As announced on Sunday, the 2025 WSB West Seattle Holiday Guide is launched (with daily additions and updates). The Thansgiving/pre-Thanksgiving section is of course currently right at the top, and we want to remind you, that includes options for holiday feasts/foods that somebody else will prep for you to heat up/cook at home -not just supermarkets, but local restaurants as well. The deadlines for ordering are coming up fast, too – some in the next day or two. Meantime, if we’re missing anyone else who’s offering pre-cooked and/or pre-prepared holiday food, please send the info and we’ll add it to the guide! (And if you don’t want to do any cooking at all, we of course will have our annual “who’s open” list – linked in the guide when it’s ready.)

Every year we put together – and frequently update – a mega-list of local holiday events and info, the WSB West Seattle Holiday Guide. We’ve just published the first 2025 version, featuring everything we’ve received (or found) info about, so far. The Holiday Guide covers pre-Thanksgiving through New Year’s and breaks down the contents into lists including Thanksgiving (starting with holiday-food ordering deadlines), holiday bazaars/sales/business open houses, concerts, other performances, Santa photo ops, Christmas Ship visits, Christmas tree sales, donation drives/fundraisers, holiday decorations, public Hanukkah celebrations, local shopping spotlights, more … We also spotlight practical information as each holiday gets closer – which grocery stores, restaurants, and coffee shops are open, for example.

As always when we launch the guide, some of this info isn’t available yet (like “which restaurants are open on Thanksgiving?”) but we’re continuing to research and gather, so as more info and announcements arrive, we’ll continue updating the guide. This year and every year, your help is VERY important – you might see something we haven’t seen/received yet, or you might be planning something for your organization/school/church. Please send info to westseattleblog@gmail.com and we’ll get it listed. We’ll include White Center and South Park events if the info is sent to us, but West Seattle is the focus. We’re here to help make sure you know about all your options all season long! You can find the guide any time at westseattleblog.com/holiday, as well as on our menu/navigation bar, whichever device you’re using. Check back often because we’ll be updating at least once a day!

(WSB photo: Volunteers helping with 2024 turkey giveaway)

This year, some who have not previously faced food insecurity might be wondering how to put turkey on the table this Thanksgiving. In case you haven’t already seen it in our West Seattle Event Calendar, Eastridge Church is again giving away hundreds of turkeys and bags of groceries at its two campuses, including West Seattle, at 39th SW and SW Oregon (across 39th from West Seattle Bowl). The turkey giveaway is on the Saturday before Thanksgiving, as usual, so that’s one week from tomorrow – Saturday, November 22, starting at 9 am, continuing until 11:30 am or until supplies run out if that’s sooner. No proof of need required – just show up. Eastridge has been doing this each holiday season for more than 20 years.

With Thanksgiving now less than two weeks away, we’re close to launching this year’s WSB West Seattle Holiday Guide, a one-stop shop for info on all things holiday in West Seattle – events, sales, performances, light shows, holiday food ordering, much more – we have lots of entries already and will, as always, continue adding to the guide (and our Event Calendar) throughout the season, BUT it’s great to have listings in the guide from the start, so so, whatever you want the community to know, westseattleblog@gmail.com is the optimal way to send it so we can get it into the guide, with version 1.0 launching in the next day or so! Thank you!

It was a longtime holiday staple at 35th/Barton – Tony’s Trees, the wintertime enterprise of the family who ran the Tony’s Market produce tent in warmer months – first longtime proprietor Tony Genzale, and then his son Joey. After Joey stopped running the business, the short-lived new ownership didn’t offer trees last year. The corner now hosts other businesses, primarily junk hauling and a Mexican-food truck. But then, multiple readers pointed out, a banner appeared proclaiming the return of Tony’s Trees this year. We have since heard from the operator. His name is Anthony Morella, and he says he’s a relative of the Genzale family: “Joey’s a distant cousin of mine but I grew up around him and I worked selling the trees with him for the last 5-6 years. We wanted to keep the name in memory of Tony and Joey’s old fruit stand.” Here’s the plan for the tree lot: “We are going to be selling locally cut Washington Christmas trees in all types of sizes. We will also be offering white flocked trees. On top of that – a Christmas market with wreaths, garland, Christmas plants, and more.” The photo above is some of their future trees, before cutting time. He adds, “We will be open 9-8 Monday – Thursday and Sunday and 9-10 Friday – Saturday,” starting right after Thanksgiving.

We list tree sellers in our forthcoming West Seattle Holiday Guide, so this and others will be featured there – details always appreciated at westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!

With less than three weeks until Thanksgiving, we’re working on this year’s WSB West Seattle Holiday Guide, so we can launch it this week! If you haven’t already sent information on your holiday-season event, bazaar/pop-up shop, donation drive, fundraiser, performance, special hours, holiday food ordering, etc. … now’s the time to get that info to us so we can share it with everybody. Whatever you want the community to know, westseattleblog@gmail.com is the best way to send it so we can get it into the guide (and if time/date-specific, into our year-round West Seattle Event Calendar too) – thank you!

By Hayden Andersen
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

Until 4 PM today, furnishing and gift store CAPERS, a cornerstone business in the West Seattle Junction, will be hosting its yearly holiday-season open house. This event coincides with a milestone as proprietor Lisa Myers celebrates the store’s 40th year open.

Visitors today will be able to enjoy in-store specials, beverages, and food, as well as their annual giving-tree program.

A highlight every year, the giving tree is put up in partnership with The Hickman House, a local housing program that helps women and children who survived domestic violence. Residents place wishes on the tree, and visitors can purchase the gifts, deliver them to CAPERS by 12/22, and help women and children in need during the holiday season.

Brendan, who’s been working at Capers for four years, is still blown away by the outpouring of support for both the open house and the giving tree. “The community here is fantastic,” she said. “We have people who come in weeks before the tree is up, asking if they can donate.”

The community support is felt by more than just the permanent staff, said Angie Marcelynas, a local artist showing off her work this morning, as guests milled about the store. Marcelynas is a longtime West Seattle resident, and for the last three and a half years, she’s been selling her handmade jewelry under the brand The Little Merle.

Marcelynas, who specializes in making jewelry out of recycled material, has been a CAPERS regular for over a decade. “I remember when it was still two locations,” She said, while showing off a selection of newly made pins – a recent favorite of hers. “And I buy an ornament from them every single year.”

“Businesses like CAPERS give artists a space,” said Marcelynas. “It’s all around a great community to be a part of.”

CAPERS will host other artists throughout the season (continuing with Thursday’s West Seattle Art Walk). This will also be CAPERS’ second year back from their pandemic hiatus from Santa Claus photos. Starting on the first weekend of December, they’ll host DIY photos every Saturday and Sunday from 8:30 to 11 AM. Following in the season’s tradition of giving to others, the funds from photographs will be donated to the West Seattle Food Bank, says Brendan.

In the meantime, the CAPERS open house continues until 4 PM today, bringing their own flavor of holiday cheer to The Junction. For more information about the Hickman House and the giving tree, check here.

5 PM: Busy night at West Seattle Thriftway (California/Fauntleroy, WSB sponsor) as shoppers sample possibilities for holiday meals, with three weeks to go until Thanksgiving. The “Holiday Taste” is a Thriftway tradition, with more than 20 vendors there offering samples of food and beverages, plus a chance to try what the store’s own deli is cooking up if you want someone else to do the cooking this season. As noted earlier, the store also is matching monetary donation made at its checkstands to the West Seattle Food Bank during the event. More photos later; the “Holiday Taste” continues until 7 pm.

6:16 PM: Part of the “Taste” fun is meeting the vendors as well as trying their creations. Above and below, West Seattle’s own Seattle Sorbets is there:

We wondered what Girl Meets Dirt offered, after seeing them on the vendor list – answer: Preserves!

And more preserves, from McCormick Jam:

Beverages include Caffe Vita coffee:

Twinbrook Creamery dairy products, many in classic glass bottles:

For the 21+ crowd, Lodgepole Distilling brought three flavors of gin:

The team from The Brown Pecan has treats including candied nuts:

That’s just a sample of tonight’s participants. Meantime, Thriftway’s own deli offerings are offered for tasting too:

You can get an order form at the store – with items from a $4.99 dozen rolls to a $174 roasted-turkey-and-all-the-fixings dinner:

If you can’t get to tonight’s tasting event, Thriftway will do it again three weeks before Christmas – Thursday, December 4, 4 to 7 pm.

(WSB file photo)

The holiday season is about to start – and here’s proof: Tomorrow night (Thursday, November 6) brings the annual “Holiday Taste” festival of samples at West Seattle Thriftway (California/Fauntleroy; WSB sponsor). More than 20 vendors are expected for the 4-7 pm event, plus your chance to taste what the store’s own kitchen is offering this holiday season. Just drop in!

Having a holiday-related community event? Send info ASAP for our calendar and Holiday Guide – westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!

Before we get to what’s up for today, an early holiday alert – it’s a seasonal tradition to reserve a time at West Seattle Nursery (5275 California SW; WSB sponsor) to make your own holiday wreath, and reservations are open now. You can go here to choose your date and time, before all the slots are gone!

(Alki this morning, photo by James Bratsanos)

Sorry to miss the usually daily event list because of this morning’s breaking news. Things to know this Indigenous Peoples’ Day/Columbus Day, besides general government closures:

SEATTLE PARKS: Here’s the list of what’s open and what’s closed.

SEATTLE PUBLIC LIBRARY: Closed.

PARKING: For Seattle city streets with paid public parking, no charge today

U.S. POSTAL SERVICE: Holiday.

WSB WEST SEATTLE EVENT CALENDAR: See today’s listings (and beyond) here. One highlight:

WEST SEATTLE HIGH SCHOOL FOOD DRIVE DROPOFFS: Today is the first of three Mondays when community members can drop off food and clothing for the drive 4-6 pm at the school’s “historic entrance” (3000 California, north side).

This time yesterday, we noted that Halloween season is here. The winter holidays are right behind that, and one of the earliest local bazaars – at Shorewood Elementary in North Burien – is sending out a call for vendors;

Vendor Applications Open – 2025 Shorewood Craft Bazaar

The Shorewood PTA is thrilled to invite vendors to participate in our upcoming Craft Bazaar on November 8th. This event is such a fun, long standing community event! Interested, please fill out the form here: forms.gle/T22ckFjmWy8ZgjJR9

We’ll be publishing a holiday guide as always, so please send dates/times/locations of whatever holiday events you’re presenting when you’re ready! westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!

PHOTOS BY OLIVER HAMLIN FOR WSB

A Labor Day tradition was carried out again today at Alki Masonic Lodge on the east edge of The Junction: The annual changing of the flag that flies over the lodge. It’s held in conjunction with a community barbecue/picnic, and this year there was a bonus. First, the main event, preceded by a flag tribute read by a member of the Rainbow Girls youth group, who then joined attendees in the Pledge of Allegiance:

Then, with assistance from members of two VFW posts, the old flag was brought down and meticulously folded, and the new one went up:

The retired flag will be kept by Alki Lodge’s outgoing Worshipful Master Ron Creel, who received it from Post 1263’s Traci Williams and observed, “This is special” as a memento of his year leading the lodge:

She was assisted by Ron Palacios from West Seattle’s Post 2719 and Darrell Pilat, also of Post 1263:

After the flag ceremony, everyone enjoyed lunch inside – a little too chilly to grill outdoors, they decided – and then it was time for the scheduled visit from Engine 32 firefighters, based at Junction Station 32:

Firefighter Kelsey Nolta gave tours of the engine, while firefighter Max Wagner demonstrated their gear:

7-year-old Owen was among the kids who got a firsthand look inside Engine 32:

The lodge’s other community events include the annual student awards (here’s our coverage of this year’s presentation).