in the Menashe Family‘s front yard at 5605 Beach Drive SW, which at this time of year offers up West Seattle’s brightest Christmas lights, from the tree tops to the sidewalk:
They’ve been switching to LEDs over the years so it’s not as energy-consuming as you might suspect. But it’s still enough to widen the eyes of kids – and grownups – who stop by to look. One particularly special night to visit will be Saturday, December 13, when Santa and reindeer will be there, starting at 6 pm. … In the meantime, we’ll be featuring holiday lights nightly through Christmas, so if you have one to recommend, please let us know – with or without pics – westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
\
Maybe you’ve seen that sign but didn’t have time to stop and investigate. It’s for Winter Wander, which organizer Alice Kuder has turned into a holiday-season tradition. It’s free, fun, and starts in less than a week – here’s the announcement, if you’re not signed up already:
The Winter Wander Scavenger Hunt is a free, 10-day community event designed to bring friends and families together for holiday fun. Wanderers download instructions, a Bingo-style clue sheet, and a map, then scour West Seattle to identify the locations that solve the clues, and upload selfies in front of those locations to qualify for prize drawings. Open to everyone of all ages! Winter Wander starts at 5 PM Fri., Dec. 5h, and concludes at 7 PM, Sun., Dec. 14th, 2025. Sign up anytime between those dates by registering at wondersinaliceland.com.
(WSB photos)
The Duwamish Tribe Longhouse and Cultural Center (4705 West Marginal Way SW) is midway through its annual three-day Native Art Market. We visited toward the end of day 1 to see some of the creations that artists and crafters are selling both in the main hall and in the year-round exhibit space. Some are from Northwest tribes, like Denise of the Skokomish:
Jonny is selling items primarily from Ecuador and Peru, including beaded leather bands:
These are made with alpaca wool:
Shelly is there with ceramic miniature holiday trees:
And at other tables you can find creations from Native-themed art to quirky stocking stuffers including these keychains made of letters from old license plates:
The longhouse market continues until 5 pm today and again 10 am-5 pm on Sunday; they’re also planning a one-day market those same hours on Friday, December 19.
(WSB file photo)
That’s the highest-elevation Christmas tree in Seattle, yards away from the highest elevation in the city (520′), outside Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church on the southeast corner of 35th SW and SW Myrtle. One week from tonight, you’re invited to OLG’s annual “Light Up the Night” celebration, where the tree is lit along with the shrubs outside the sanctuary. You can sing Christmas carols with OLG students and guest musicians, and bring nonperishable food to fill the sleigh in the lobby of the Walmesley Center across Myrtle from the tree. Plus: Pizza for sale, kids’ craft tables, story time with Santa, and hot chocolate and cookies.It all starts at 6 pm Friday, December 5.
The Kiwanis Club of West Seattle‘s main mission is to support local youth – including local Scout troops and Key Clubs at local high schools. One way to help them do that is to buy tickets for their annual holiday Pancake Breakfast, coming up December 6 (one week from tomorrow, with Santa photos as part of the deal). Another way: Bid in their online auction, with items up for grabs including shopping sprees at West Seattle businesses. The auction is open now and you can bid by going here! You can also buy Pancake Breakfast tickets at the Kiwanis’s booth at the south end of the West Seattle Farmers’ Market this Sunday – 10 am-2 pm, California/Alaska. (WSB is a community co-sponsor of the Pancake Breakfast.)
(WSB photos: Above, peninsula’s first tree arrivals, at West Seattle Nursery in mid-November)
Though some tree sellers started early – West Seattle Nursery (5275 California SW; WSB sponsor) had some when we covered their Open House two weeks ago, and the inventory has increased since! – today is the traditional start of Christmas tree season. Returning this year, as reported here earlier this month, Tony’s Trees at 35th SW and SW Barton:
Proprietor Anthony Morella says he’s a relative of the Genzale family, which had a tree lot here until last year (not to mention the renowned produce stand).
Tony’s is the southernmost West Seattle tree lot. The northernmost is Trees By The Sea, back at 2536 Alki SW this year, the spot that holds Wheel Fun Rentals during the warmer months:
Trees By The Sea’s Tiffany just told us their hours while the trees last will be 10-8 Fridays (though they opened at 8 today), 8-8 Saturdays, 8-7 Sundays, noon-7 Mondays-Thursdays. Also back this year, the Holy Rosary School Tree Lot:
It’s on the north side of the school, next to the playground, and a percentage of proceeds goes to nonprofits. Other tree sellers in West Seattle and White Center include hardware stores – Junction Hardware (44th SW and SW Edmunds), McLendon Hardware in White Center, and The Home Depot (Delridge Way SW and SW Orchard). Some years there are pop-ups – there was one at the Farmers’ Market, for example – so if you see a tree lot we haven’t mentioned, please let us know! (And we’ll keep updating the list in our West Seattle Holiday Guide.)
| 1 COMMENT